Harassment during the 2020 election was so bad many Mass. clerks quit. 2024 is shaping up to be just as bad.

SOUTHBRIDGE — In September, local elections clerks received an email that purported to be from a reputable national organization that helps to ensure voting integrity. The message asked clerks to fill out a survey and include their personal cellphones and home addresses.

But the URL behind the sender was not for the cybersecurity group the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing & Analysis Center, or EI-ISAC. Instead, it led to a website, electioncrimebureau.com, with an image of a grinning Mike Lindell, the MyPillow CEO-turned-high-profile-election-denier who continues to believe former president Donald Trump won the 2020 election.

The faux email, say Massachusetts election clerks, is just the latest example of the deluge of threats, interference, misinformation, and burdensome requests coming at them as they approach what many fear will be one of the most daunting elections yet.

Burnout and frustration after the 2020 election and the subsequent storm of misinformation sparked massive turnover within the ranks of local elections officials. Those who stayed faced cybersecurity threats and emails sent by bad actors. The threats come on top of new state laws that boosted access to mail ballots and expanded early voting.



https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/10/03/metro/election-clerks-2024-threats-massachusetts/