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1/For anyone still wondering if #election2020 will impact the conduct of future elections, the answer is an unequivocal "yes". This important story about retaining election officials is just one example of how, and here are a few of my takeaways from it. https://www.pennlive.com/elections/2020/12/pa-election-officials-are-burnt-out-and-leaving-their-jobs-after-2020-nightmare.html
2/While important, the story's findings aren't a huge surprise, particularly in Pennsylvania. #Election2020 has made an already challenging profession even more difficult https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/mail-ballot-law-pennsylvania-has-driven-out-nearly-quarter-state-n1240504
3/For those inclined to view this story as one that is only relevant to PA officials, I strongly urge to you reconsider. @pamelafessler wrote a great piece earlier this year explaining how retaining election administrators is likely a nationwide challenge. https://www.npr.org/2019/11/26/782680291/as-2020-approaches-some-experienced-election-officials-head-to-the-exits
4/More recently, former CISA director @C_C_Krebs succinctly explained how targeted violence against election workers during #election2020 could impact their willingness to work future elections. W/o election workers, elections can't successfully be done. https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/fired-election-official-chris-krebs-senate-testimony-on-2020-election-security-transcript
5/If "election security" is "national security", like many people believe, then losing many election officials over a short period of time isn't just a big loss of institutional knowledge -- it's a national security issue that could impact the integrity of future elections.
6/As a result, we need a comprehensive "Marshall Plan" of sorts that is devoted to helping ensure that our "election administrator" ranks don't become severely depleted, so that we can continue to conduct elections in a safe, secure and fair manner.
7/Many of the challenges facing election officials are already documented and well-known. One such example of a report that discusses many of these issues is a @DemocracyFund report done by @nado1377, @gronke, Paul Manson and Sarah Cole https://democracyfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/2019_DemocracyFund_StewardsOfDemocracy.pdf
8/The real question is whether our country has the necessary resolve to address this burgeoning problem before it's too late. It's no longer enough to count on election administrators to stay in stressful, underpaid positions for the sake of the mission (democracy).
9/Perhaps we ought to study how other national security-related professions recruit and retain employees who work long hours and receive (relatively) low wages
10/Or possibly look at what other democratic countries do to try and retain their election administrators.
11/This @SpotlightPA story (made possible through @VotebeatUS) shows that doing nothing to fix this issue not only impacts election officials but others such as voters, elected officials, and those tasked with helping protect our democratic institutions from foreign adversaries.
