In a public service announcement aired for the first time Tuesday, local election officials and military veterans urged Americans not to interfere in the voting process or engage in political violence this Election Day.
The Safe Elections Commission created the PSA in response to increased threats against election officials in the run-up to the November 5 presidential election.
Violent threats have increased since 2020, when former President Donald Trump began criticizing those administering the election and making baseless claims of fraud.
PSA was inducted by retired Army Lt. Gen. Ronald Burgess and retired Air Force Brig. Gen. General Marty France is pleading with Americans not to give in to false rhetoric that the election was unfair.
“Looking at the current environment we’re in, I want to say to voters: We’re a country of values, we’re a country of laws, and we want election officials to do their jobs. “We need to do that,” said Burgess, a former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency.
A Brennan Center poll of election officials conducted in May found that 38% of employees had experienced intimidation, harassment or abuse on the job.
The threats have become so widespread that the Justice Department decided to create an Election Threat Task Force in 2021, and the department announced Monday it would create a special hotline to report harassment and other types of voter interference. The hotline — (888) 636-6596 — will be available Saturday and will remain available through Nov. 8.
Retired Army Lt. Gen. Ronald Burgess, former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, expressed support for election officials in a public service announcement produced by the Commission on Safe and Secure Elections. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Carly Coppes, county clerk and recorder of Weld County, Colorado, is one of two election workers who participated in the PSA. Koppes has been working on local elections for 20 years, and November will be his sixth presidential election.
“The atmosphere is definitely more heightened and more tense this time around,” Koppes told Military Times.
Until 2020, Koppes hadn’t heard from many people interested in how elections work. But in the four years since then, she said, she has participated in thousands of one-on-one conversations, group presentations and tours to allay concerns and push back against false claims. In most cases, she added, the conversations succeed in giving people new confidence in the voting process.
Koppes said his participation in the PSA is a reminder to Americans that election workers are people who live in the communities they work, not “someone behind the curtain pulling the strings.” I hope this helps.
She said public assistance for veterans is helpful because veterans are widely seen as trustworthy and respectable people. Coppes said her husband is a military veteran, and several veterans volunteer to help vote in the county.
“Being able to stand firm against all of this and knowing that I have very loyal and strong people supporting me in my role really gives my backbone an extra boost. ” Koppes said. “I am so grateful to the veterans who have decided to help us, because I believe that the voice of veterans is one of the most respected voices in our society. ”
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“Tolerating, inciting, and participating in political violence is the very dividing line between a free and fair democracy and authoritarianism,” General French, one of the PSA’s veterans, said in the video. Attacks and threats against families occur in war-torn countries, not in the United States.
He told Military Times that France had shown a willingness to get involved after seeing attacks on election workers after the 2020 presidential election.
“At the very least, I took this action out of empathy and support for election officials who have such a difficult job, but I don’t think it’s possible for me to threaten or even harass election officials. This is made even more difficult by extremists who believe that it is their role to play,” France said.
France added that military personnel’s oath to the constitution should extend beyond military service and include the defense of the country’s democratic institutions.
He encouraged other veterans to pitch in and suggested they start by talking to friends and family about their news consumption. Scholars warned this summer that a proliferation of websites mimic the appearance of real news organizations and target American voters with disinformation.
One Iran-related website was discovered earlier this month to try to stir up anti-democratic sentiments, especially among veteran voters.
“We want to do whatever we can to soften the rhetoric about election officials and intimidation against them, and do whatever we can to support the legitimacy of a safe and secure election,” France said. “This should not be a partisan issue. Our elections are secure and we cannot allow suspicion or intimidation to enter into our process.”
This article was produced in partnership with Veterans of Journalism. Send tips to MVJ-Tips@militarytimes.com.
Nikki Wentling covers disinformation and extremism for Military Times. She has reported on veterans and the military community for eight years, including technology, politics, health care and crime. Her work has earned her numerous honors, including from the National Coalition of Homeless Veterans and the Arkansas Associated Press Editor-in-Chief.
