The most common question (after what is a Constable) is why run for Constable. This recent special report from Reuters highlights the reason we need to elect active Constables. In the state of Pennsylvania, Constables are responsible for the safe operation of polling places on Election Days. In recent years, election workers have been subjected to increasing threats and harassment while performing their duties.

The caller accused McElyea of “stealing” the election, echoing Trump’s false claims of voter fraud. “I hope you all go to jail for treason. I hope your children get molested. You’re all going to f—— die,” he told her. He called back three times over the next 15 minutes, each time telling her she was “going to die.”..

McElyea, 53, a former U.S. Marine, called the Nevada Capitol Patrol and sent the state police agency a transcript of the calls, according to emails Reuters obtained through a public-records request…A week later, state police concluded that Juncaj’s threats were not criminal, characterizing them as “protected” political speech, according to a summary of the case…

In an investigation that identified hundreds of incidents of intimidation and harassment of election workers and officials nationwide, Reuters found only a handful of arrests.

Threats of violence and intimidation are not protected political speech. Never. They are an unpatriotic attack on America itself. One of this country’s core values is the right to vote and be governed by people of our choosing. Threats against our election system – and against those we elect – cannot tolerated if America has any hope to remain a republic. These threats are not limited to election officials, as other reports make clear. Every official that resigns due to threats, intimidation and stress limits our ability to be governed by the people of our choosing.

In Vail, Arizona, speakers at a recent meeting took turns blasting school board members over masks, vaccines and discussions of race in schools — even though the board had no plans to act on, or even discuss, any of those topics. “It’s my constitutional right to be as mean as I want to you guys,” one woman said.

No, you don’t have a constitutional right to be “as mean as I want to”. I’ve been sent videos of people in Nether Providence yelling at poll workers for performing tasks they are required to do by law. We had one woman last year that ranted and railed at the Republican Inspector of Election about how she didn’t have to wear a mask even when noone in the precinct had said anything to her about it. That official has now declined to run for another term, leaving the precinct short-staffed. We had a guy this year that yelled at every single person at the precinct (and all the way to his car) that his voter registration was wrong – something that noone there had any control over. These are people yelling at and harassing their neighbors! The people that work in your precinct are people that live down the street from you, who’s kids and grandkids go to school with yours, and who you probably pass by on the street regularly.

I’ve heard stories that the threats and violence against those that work at our county’s Bureau of Election are even worse. Its unfortunate that these attacks often pass under the radar, because they should be called out as the reprehensible attack on America that they are. The 102 cases of threats that Reuters documented are surely just a tiny fraction of the abuse our electoral system faces now. If America’s systems are not willing to protect themselves, we will continue a slide toward rule by violence instead of we the people.