By Linda So

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Oregon and California lawmakers are calling for more protections of election workers to counter harassment and threats resulting from the claims by ex-President Donald Trump that 2020 was rigged against them.

State officials stated that Oregon legislators were considering legislation to make harassing or threatening election workers a felony while they carry out their official duties. This measure would exempt personal information, like home addresses, of certain public records.

“In the months leading up to and since the 2020 election, election workers across the country have faced verbal abuse, harassment and violent threats on their lives,” Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan, a Democrat, told state lawmakers on Tuesday. “As we head into the 2022 election season, we must do all we can to protect election workers against physical harm fueled by misinformation.”

Oregon joins at least nine other states considering stronger protections for election administrators who have faced a campaign of terror inspired by Trump’s baseless claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 vote. In a series investigation report, Reuters revealed more than 850 threats to and hostile messages sent to national election officials in a number of reports.

Reuters’ reporting “made it clear that we had to do something to address the unprecedented rise in threats and harassment targeting election workers,” said Ben Morris, spokesperson for Fagan. The coverage “has been incredibly helpful in making the case for the bill.”

California’s state senator Josh Newman is considering legislation that will provide better protections to frontline workers involved in election administration. On Wednesday, Josh Newman (a Democrat) introduced a bill that gives election workers the choice of keeping their homes private. This measure prevents the release of private information on social media or online. It is intended to reduce harassment.

“Once your personal information is on the internet, there’s no shortage of people that may act on that information, especially when triggered,” said Newman. “It’s got to be terrifying.”

The bill would allow election workers to enroll in California’s existing privacy protection programs that are available to survivors of domestic violence, judges and politicians, among others.

“U.S. election officials are overworked, underpaid, understaffed and now under attack, as has been well documented by Reuters,” said Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation, who helped draft the bill. “We also need law enforcement to intervene whenever election officials are harassed or threatened and prosecute attackers wherever possible to help deter this kind of heinous behavior.”