WAITE PARK ― In the past few years Stearns County election officials said they've received more scrutiny and persistent emails from constituents questioning the integrity of their electoral systems. This comes as misinformation fueled by false theories about a stolen election continues to spread from former President Donald Trump and his supporters.
"This year compared to other years, it's definitely more. There's just more scrutiny on the overall process," said election supervisor Roxanne Gerads. She's received a couple dozen emails in the past six weeks alone. Her coworkers have too.
Last summer someone threatened her, saying, "you've been warned." When asked how that made her feel, Gerads laughed it off, saying it happened so long ago she didn't remember.
"There's a risk in anything you do nowadays," said Laura Laudenbach, the Stearns County division director of elections and the license center. "I feel very confident that we are secure in our elections and safe and we're fair. So I don't know if there's anything to fear, because we're doing it exactly the way the process should be done."
But in a disturbing trend nationwide, more election officials have been the subject of threats and harassment after the 2020 election. Some officials have found their photos and addresses posted online, their voicemails filled with violent threats and others have considered leaving the profession due to fears for their personal safety.
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