EDITORIAL: Election workers have become American heroes

Election integrity isn’t the problem.

The problem is human integrity.

Reports of anonymous threatening letters being mailed to elections offices in five states, some of the letters laced with fentanyl, should not be taken out of context. It’s possible that one very sick person is responsible for these terrorist acts, and the sooner that individual is apprehended, the better.

But this attack at the heart of our democratic system of governance — it all starts with elections — offers lessons and warnings that we would ignore at our peril.

Flawless elections will be assured as soon as flawless humans manage them. Yet every possible step is being taken to make our elections as reliable as possible. Look no further than the Nov. 7 local election here in Kootenai County for proof.

Kootenai County had 176 different ballot styles this election, issued to voters throughout 73 precincts. Some precincts had as many as five or six different ballot styles.

Of the 22,407 ballots cast on Election Day, County Clerk Jennifer Locke said 98.84% had zero ballot issuance errors. Only one ballot issuance error affected the outcome of a race — the Mica Kidd Island Fire Protection District's base budget question, which is undergoing judicial review.

The legally mandated election canvass showed that one voter in precinct 521 received the incorrect ballot style. That precinct alone featured three different ballot styles, so a single mistake is understandable. Most importantly, Idaho’s election standards are so rigorous that the error was detected and is being resolved.

And yet, some corrupt leaders in this great nation of ours have inculcated so much groundless doubt about election system integrity and assigned sinister motives to election workers and officials that many fear for their safety. Large numbers are retiring or quitting.

According to an annual voting survey (https://evic.reed.edu/), turnover in election jobs doubled in the past year. With the 2024 presidential election approaching on a high-voltage tension wire, election workers should be the targets of unbridled appreciation and respect, not potentially lethal letters or harassment.  

Shut out the unscrupulous voices who blame their election losses on anyone or anything but themselves. Your vote counts, and you can thank your election workers for that.