After Trump’s 2020 lies, California lost more than 2 centuries of election experience
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STUDY SHOWS FLIGHT OF ELECTION OFFICIALS IN RECENT YEARS
A new report says that election officials have been leaving their posts in large numbers, resulting in a loss of institutional knowledge and increased costs in recruiting and training replacements.
IssueOne, a Washington, D.C cross-partisan political reform group, surveyed 11 western states, including California. It found that more than 160 chief election officials have left since November 2020. That represents about 40% of the leadership in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
The report attributes the wave of retirements and resignations in part to the lies spread by former President Donald Trump in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election that it was “rigged” or “stolen.”
“The brain drain associated with this exodus is real. IssueOne said, finding that officials took with them “more than 1,800 years of combined experience.”
In California, 41% of election officials left their post, taking with them 252 years of combined experience. And in 2024, 44% of California residents will see someone new running their elections. That’s 24 out of California’s 58 counties.
“Turnover is costly in many ways, and while election officials have a track record of rising to the occasion and performing heroically despite limited resources, Congress can help remedy this crisis by providing more funding and protections to these dedicated public servants,” the report said.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“A very simple question — should Republicans dine with a holocaust denier? It takes Ron DeSantis 4 questions, 3 attempts at a pivot, and over a minute to give an even semi-coherent answer.”
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom, via X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
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