Resources > Withstanding Intimidation and Preventing Overt Attacks

Withstanding Intimidation and Preventing Overt Attacks

Emergencies and Security

This detailed guide offers security ideas for handling disruptive individuals and crowds.

table of contents

We developed this guide to assist election officials in planning defenses against threats from individuals, organized groups and spontaneous groupings. These threats may challenge the order, safety or procedural integrity of the central election office, counting sites, drop boxes, other high-profile election facilities and even voting sites.

This guide provides more detail than the related resource Ensuring Physical Safety of Election Personnel (linked below). That guide may be more appropriate for offices building a basic level of security, while this guide is suitable for larger jurisdictions and those with concerns that disturbance is likely.

The Elections Group created this tool to support the voluntary, nonpartisan Standards of the US Alliance for Election Excellence.

What you’ll need

A copy of the guide Election Security: Standing Up To Intimidation, Preventing Overt Attacks
A list of law enforcement and security partners (or potential partners)
Staff interested in helping plan for disturbance scenarios

Getting started

The best way to withstand intimidation and prevent attacks is to be prepared. This guide will help you understand the range of potential threats, prepare your staff, harden your facilities and build relationships with security agency partners.

It also offers several scenarios for you to consider and talk through with staff and partners.

Using the tool

This guide begins with an overview of a “risk management” approach, helping you zero in on major vulnerabilities and focus attention and resources on high-risk locations such as central offices, ballot counting facilities and drop boxes.

The main sections cover

Staff and poll worker guidance
Managing the relationship with observers
Breaking up unruly, disruptive crowds
Getting legal advice, and utilizing the “authoritative presence” of an attorney
Facilities preparation
Law enforcement and security staff
Communicating about deterring intimidation

The guide ends with a series of scenarios that can help you prompt conversation with staff, vendor partners and security partners about appropriate prevention and incident response. Appendices offer a checklist for preparing for and responding to disturbances and a set of references to other useful guides.

Customizing for your office

Any tips for customizing this resource for my office?

Since the guide offers a background review and a menu of options, the core use is about extracting those lessons and ideas that are helpful to your office. In particular, you can edit the checklist to focus on those scenarios you feel are most likely, and to list out the steps that will be mostly helpful and appropriate in your community.

How do I know if this resource is helping?

You should have built a group of staff and partners who collectively understand how to handle incidents of disturbance and intimidation and know their roles in responding.

Which Standards of Excellence does this resource support?

Emergencies and Security

Which Values of Excellence does this resource support? Why?

Values for the U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence define our shared vision for the way election departments across the country can aspire to excellence. These values help us navigate the challenges of delivering successful elections and maintaining our healthy democracy.

Alliance values are nonpartisan and designed by local election officials, designers, technologists and other experts to support local election departments.

You may find this tool especially helpful for this Value:

Comprehensive preparedness. The goal of this guide is to help you build strategies to be prepared for disturbance, intimidation or overt attacks.

To learn more about the Values for Election Excellence, and to see the full list, visit the Alliance website.

Sharing feedback

How was this resource developed?

This resource has been put into practice by at least one jurisdiction. Share your experience with this resource and improve it for your peers by reaching out to support@ElectionExcellence.org.

How do I stay in touch?

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Have a specific idea, piece of feedback, or question? Send an email to support@ElectionExcellence.org