In Rochester Hills, Michigan, Tina Barton, a Republican serving as a city clerk, faced election-related violence after the 2020 election. Throughout her more than three-decade-long career, Barton witnessed rising tensions in the electoral process, from the 2000 election between Al Gore and George W Bush to the election denialism of Jill Stein in 2016.
Following Trump’s defeat in 2020, Barton received threats after a clerical error in the vote tally was wrongly associated with election fraud. Despite correcting the error, she faced an onslaught of scrutiny and even death threats, reflecting the dangerous consequences of false claims about elections.
Now focusing on training election officials, Barton emphasizes the responsibility of powerful political figures for their words, cautioning that individuals may interpret them as directives for action. Her experience highlights the urgent need to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process and ensure the safety of those involved.