I serve with great privilege as the elections director of Floyd County. I sought a career in elections out of love of service and stayed in it over the past 10 years out of an unwavering belief in the right to vote. My ability to protect that sacred right, like that of thousands of other diligent election officials, is up against an unending stream of threats and bullying for simply doing our jobs.
I took the helm of Floyd County elections in 2022, after Georgia’s elections came under national scrutiny. In 2020, when election deniers sought to sow doubt about nearly every aspect of our elections, my home state became a focal point of their campaign. In the middle of Georgia’s audit of the 2020 results, roughly 2,600 uncounted ballots were discovered in Floyd County, the result of human error, leading to significant turnover in our office. That mistake added fuel to election deniers’ fire, but the truth is that our elections are not rife with fraud. Audits and other redundancies ensure that errors are caught.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Even so, my colleagues across the state continue to experience vitriol. Even as my staff and I endeavor to improve election processes, skeptics persist in spreading disinformation and, in some cases, engaging in outright bullying. I’ve faced comments about my appearance, my parenting, my personal life and much more.
Recently, my office made public a survey showing how many of our 2024 election workers are proficient in languages other than English. We were bombarded by conspiracy theorists who claimed that we are recruiting Spanish speakers to allow non–U.S. citizens to vote. That’s not true. We were assessing who on our staff could help eligible, non–English speaking voters with general questions and offer instruction on processes and procedures, the same as we do for English-speaking voters. Now we must spend time and resources beating back a lie about noncitizen voting — which is already against the law — instead of amplifying services helpful to community members.
We don’t let these claims stop our mission. Our office has also made other efforts to promote efficiency, transparency and accuracy. We are offering a town hall to educate residents on polling place accommodations for voters with disabilities. We plan to host a mock precinct for voters to learn what to expect when voting in person, as well as several other opportunities for voter education.
Still, each time we announce a new initiative, we are met with falsehoods and hostility — a disheartening reality that most election officials know all too well. Nearly 40% of election officials have experienced threats, harassment or abuse, according to a Brennan Center survey. The vitriol is driving experienced election officials across the country from their posts.
Election officials are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, daughters and sons. We are community members who care deeply about our democracy. We make these sacrifices to ensure that every person in this country who is eligible to vote is empowered to do so, but we are treated as villains.
Our resilience, and that of the electoral system, is being tested. Months before early and mail voting started, the integrity of this fall’s election was already being called into question with lies such as those about ineligible voters on the rolls.
Nonetheless, my team and I are not backing down. This work is difficult, but elections will not function without everyday people like us who are committed to making voting simple and accessible. We continue because we believe in this work. All eligible voters should have the opportunity to exercise their rights with ease and without fear or confusion. Our efforts, however small they might seem, are critical to ensuring that every vote counts.
In this dark time for our democracy, we must remember why we do this work. We serve our voters, not fearmongers. This election will come down to each one of us simply doing our jobs. And we plan to.
Akyn Beck is the supervisor of elections in Floyd County, Georgia.
