Midterm races spread election scrutiny beyond traditional battlegrounds

Local election officials in states such as Iowa, Alaska, New York, and Kansas are preparing for a level of national attention that typically falls on swing states. Because the races deciding control of the U.S. House and Senate are distributed across the country, these localities may face intense public scrutiny for the first time this year.

Tina Barton, who served as city clerk of Rochester Hills, Michigan, in 2020, noted a distinct difference in how errors are handled in competitive districts. She explained that in non-battleground areas, human mistakes are easily explained by the press. In battleground states, the same errors can quickly evolve into massive conspiracy theories.

During the 2020 election, Barton’s office mistakenly sent an unofficial absentee vote file twice. The first file did not appear to send initially, prompting a duplicate transmission. The error did not impact actual vote counts and was corrected in the following day's tally. Despite this, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee accused her office of improperly giving votes to Democrats.

The incident led to a surge in threats against Barton, including a voicemail stating she deserved a throat to the knife for defrauding America of a real election. Officials in swing states like Michigan, Georgia, and Arizona are now accustomed to this pressure. However, officials in traditionally safe states are still adjusting to the possibility that their local results could determine the balance of power in Congress.

Chris McGinn, executive director of the Texas Association of County Election Officials, has been preparing clerks for this shift. He noted that Texas has been a reliable Republican state for nearly 50 years, resulting in fewer competitive elections and less pressure on voting officials. With the U.S. Senate race in Texas potentially deciding the chamber's control, McGinn urged members to avoid the situation that occurred in Florida in 2000.

Wendy Link, supervisor of elections for Palm Beach County, Florida, reported that her office still receives intimidating emails. She described receiving messages from people claiming they would send an army to arrest her or hold her in Guantanamo Bay. While she acknowledges these messages are intended to intimidate, she is not currently seeking a security detail.

Barton, now vice president of the Committee for Safe and Secure Elections, warned that controversy can find any state. She cited issues like ballot equipment failures, jammed ballots, or website outages as common triggers for misinformation. The organization doubled the number of trainings it led in 2026 compared to 2024 to help officials prepare for these scenarios.