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In 2020, the crucial battleground state of Pennsylvania faced significant turmoil with election protests, court challenges and threats against election officials, including Republican Al Schmidt. Schmidt, who previously oversaw Philadelphia's elections as a commissioner and supervised the city's election, now holds the position of secretary of the commonwealth, the state's top election official. He said the greatest threat to the 2024 presidential electio n is the high turnover rate among those officials who are responsible for running elections.
"Some people left because of the ugly environment with threats . Some people left because it was time for them to retire," said Schmidt. More than 80 senior election officials across two-thirds of Pennsylvania's 67 counties have departed.
When long-time election workers are replaced by less experienced individuals, the likelihood of errors in election administration increases, according to Schmidt. An analysis of last year's general election in Pennsylvania found that ballot errors doubled in the state's municipal general elections from 2021 to 2023. These errors included incorrect instructions to voters on the number of candidates to vote for; duplicate ballots being sent to the same voter; races or candidates being left off the ballot; improper ballot instructions; and spelling mistakes.
"When you are running elections, there is no room for error, right? There's no redos or do-overs," said Schmidt , adding that remedial actions wer.
