Horne said that since witnessing the work from the inside, his faith in election fairness and accuracy has increased “vastly.”“That sort of confidence came from the work and seeing the reality of what happens,” Horne says. “The real impediment to election fraud — the same as any humungous conspiracy theory like debates about the moon landing — is keeping a secret among tens of thousands of people. The results of the election are publicly posted on the wall of every precinct. Exactly what the count is. There are many thousands of poll workers across the country — somehow we conspired to steal an election?” “Zooming out a little bit, one of my main thoughts about the political morass we are in is: America, we need to talk. I mean to each other,” says Horne. “Back in high school, I was taught that if you shout fire in a crowded theater, you have to pay a price. If you shout a lie on Facebook, you should have to pay.”

although only 7 percent worry about errors at their local polling places.

“But my mom said I could vote here,” more than one student pleaded. Your mom is right about so many things, we recited. But when it comes to election law, in Georgia, you have to vote in the county where you’re registered. We encouraged them to go home by election day. You have time. We want you to vote. That assurance didn’t always prevent teary outbursts or mild cursing.

My first assignment was early voting for the 2024 presidential election on the University of Georgia campus

swear oaths not only when they join the election workforce but at the start of each shift.

We are briefed on any changes in laws and policies. In 2024, when Georgia elections officials warned us that we might have to hand-tally ballots on election night, we even practiced counting sheets of blank paper, going through the most efficient ways to arrange counted stacks and put double and triple safeguards in place.

A survey conducted this year by the Brennan Center for Justice revealed that, nationally, almost a third of election officials have experienced “threats, harassment, or abuse because of their job,” while more than half worry about the safety of their coworkers and 23 percent are anxious about the threat of being physically assaulted at work or home.

I had worked at journalism organizations that forbade active participation in political campaigns or election work, so my interest had been theoretical

We saw rallies — “Count Every Vote!” “Stop the Steal!” Armed protests at election offices. The endless conspiracies about voting machines.