During any election season, it is vitally important to keep election officials, voters, and the public safe and ensure a welcoming environment for all voters. The ideal approach to this mission will look different in every jurisdiction across the country: local law, community expectations, historical experience, and the ongoing threat environment all shape how different communities meet the moment.

The U.S. Department of Justice plays a key role in detecting, investigating, and prosecuting violations of federal civil and criminal laws related to voting. But state and local law enforcement are partners in this important effort. The ways in which they contribute to safe election seasons will inevitably vary. For example, in some jurisdictions, statutes limit what roles law enforcement can play at polling sites. In others, law enforcement is expected to be at key election locations. But there are a number of key takeaways that will be helpful to every department in planning for a safe and secure election season.

To help law enforcement agencies around the country enhance their planning process, in mid-May the COPS Office released a What’s New in Blue video on preparing for a safe election season. With assistance from partners at States United Democracy Center—a nonpartisan organization focused on advancing free, fair, and secure elections—the COPS Office created this product to share lessons learned from those who wear a badge. Sheriff (Ret.) Paul Penzone of the Maricopa County (Arizona) Sheriff’s Office and Chief Chris Davis of the Green Bay (Wisconsin) Police Department discuss their approaches and key takeaways for preparing for a safe election season, particularly when faced with intelligence or evidence of threats to voters, election officials, or polling places.

Among the recommendations in the 20-minute video, Chief Davis highlights the importance of ensuring officers are trained on applicable election laws, noting, “We knew that we would have police officers potentially going into situations where there was a dispute that hinged on some matter of election law, and we don’t usually train our police officers on election laws; we're more familiar with criminal laws and procedural laws and . . . the rules that we deal with on a day-to-day basis.” In a similar vein, Sheriff Penzone emphasized how helpful it was to give the men and women of his department direct insight into the election administration process, to enable them to, as he says, “see and feel and smell and touch” how much work goes into running elections. He did so through a variety of means such as by bringing officers along on visits to the county’s vote tabulation center and introducing them personally to the election officials and workers. As Penzone put it, “It was important that [my officers] understood how elections work, that they saw the volunteers and the employees ...who count the ballots, and that they come from all walks of life.”

Join Chief Davis and Sheriff Penzone to learn about these field-tested ideas and more to help your community prepare for a safe and secure election season.

View Preparing for a Safe Election Season on the COPS Office YouTube Channel and to see all the past episodes of What’s New in Blue on the COPS Office website.

Additional Resources

• Federal Executive Branch Agencies Roles and Responsibilities in United States Elections. A helpful primer on the roles that federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), play in election security.
• CISA. Please visit CISA’s #Protect2024 website for a compilation of resources to help election officials address their election-related security needs.
• DHS. Please reach out to DHS’s Office of State and Local Law Enforcement for additional election safety preparedness resources specific to state and local law enforcement partners by emailing OSLLE@hq.dhs.gov.
• Fusion centers. Please visit DHS’s Fusion Center website for additional information on your local fusion center.
• FBI. Learn more about FBI’s role in ensuring free and fair elections. https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/public-corruption/election-crimes
• U.S. Department of Justice. The Election Threats Task Force leads the DOJ’s efforts to address violence against election workers and to ensure that all election workers—whether elected, appointed, or volunteer—are able to do their jobs free from threats and intimidation.
• U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC). The EAC provides a helpful list of proactive steps election officials can take to improve their personal security.

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