Federal resources for gathering and communicating information about threats to election workers and for investigating and prosecuting those threats would be increased. These proposals would provide dedicated, on-going resources to respond to growing threats, initiated by federal agencies. For example, the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Election Assistance Commission each provide resources for protecting election worker security and responding to threats. The Department of Justice recently created an Election Threats Task Force. See Appendix D .
3. Increase federal resources for investigating and prosecuting threats to election workers and for keeping them informed about potential threats
The Case For
Supporters argue that many of the most serious threats are efforts that cross state lines, including threats by foreign adversaries. They argue that this creates a clear need for federal law enforcement and communications to adequately protect election workers. Proponents observe that it makes little sense to establish explicit federal penalties without also providing the resources to investigate and prosecute violations. They further argue that these kinds of federal resources would complement rather than replace state efforts.
The Case Against
Opponents argue that there are already substantial federal resources being provided without legislation to create more. They further argue that since the laws protecting election workers should be state laws, so should the resources for investigating and prosecuting them.