Over the past two years, BDI has conducted interviews with more than 150 local elected officials to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of threats and harassment on local government. These conversations have painted a concerning picture of hostility at the local level, but they have also revealed the wide array of tools officials are leveraging to respond to threats and harassment.

This report offers preliminary insights and reflections on the experiences of local officials facing threats and harassment, in their own words, through conversations with 30 elected officials from across a broad range of locations, demographics, and ideologies. Much of the existing work on threats and harassment of officials looks outside the United States and focuses mostly on national and high-profile elected officials. This report centers on local officials, with many of them serving in small communities, often missed in national-level conversations.