Local Elected Officials Report Increase in Harassment in Lead-Up to Election

PRESS RELEASE
November 22, 2024

Experiences of harassment rose significantly among local elected officials ahead of the election, new survey results show, with women officials continuing to face disproportionately high levels of hostility.

In partnership with CivicPulse, BDI is releasing the latest benchmarking report from our ongoing quarterly survey of local officials on their experiences of threats and harassment. The ninth report provides updated findings from the Q3 2024 nationally representative survey, with responses from over 400 local elected officials — as well as 200 school board officials — putting the total number of participants across all nine survey waves at more than 4,100.

This round of respondents was surveyed in the run-up to the 2024 election, covering their experiences between July and October. Compared to Q2, significantly more officials reported experiencing insults and harassment in Q3, while reports of threats continued at consistent levels (see graph below). There was a decrease in respondents who reported worry about hostility following the previous survey round, which was conducted in the immediate aftermath of the shooting at President-elect Trump’s campaign rally, though the findings indicate that levels of concern remained at a high baseline going into the election period.

Complementary event-level data collected by BDI on threats and harassment against a wider set of local officials — including elected officials and school board members as well as election officials, health officials, judicial officials, and more — shows that reported incidents targeting local officials involved in election administration spiked in the weeks leading up to Election Day.

UTH Q3 Survey Graph

Q3 2024 Updates

(1) The proportion of local elected officials who reported experiencing insults or harassment during the third quarter of this year significantly increased

  • Reports of experiences of hostility rose in Q3 at a statistically significant rate, with 53% of local elected officials reporting insults and 39% reporting harassment, reflecting a return to previous high levels after a temporary decline in Q2. 
  • While women officials continued to experience higher rates of hostility relative to their male counterparts, significantly more men reported insults (37% in Q2 to 47% in Q3) and harassment (28% to 33%) since the last quarterly survey. 
  • Across the past nine survey rounds, in any given three-month period, approximately one in two officials have reported experiencing insults, one in three have reported harassment, and one in six have reported threats.

(2) Compared to Q2, there was a statistically significant decrease in the proportion of local elected officials who reported being worried about themselves or their families facing harassment, threats, or physical attacks in Q3

  • This trend marks a return to levels of concern reported earlier in the year, following a spike during the survey round administered immediately after the shooting at President-elect Trump’s rally. 
  • While the decrease was statistically significant from Q2 to Q3, worry remained high ahead of the election: 13% of local elected officials expressed worry about being attacked, 26% about being threatened, and 37% about being harassed.

(3) Since the start of the year, significantly more local officials have reported a decrease in willingness to use social media due to concerns about hostility 

  • Over the course of the year, a greater number of officials responded with some level of reservation about posting on social media, rising from 36% in Q1 to 42% in Q3. 

Consistent Trends

(1) Women and minority officials continue to disproportionately report experiencing hostility compared to their counterparts 

  • Across nine survey rounds, in any given three-month period, 24% of minority officials reported receiving threats in contrast to 18% of non-minority officials, for example — a statistically significant difference.
  • Overall, disproportionately more women and minority officials reported worry about hostility relative to their counterparts as well. For example, nearly one in five women officials (19%) worry about attacks on them or their family compared to just over one in 10 men (11%). Likewise, approximately one in four minority officials (23%) worry about attacks compared to roughly one in eight non-minority officials (13%).

(2) A high number of local officials continue to report decreased willingness to participate in political processes due to concerns about hostility, like seeking re-election or attending public events

  • On aggregate, across the nine survey waves, one in three officials reported being less willing to run for re-election (39%) or for higher office (38%), over half (54%) said they are less likely to post on social media, and nearly a third (30%) said they are less willing to be in public spaces when not working. 
  • Significantly fewer women and minority officials are willing to participate in these activities due to hostility compared to their male and non-minority counterparts.
    • For example, on aggregate, 68% of women officials reported a decreased willingness to post on social media compared to just 50% of men.
    • Similarly, 41% of minority officials reported a decreased willingness to be in public spaces when not working compared to just 30% of their non-minority counterparts.
    • Women of color, in particular, are significantly less likely to run for re-election, post on social media, attend events in public spaces, work on controversial topics, or go out in public as a result of hostility.
  • These trends underscore the chilling effect that hostility can have on local elected officials, as well as the disproportionate impact on women and minority leaders.

(3) While Democrats are more likely to report experiences of insults and harassment, officials report threats and attacks similarly across party lines

  • Over the nine survey waves, significantly more Democrats reported experiencing harassment as well as insults relative to Independents and Republicans.
  • Officials of all party affiliations reported similar levels of the most severe forms of hostility: threats and physical attacks.

This research is produced as part of a joint project launched by BDI and CivicPulse in 2022 to conduct representative national surveys of local officials on their experiences facing threats and harassment. Quarterly surveys of municipal, county, township, and school board officials will continue into 2025. Visit the CivicPulse website to access survey data and an interactive dashboard.

Media Contact: Sam Jones, Communications Manager

BDI is a non-partisan research initiative based at Princeton University that tracks and mitigates political violence in the United States. BDI seeks to contribute to a future where thriving communities are prepared to respond in periods of risk, are empowered to address the long-term divides we face as a society, and are supported to build a pluralistic, multi-racial democracy.

CivicPulse is a non-partisan, non-profit research organization seeking to promote more effective governance in the United States through improved access to reliable data, benchmarking, and research. They accomplish this by bridging the gap between top-tier academic research in politics, governance, and public administration and the needs of elected officials, civil servants, and community stakeholders.

The survey program is conducted as part of BDI’s Understanding Threats and Harassment Against Local Officials (UTH) project, a mixed methods approach to systematically monitor the full scope of threats and harassment facing local officials across the United States. Powered by a consortium of key information and data contributors, the project aims to develop and advance a shared framework for understanding – and countering – hostile incidents targeting local officials. The project is supported by the Brennan Center for Justice, the Bipartisan Policy Center, and generous flexible support from BDI’s core funders, following essential start-up funds from the Anti-Defamation League and Stand Together Trust. For more information about the UTH project and how to cite the research, check our FAQ sheet.