
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. In interviews with BDI researchers, local officials often described more incidents of threats and harassment that did not appear in their initial response to a survey conducted in partnership with CivicPulse, validating the need for mixed methods research and high-quality, sensitive engagement with officials. The interview process created an opportunity for local officials to paint a full picture of their experience and surface appropriate policy responses.
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