Threats and harassment against local officials present a significant challenge to American democracy by discouraging civic engagement, undermining the work of public servants, and creating unprecedented stress on the cornerstones of democratic society including elections, education, and public safety processes. A heightened environment of fear among local officials seems ubiquitous, but the data behind the phenomenon is opaque. This pilot project is the first of its kind – the beginning of an ongoing longitudinal study to systematically evaluate incidents of threats and harassment across the United States using public event-level data.
