Given that Donald Trump, his lackeys, and many of his followers refuse to stop claiming the 2020 election was stolen (it wasn’t), much of the American public is simply burned out on thinking about elections. People who closely follow national politics can feel like a long, long time passed between the start of primary debates and election night. And thanks to some of Trump’s biggest fans, like state Sen. Doug Mastriano of Pennsylvania and state Senate Republicans in Arizona, time and money are still going toward triple checking to see if Trump actually won (he didn’t).

But we’re far from the only group likely still reeling from the exhaustion of the 2020 presidential election. As reported by Reuters, more than 100 threats of violence against U.S. election workers appear to be inspired by Trump’s hysterical, incorrect claims that the 2020 election was rigged against him. According to the news outlet, the threats were explicit enough for a person to reasonably be afraid of potential death or bodily harm and included more than 40 election workers and their relatives in eight different states. If you’re guessing those eight states were battlegrounds, you’re correct.

As some big picture background, we know that a number of states in recent months have actually given poll watchers more power, which is concerning because having partisan folks coming to “watch” polls is setting the stage for a whole lot of voter intimidation. At the least, it magnifies tension, which makes it harder to get vulnerable or marginalized folks to get out and vote and adds to the burden of election workers who try to make the voting process smooth, safe, and (relatively) quick. Add this to growing voter suppression efforts when it comes to identification, mail-in voting, and absentee ballots, and it’s clear Republicans hope to win by stamping out people outside of their voter base. 

The eye-roll-inducing partisan audits and election reviews are another issue. There is, technically, still an election “audit” going in Arizona, for example, as well as efforts in Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Wisconsin to get election equipment and ballots. All of this is despite the reality that there is no evidence of election fraud. Yet, as Daily Kos has covered, people with visibility—if not outright political power—continue to add to claims that there was fraud. One example? Mike Lindell, CEO of MyPillow, falsely asserted he would reveal evidence that the election was rigged at a live conference he hosted this summer.

We know Trump’s claims are false. But convincing people who are now doubting our free and fair elections system and doubting the actual people involved (election workers) is a growing challenge. And given that the pandemic made it hard enough to get folks to work the polls, it’s worrisome that our election and poll workers have had to face threats of violence on top of possible COVID-19.

“We haven’t decompressed from 2020,” Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman, a Republican who disagrees with Trump’s obsessive and false claims about mail-in voting, said to NPR. “We’re still every day living it.”

Wyman told the outlet it’s difficult to reason with critics because it feels like folks will always find something new no matter what the answer. “It’s never-ending,” she told the outlet. “And that’s what worries me about 2020: How do we move on from here?”

In speaking to Reuters, Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold told the outlet that she regularly gets death threats and is frustrated by the lack of prosecutions. She told the outlet threats are coming from people who repeatedly claim they will come to where you live or come to hang you. 

Screenshots of some of the threats Griswold received on social media, which the original user has since deleted, include messages like: “Patriots will take care of you. I would move and change your address… quickly,” and, “Guess who is going to hang when all the fraud is revealed? (*Hint ..look in the mirror).” 

It’s impossible to think of these threats without remembering the violent kidnapping threats against Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The threats also, of course, bring to mind the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, which, unlike these threats against election workers, has resulted in some arrests. 

More recently, CNN reports that an internal memo from the Capitol Police suggests law enforcement is preparing for potential unrest during a right-wing rally in Washington, DC. on Sept. 18. The rally is a “Justice for J6” event that supports the insurrectionists charged in the riots, and law enforcement is also preparing for a counter-protest.