Tina Barton warns new battleground states on election readiness

More than 20,000 human beings run the U.S. election process, and mistakes happen. A machine is not plugged in. A poll worker misses their alarm. Someone hands out the wrong ballot. But the reaction to those errors depends heavily on where the election takes place.

Tina Barton, city clerk of Rochester Hills, Michigan, experienced this difference firsthand in 2020. Her office sent an unofficial absentee vote file twice because the first transmission did not appear to go through. The error did not change the final tally, and it was fixed the next day. In a non-competitive state, Barton said, such a slip is easily explained in the press and fades quickly. In a battleground state, it becomes a story.

The Republican National Committee chair accused Barton’s office of improperly giving votes to Democrats. Barton received a flood of death threats, including a voicemail claiming she deserved a "throat to the knife" because she had "frauded out America of a real election."

For the 2026 midterms, the pressure is shifting. Races that will determine control of the U.S. House and Senate are spread across the country. Local officials in states like Iowa, Alaska, New York, and Kansas may find themselves in the national spotlight for the first time. Chris McGinn, executive director of the Texas Association of County Election Officials, noted that Texas has been a reliable Republican state for nearly 50 years. That history meant fewer competitive federal elections and less scrutiny for voting officials. Now, with a Senate race that could decide the chamber’s balance of power, McGinn is preparing clerks for a new level of attention. "We don’t want to be Florida in 2000," he said.

Wendy Link, supervisor of elections for Palm Beach County, Florida, says the threat environment is calmer than it was after 2020. Her office still receives what she calls "love letters," including emails about being sent to Guantanamo Bay. She does not feel the need to request a security detail, though she acknowledges some messages are intended to intimidate. "Do I love reading some of the emails? No," Link said.

Barton now serves as vice president of the Committee for Safe and Secure Elections. The organization helped local officials prepare for worst-case scenarios. The group doubled the number of trainings it led this year compared to 2024. This increase reflects concerns over the Trump administration’s actions in elections and a wider understanding of what it means to be in a competitive state. Researchers note that false narratives usually start with real events, like equipment failures or website crashes, which influencers then amplify to imply intentional fraud.

Barton’s message to officials in competitive districts is direct. "I’ve told them all, you better be on your game," she said.