Boone County election workers armed with panic buttons amid security concerns
CHICAGO (CBS) – The race is on this election eve and it's not just ballots being handed out at polling sites.
Some election workers are getting panic buttons. CBS 2's Marissa Perlman had more on the stepped-up security for the midterm election.
Discussions about security for Tuesday's midterm contests started across the state after the 2020 election, when conversations about election fraud started getting more heated. Officials in each county CBS 2 spoke with said they wanted to be prepared and know Illinois isn't immune to the potential for threats.
Five small panic buttons that fit in the palm of your hand are hidden around the Boone County Clerk's Offices in Belvidere.
"It's just best for everybody to be vigilant," said County Clerk Julie Bliss.
She told CBS 2 there haven't been any security threats. The buttons and security locks are in place, just in case.
She said nine of her election judges dropped out of working on Election Day, partially out of fear of the tense national political environment.
"I do think part of that is from listening to a lot of the national rhetoric," Bliss said.
At the state level, Illinois election leaders have said there are no known, specific security threats so far.
But the board provides training for election judges especially in smaller counties. That includes de-escalation and how to handle aggressive poll watchers.
"You have to be aware of the atmosphere that we're operating in," said Matt Dietrich, a spokesman for the Illinois State Board of Elections. "It's just a matter of awareness, not that we expect them, but we want to be aware and we want to be prepared if anything should happen."
Chicago election officials are still strengthening voting protections in response to nationwide concerns. Police will be checking each of the more than 900 polling places on Election Day and providing security at storage sites and early voting locations.
"We've been spared a lot of the threats that have gone on in and other election jurisdictions across the country," said Marisel Hernandez, chair of the Chicago Board of Elections. "We are closely guarding every aspect of this election process as we usually do."
In Boone County, the concern is not necessarily polling places, but back at offices while the votes are being counted. They'll have off-duty officers standing by into the evening hours.
In almost every county CBS 2 spoke with, officials said these are security measures that will be sticking around long after the midterm election.
