Insider threats “will likely be an issue” that polling stations across the United States will face in the coming weeks, according to a US intelligence memo seen by WIRED. These threats, the memo warns, “could derail or jeopardize a fair and transparent electoral process.”
The bulletin cites the Department of Homeland Security’s definition of an insider threat: someone who “will use their authorized access, knowingly or unknowingly, to harm an entity.”
This stark warning was included in a situational awareness bulletin about the broader threat landscape facing polling places ahead of the 2024 elections. It was published this month by the Colorado Information Analysis Center (CIAC), the center Colorado counterterrorism agency, which compiles intelligence from federal, state and local agencies into threat reports shared with its law enforcement partners. This warning comes as election deniers across the United States have taken positions at all levels of the electoral system.
“The entire threat landscape is elevated for this election,” Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director Kevin Klein tells WIRED. “I think it’s fair to say that insider threats are a bigger concern than in previous elections.”
“Due to the nature of the United States electoral process, many people are involved in administering or carrying out responsibilities that support elections, and all of them have the potential to be an insider threat,” states the bulletin, which was first obtained once for Town propertya nonprofit organization focused on transparency and national security.
The intelligence bulletin describes several examples of insider threat “red flag” behavior, including attempts to alter or destroy ballots, giving unauthorized personnel access to voting centers, accessing the computer network at odd hours, and turning off cameras. security.
The bulletin does not say why intelligence officials concluded that there were likely insider threats in this election. But since 2020, there has been a frantic effort by election conspiracy theorists to install MAGA loyalists and election deniers as workers at all levels of the electoral process.
Countless conspiracy-driven “election integrity” groups have emerged in recent years. Initially, most focused on training Donald Trump loyalists as “poll observers,” civilians who observe the democratic process and flag any concerns. Their ambitions have since expanded to include “election workers,” who seek to install election deniers in positions responsible for administering elections in counties and cities across the United States.