The office of Richard Barron — elections director in Fulton County, Georgia — received "hundreds" of harassing messages following former President Donald Trump's unsubstantiated claims of county-wide voter fraud, Reuters reported Friday. Officials are concerned the "torrent" of widespread, ongoing intimidation will affect the recruitment and retention of valuable poll workers down the line.
Barron himself received "nearly 150 hateful calls" between Christmas and early January, some accusing him of treason or "saying he should die," per Reuters. One caller said he deserved to "hang" by his "goddamn, soy boy, skinny-ass neck," while another threatened to kill the official "by firing squad." With 22 years-worth of election experience, Barron said he "never expected that out of this country." A January email sent to officials in various Georgia counties even threatened to bomb polling sites, claiming "no one ... will be spared unless and until Trump is guaranteed to be POTUS again."
Staffers had it just as bad. Ralph Jones, Barron's registration chief, received racist death threats and messages, some going so far as to call him the n-word and say he should be shot. A separate caller once "threatened to kill him by dragging his body around with a truck," writes Reuters.
And high-ranking officials weren't immune, either. Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who continues to refute Trump's "big lie," and his wife Tricia have fielded a deluge of harassing messages, including multiple disturbing texts threatening their family, among other intimidation tactics.
Read more at Reuters.