The current election season has seen a troubling escalation in threats against election personnel and public officials, with incidents now involving shootings and even a bombing.

This week, several individuals faced legal action over severe threats, including a Philadelphia resident who expressed intentions to “skin” and kill a state party official involved in poll watching recruitment, and an Alabama man who threatened to execute election officials in Arizona.

In Arizona, a man was charged with shooting at a Democratic Party campaign office, while in California, another man was charged for bombing a courthouse.

“As Election Day approaches, we want to stress that the Justice Department is serious: anyone who unlawfully threatens an election worker, official, or volunteer will be held accountable,” stated Attorney General Merrick Garland, addressing four case actions this week. “To maintain a functional democracy, individuals working in public service must be safe and free from fear.”

Highlighted cases include:

• In Tempe, Arizona, Jeffrey Michael Kelly, 60, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with 10 offenses, including acts of terrorism and criminal damage, related to three shootings at a Democratic Party office. Authorities confiscated over 120 firearms from his home, including automatic weapons. Kelly’s lawyer, Jason Squires, did not comment.
• Nathaniel James McGuire, a 20-year-old from Santa Maria, California, was indicted on Wednesday for bombing the Santa Barbara courthouse. An explosion in the courthouse lobby on Sept. 25 injured five individuals. McGuire was found nearby next to a red Ford Mustang, which contained a shotgun, a rifle, additional ammunition, a suspected bomb, and 10 Molotov cocktails. He reportedly yelled against the government taking his guns and incited rebellion when arrested, according to court documents.

A federal task force focused on election threats was formed by Garland three and a half years ago to oversee local investigations and has initiated actions in four additional cases this week:

• Teak Brockbank, 45, from Cortez, Colorado, pleaded guilty on Wednesday for threatening state election officials and making threats against an elected official from Arizona, a Colorado judge, and federal agents, with incidents spanning from September 2021 to July 2024. Brockbank allegedly declared that an election official “needs to hang by the neck until dead.”
• Brian Jerry Ogstad, 60, of Cullman, Alabama, received a 30-month prison sentence on Monday for threatening election workers in Maricopa County, Arizona, in August 2022, during the primary election period. His messages sent via Instagram contained threats such as: “You will all be executed for your crimes,” “You are lying and cheating [expletive],” and “You [expletive] are so dead.”
• Richard Glenn Kantwill, 61, from Tampa, Florida, was charged with four counts of making interstate threats on Monday for harassing an election official on Feb. 9, in addition to facing prior pending charges from threats made against three other victims over their political opinions in 2019 and 2020. Kantwill, a dentist, allegedly issued more than 100 threats to various public figures through Facebook, Instagram, emails, and texts, including racist insults like: “You are a degenerate (expletive)” and “Take note because liberal (expletives) get raped in alleys.”
• John Pollard, 62, from Philadelphia, was charged on Monday for allegedly threatening to “skin” and kill a Pennsylvania state political party representative involved in recruiting official poll watchers on Sept. 6.

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco emphasized that threats against election workers endanger the integrity of the democratic system.

“For election officials to perform their vital roles, they need to work without facing wrongful influence, threats to their safety, or any form of intimidation,” Monaco stated.

FBI Director Christopher Wray remarked that elections are supported by the dedication and patriotism of those who work in the election process.

“It’s shocking and unacceptable that election workers have to be concerned about their safety,” Wray expressed.