Election Worker Protection Act Funds Security and Training, Makes Doxxing a Federal Crime

The “Election Worker Protection Act of 2025” is essentially a federal intervention aimed at making the job of running elections safer and more sustainable. This bill tackles two major problems facing election offices: the shortage of trained workers and the rise in threats and harassment against those workers. It does this by creating several new grant programs and beefing up federal criminal penalties.

The Federal Cash Infusion: Recruitment, Training, and Safety

Starting in fiscal year 2026, the bill authorizes federal grants to states to recruit, train, and secure election workers. Think of it as a federal budget line item for election stability. States get their share based on their percentage of the national voting-age population (Sec. 3). For election officials, this means dedicated federal money to hire more people and develop better training programs. Crucially, the training must be interactive, involve adult learning experts, and focus on serving diverse voters—including those with limited English, disabilities, or different cultural backgrounds. This is a direct attempt to professionalize the workforce and ensure every voter is treated respectfully at the polls.

Another grant stream is dedicated solely to safety. This funding can be used for physical security services and, perhaps most relevant to the modern era, monitoring social media threats against election workers (Sec. 3). For the average poll worker, this means potentially better protection from online harassment before it escalates to real-world threats. States applying for these funds must promise that the federal money supplements—not replaces—their existing budgets. If your state tries to cut its security budget and use federal funds to fill the gap, they’re breaking the rules.

Protecting Privacy: Shielding Personal Info from Public View

Section 5 establishes a new grant program, run by the Department of Justice (DOJ), specifically to help states and local governments shield election workers’ personal information. If you’re an election worker, your home address, phone number, or other personal data might be floating around in public databases (like property records or voter rolls). This grant money allows states to set up systems to redact or remove that personal data from public records upon request (Sec. 5).

This is a huge deal for privacy. It means a state can use federal funds to hire staff or update database systems so that when a worker requests it, their private information is scrubbed from public view. The goal is to make it much harder for bad actors to track down and harass election officials and volunteers simply by searching public records.

New Federal Crimes: Intimidation and Doxxing

The bill gets serious about consequences by creating new federal crimes and strengthening existing ones. Section 6 makes it a crime to intimidate, threaten, or coerce an election worker—including officials, poll workers, and volunteers—in an attempt to stop them from doing their job or to get revenge for work they’ve already done. Conviction carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and a $100,000 fine (Sec. 6). To back this up, the Attorney General must assign a dedicated special agent to every FBI field office to investigate these threats.

Section 8 specifically targets “doxxing”—sharing someone’s private identifying information online with the intent to harass or intimidate them because of their official duties. This bill expands an existing federal law that already protects federal judges and law enforcement officers to now explicitly cover election workers, poll workers, and volunteers involved in federal elections (Sec. 8). If you’re thinking about posting an election official’s home address on social media to encourage harassment, this bill makes that a federal crime.

Clear Authority to Control the Polling Place

Finally, the bill addresses a growing source of friction: disruptive poll observers. Section 9 gives state and local election officials clear authority to remove a poll observer from a polling place or counting center if they have good reason to believe the observer is using intimidation tactics or is about to mess up the voting, counting, or certification process. This doesn't stop states from having their own rules, but it provides a specific, federally backed reason for officials to act when an observer crosses the line (Sec. 9). This provision is intended to give election staff the operational clarity they need to keep the process moving without interference, ensuring that legitimate oversight doesn't devolve into operational sabotage.