Elections leaders urge openness to dispel misinformation

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The key to dispelling conspiracy theories and misinformation about how elections are run is to confront the lies head on, top state election officials said Wednesday.

The advice from election administrators in Georgia, Ohio and Utah came during a gathering of the National Association of State Election Directors, which is being held under heightened security because of threats that have targeted election workers since the 2020 election.

“When it comes to election results, it’s really pretty simple,” said Blake Evans, state elections director for Georgia. “People want accuracy, speed, transparency, and they want their candidate to win. Unfortunately, usually under that kind of formula, there’s going to be slightly less than half of the population in a close contest that’s not going to be very happy with the way the results come out.”

Election officials across the country have been the target of violent threats and anger from those who falsely believe the 2020 presidential election was stolen from former President Donald Trump. Trump and his allies continue to push for decertification of President Joe Biden’s win in Wisconsin.

With security concerns in mind, the exact location of this week’s gathering was disclosed only to attendees, who were required to show a badge to gain entrance and also urged not to wear the name tag identifying themselves outside the meeting room. There was no live-streaming of the presentations, and attendees were urged to be cautious in what they posted to social media.

In Georgia, a special grand jury is investigating whether Trump and others illegally tried to interfere in the 2020 general election. The investigation’s scope includes a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad...