Security experts and even faith-based outlets are now sounding the alarm that what used to be quiet off-year elections are being treated like high-risk operations, with warnings about cyber-attacks, coordinated misinformation campaigns, and the potential for physical violence drawing attention to races most Americans assumed were routine. CBN’s recent coverage captured that shift, noting a “highly volatile” atmosphere that could embolden both foreign adversaries and domestic actors to try to disrupt local contests and undermine confidence in the vote.
This isn’t paranoia — the Department of Homeland Security’s terrorism bulletin has explicitly warned that as the nation moves through election seasons, calls for violence by domestic violent extremists directed at democratic institutions and election workers are likely to increase. Washington’s own security apparatus recognizes the risk of operatives and ideologues exploiting tense political moments to spark real-world harm, which should be a wake-up call to every responsible citizen.
At the same time federal cybersecurity officials are trying to tamp down panic, with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency telling the public it has seen no specific credible threats to core election infrastructure in recent off-year elections. That statement is reassuring on paper, but it cannot be allowed to lull local officials or voters into complacency while hostile actors test vulnerabilities and social media operators continue to allow disinformation to spread.
Meanwhile, the human cost of this poisonous political climate is already clear: threats and harassment are driving election workers out of the profession, creating staffing shortages and stressing the very systems that allow citizens to cast and count ballots. When hardworking Americans who keep our elections running are threatened or forced to quit, democracy suffers — and that crisis deserves far more outrage from leaders than performative statements from coastal elites.
Added to kinetic threats is a digital danger that should frighten every patriot: the rapid rise of AI-generated deepfakes and manipulated content means a single convincing fake video or audio clip could be used to incite violence or deceive voters in hours. Technology that can impersonate voices and faces at scale is a weapon in the hands of foreign adversaries, criminal gangs, and politically motivated actors, and yet too many in power prefer censorship theater to practical steps that secure our institutions and punish bad actors.
Americans who love their country should demand two things right now: real protection for election workers and polling places, and accountability for the tech platforms that profit from chaos while pretending to be neutral gatekeepers. Local officials must be empowered, funding must follow to secure physical and cyber defenses, and federal agencies should focus on enforcing the law rather than weaponizing information against political opponents. If patriots across the country stand up for law, order, and transparent elections, we can blunt the threats and keep the power where it belongs — with the people.
