Tina Barton warns local election officials that 2026 midterms will bring national scrutiny

Tina Barton, the former city clerk of Rochester Hills, Michigan, argues that the primary difference between running an election in a battleground state and a non-battleground state is the reaction to mistakes. In a safe state, a human error is easily explained and rarely becomes a major story. In a competitive state, the same error can quickly evolve into a massive conspiracy theory.

Barton learned this lesson the hard way in 2020. On election night, her office mistakenly sent an unofficial absentee vote file twice because the initial transmission did not appear to go through. The error did not impact the final vote count and was corrected the following day. Despite the minor nature of the glitch, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee accused her office of improperly awarding votes to Democrats. Barton received a wave of death threats, including a voicemail from someone who said she deserved a throat to the knife because she had frauded out America of a real election.

For more than half a decade, election officials in swing states like Michigan, Georgia, and Arizona have become accustomed to that level of intense pressure and public scrutiny. However, the 2026 midterm elections present a different dynamic. The races that will determine control of the U.S. House and Senate are spread across the country. This means local officials in states like Iowa, Alaska, New York, and Kansas may find themselves in the national spotlight for the first time.

Chris McGinn, executive director of the Texas Association of County Election Officials, has spent much of his time preparing clerks for this shift. Texas has been a reliable Republican state for nearly 50 years, which historically meant fewer competitive elections and less pressure on voting officials. McGinn noted that the state has been in a mindset where problems seem to happen elsewhere. He told members he wants to avoid becoming like Florida in 2000. The U.S. Senate race in Texas could decide the balance of power in that chamber, and the Republican nominee for that seat has sought to help President Trump overturn his 2020 election loss.

The threat environment for voting officials appears calmer now than it was in the period following 2020. Wendy Link, the supervisor of elections for Palm Beach County, Florida, says her office still receives what she calls love letters, but she is less worried about her personal safety than she has been in the past. Link described receiving emails from people saying they would send an army to arrest her and that she would spend her time in Guantanamo Bay. She admitted that some of these messages are clearly intended to intimidate her, but she is not currently requesting a security detail.

Barton, who now serves as vice president of the Committee for Safe and Secure Elections, worries that tension could escalate if the midterms are close. The organization helps local officials game-plan for worst-case scenarios. She told officials in competitive districts that controversy can find anyone, regardless of whether they are in a red or blue state. She cited specific triggers such as ballot equipment failing, ballots jamming, or websites going down. Researchers studying election misinformation say most false narratives stem from these real events, which influencers or politicians then seize upon to imply the issues are intentional or widespread.

The Committee for Safe and Secure Elections doubled the number of trainings it led compared to 2024. This increase reflects new concerns about the Trump administration's actions in elections and a wider understanding of what it means to operate in a battleground state. When Barton speaks with officials in competitive districts, her message is direct. She has told them all that they better be on their game.