Election officials warned of “insider threats” from polling station volunteers

CHICAGO (WLS) — As the clock ticks toward the Nov. 5 general election, election officials have been warned to keep an eye on insider threats: rogue volunteers whose actions could compromise the security and integrity of election systems.

According to the FBI, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and other federal agencies, the “insider threat” could come from poll workers, observers and election judges working with ulterior motives.

Many organizations in Illinois and across the country that for years promoted false claims that the 2020 election was stolen have since focused on recruiting poll workers and volunteers to participate in the 2024 general election, the I-Team found.

In September, “Captain K” took the microphone at a country club in a western suburb of Geneva.

“What I’m doing right is I’m promoting the gospel that the 2020 election was stolen,” said retired Army Capt. Seth Keshel, who also served as Capt. K.

In a video recorded by the group Three Headed Eagle Alliance, Captain K shared unsupported claims that voter fraud was rampant in Illinois in 2020, and explained why there is a need for Election Day volunteers to “solve” the problem.

“If you want to fix elections, you can start here in Kane County,” Keshel said. “We have enough influencers. We don’t have enough middle managers and we certainly don’t have enough infantrymen.”

Keshel declined the I-Team’s request for an interview, but said in an email that “poll watchers are needed to prevent fraudulent practices at polling places,” and that he never “suggested the use of force in polling places.” dealing with the issues related to our elections.”

Despite federal election officials proverb 2020 was the “most secure election in history,” the “big lie” that it was stolen rages on.

A poll Last year, Monmouth University in New Jersey found that “three in 10 Americans” still believe “that Joe Biden only won the presidency because of voter fraud.”

Federal authorities — including the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission — fear that skepticism could lead to the hiring of election volunteers with corrupt motives, as has happened in other parts of the country.

The “threat from within” is one of many threats facing election officials across the country.

“This is by far the most dynamic threat environment and the craziest work environment that election officials have ever had to deal with,” said Noah Praetz, a former Cook County election official who now mentors election officials at his company, The Elections Group.

“If you thought your democracy was being stolen from you, you would use whatever power you had to peek under the hood,” Praetz said. “If you thought things were being hacked, you might do things you shouldn’t do, like running away with a laptop or a hard drive. Those are big risks.”

In one federal memo released earlier this yearOfficials warned of the “insider threat” or “an individual or group using their authorized access or special knowledge to cause harm,” including “malicious acts that compromise the security and integrity of election systems and information.”

Those individuals, including poll workers, observers and election judges, who operate with ulterior motives.

Even in non-battleground counties and states, the “threat from within” is on the minds of Kane County Clerk John Cunningham and other local election officials.

“We are concerned about Election Day,” Cunningham said. “They tried in the last election, they sent a lot of their group, one of the groups, a lot of poll workers. Now they’re trying to become judges. So we have to pay attention to that.”

Kane County is one of several counties in Illinois where election deniers, including Captain K, are pointing to election fraud in 2020.

Cunningham said he has tried to show election deniers the real evidence.

“Some of them will listen,” Cunningham explained. “Some of them have made their minds so set that if God came down, they wouldn’t change their minds because they’ve been indoctrinated.”

In Kane County, the Three Headed Eagle Alliance group that hosted Captain K has been recruiting poll workers.

In a statement, organization officials said they are a “nonpartisan organization,” but most of their events convey a pro-Trump message, some from election deniers.

Debbie Kanarowski, the group’s president, told the I-Team in an emailed statement: “Three Headed Eagle Alliance is a nonpartisan organization that encourages empowerment and involvement.”

“The voting process works best when everyone is involved and voters understand this process,” Kanarowski said. “Once the procedures are understood, it encourages greater engagement and trust. Voters will be more likely to vote and become active election judges or candidates, which benefits all parties.”

The I-Team reviewed training videos for poll workers and attended a live training session hosted by a state group promoting false theories about the 2020 election results.

The training session and videos were based on state law and did not promote illegal activities.

To address the risk of threats, Kane County has invested in security.

Cunningham said cameras monitor the path of every vote that comes in, and the actions of both Democratic judges wearing blue vests and Republican judges wearing red vests.

In addition, Kane County Sheriff’s deputies will patrol all polling places in the county on Election Day.

Cunningham says his biggest resource is other poll workers and election judges who know the law.

“We have a group of judges who have been here for years,” Cunningham said. “We’ve managed to get them to make sure that all the other judges that come in basically follow the law.”

While election officials must be alert to risks to election integrity, Praetz said he believes the democratic process is best served when members of all parties are involved on Election Day.

“One thing that’s unique about elections compared to the other critical infrastructure we worry about is that, unlike the dam sections or the power grid, you can’t throw barbed wire around the fence and keep people out,” Praetz said .

He continued: “The more skeptical people are, the better it is to have them at the table. Actually checking voters in, counting the ballots, doing the audits so they can validate that our democracy is on the rise.”