Chad Christopher Stark of Texas, who posted threatening messages against Georgia election officials following the result of the 2020 presidential election, was sentenced Wednesday to two years in prison.
Stark, who prosecutors said posted messages on Craigslist urging Georgia residents to “militia up” and shoot several unnamed judges and officials, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of communicating interstate threats.
It’s ludicrous that election workers are facing these types of threats, and they have just kept increasing since Trump and his allies refused to drop their false claims that 2020 was rigged. The election workers who continue to show up must be protected, and legislation that imposes stiffer punishment against those who threaten violence must be front-of-mind for lawmakers.
Putting aside the fact that Trump wasn't the one who invented election denialism (plenty of liberals did it long before he came along), there are many reasons to distrust the election process. No one should threaten violence, but more must be done about the security of mail-in ballots and enforcing rules around who can vote and when.