We endorse the sensible truism that in a democracy guns and ballots don’t mix and therefore call for passage in the General Assembly of House Bill 5448, An Act Concerning Security of Certain Election Workers and Elections-Related Locations, that would ban the possession of firearms and other lethal weapons within 250 feet of polling sites, drop boxes and other election-related locations.

Poll workers who are responsible for the fair conduct of elections have been subjected throughout the country to a steady stream of harassment, threats, and abuse from zealots of the Big Lie, who accuse them of “stealing” the 2020 Presidential election by condoning fraudulent conduct. Election denialism turns our society into a breeding ground for extremist violence against the volunteer staff who administer the electoral process.