More than one-third of top election officials across the country have resigned or retired since the 2020 presidential election, according to a CBS News investigation. This turnover rate, the highest in over two decades, raises significant concerns about potential impacts as the next major election approaches.
Here are a few examples of the election worker turnover:
In Pennsylvania, Luzerne County has had five different directors of elections in the past five years.
In Maryland, the turnover rate is a 46% as of January 2024, meaning nearly half of the state’s election officials have started their roles since 2020.
In Texas , 77 out of 254 counties have lost at least one election official since the 2020 election.
Nationally, the turnover rate among local election officials has reached 36% between November 2020 and January 2024, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. This is the highest turnover rate since the early 2000s, though the data might not fully reflect recent changes, as it only extends through the beginning of this year.