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Using new data covering the full election period, this analysis maps key trends in election-related threats and harassment through the run-up to the vote and its immediate aftermath. It focuses on hostile activity targeting election officials, poll workers, election judges, and volunteers working in an official capacity to support the voting process.2 The findings provide a deeper understanding of the threat environment in which these civil servants carried out the 2024 election, and offer lessons for future election protection efforts going forward.

This analysis looks at over 4,000 survey responses from the last two years to explore both the contributors to, and effects of, worries about hostility. It additionally investigates whether, and to what degree, demographic factors and personal experiences with hostility are connected to the severity of worries about hostility, as well as their links to willingness to engage in political behaviors such as running for re-election or working on controversial topics.

Using the past year of data from BDI and our partners, this special report identifies 5 key political violence trends that emerged in the United States in 2024, evaluates how these risk factors will evolve in 2025, and elevates 3 effective resilience and response strategies that can inform mitigation efforts in the coming months.

Following a spike in threats and harassment against local officials in November driven by national issues like the election, the number of reported incidents declined in December. The latest update from BDI’s Threats and Harassment Dataset (THD) captured over 25 events for the month, marking a return to the high baseline recorded earlier in 2024 (see graph below). On aggregate, the data shows that threats and harassment are becoming more frequent over time, even as total levels of political violence trended down last year.

Following an increase in hostile incidents leading up to the 2024 election, the latest results from the BDI-CivicPulse survey of local elected officials indicate that both hostile experiences and worry about future hostility remained at elevated levels through the final quarter of the year. Threats and harassment continued to have a chilling effect on the functions of local government, with officials reporting particularly high rates of decreased willingness to engage in activities like posting on social media and working on controversial topics.

BDI’s Threats and Harassment Dataset (THD) captured 30 threat and harassment incidents targeting local officials in January 2025. The data shows an uptick in hostile incidents carried out by officials against other officials over local community-specific issues during the month, and hostility between colleagues during government meetings also contributed to a rise in in-person threat and harassment events. Overall, hostile activity continued at similar levels in January compared to December, which saw a decline from the surge in threats and harassment around the election in November and a return to baseline trends recorded in previous years.

Threats and harassment against local officials rose in February following two months of lower activity in the aftermath of the election. BDI’s Threats and Harassment Dataset (THD) captured more than 50 events for the month, marking an increase of nearly 40% from January. The rise in hostility was fueled in part by the knock-on effects of national political dynamics playing out at the local level, including an uptick in threats and harassment targeting school officials related to debates over education policy and DEI initiatives.

Since his inauguration, President Donald Trump has signed multiple executive orders to restrict immigration and facilitate his plan to carry out “mass deportations.” These orders have included changes to previous guidance that prevented Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) from conducting raids in “sensitive areas,” such as schools and churches. In response, communities across the country have mobilized in support of immigrant rights and local safety initiatives. These demonstrations and community actions have aimed to push back on dehumanizing rhetoric and misinformation, advocate for immigrant protections, and express opposition to policies that may violate domestic and international law.

Reported incidents of threats and harassment against local officials returned to a high baseline level in March, following a spike in February driven largely by national political dynamics related to education policy. BDI’s Threats and Harassment Dataset (THD) captured more than 40 events for the month, marking a decrease of nearly 35% from February. Nevertheless, hostility continued at similar levels compared to January 2025 and much of 2024 overall. Most incidents in March were motivated by community-specific issues or personal legal disputes, marking a shift back to local dynamics as the leading driver of threats and harassment.

This brief outlines the latest research on hostility toward local officials and presents two critical recommendations that can advance efforts to mitigate risk: (1) investing in independent, sustained threat monitoring systems to inform holistic policy solutions over the long term; and (2) expanding access to funds for personal security for local officials in the short term. These measures will help ensure that officials — regardless of their independent financial resources — can continue to safely and effectively serve their communities.