Photo courtesy of C-Span Rutherford County Alan Farley, Tennessee Election Commission Elections Administrator

Rutherford County – TN (01/03/2024) Rutherford County Administrator of Elections Alan Farley testified concerning ongoing threats to election administration during a November hearing before the U.S. Senate Rules & Administration Committee in Washington, D.C.  

 Rules Committee Chair Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) called the hearing to discuss the ongoing threats to election administration in the United States.  Farley presented the viewpoint from the local level as an expert witness along with secretaries of state from Pennsylvania and Arizona who testified.

 The objective of the hearing was to address issues that arose from the 2020 and 2022 elections including threats to election workers.  It was stated many election officials are leaving the profession due to threats and violence after those elections.  

 The expert testimony will be used to draft and propose legislation.  

Farley testified elections are the states’ rights and should only be addressed at the state and local level, not the federal level.  One solution does not fit every state as evidenced by the panel that relayed a myriad of issues experienced during their elections.  There were some common elements that occurred during the elections yet unique challenges were also present.  

 “If Congress wants to help protect our democracy, they would be better served to invest in cyber-security measures and IT infrastructure at the state and local level,” Farley said. “There are many counties in the state of Tennessee that do not have their own IT departments.  Local election administrators know their communities best and how best to resolve challenges. Adding the federal bureaucracy to elections hurts instead of helping it.” 

  “It was an honor to be asked by Senators Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and Deb Fischer (R-NE) to testify before the United States Senate Rules & Administration committee to give a front-line perspective on administering elections,” Farley said. “It was a privilege to represent not only Rutherford County and the state of Tennessee but all local election jurisdictions throughout the country.”

 More information about the Rutherford County Election Commission can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-cGiD1AVws&list=PLWIYzdSyXkTPZ5DpnqiPGXGgqZ0TSCz3G&index=29 .