Brennan Center pitches "PEACE Act" to give election workers civil remedies for intimidation
September 23, 2026 | Legislative Sessions, Washington
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The Brennan Center today urged the committee to consider a civil-law approach to election intimidation, presenting a model bill called the Protecting Elections from Armed Coercion and Extremism (PEACE) Act. Alice Anderman, a law-and-policy consultant for the Brennan Center, said the proposed law would allow victims to seek monetary damages and restraining orders where current criminal statutes leave gaps.
"The model law is called the protecting elections from armed coercion and extremism act, the peace act, and it is a civil law to make people who intimidate or threaten voters, poll workers, or election officials liable for monetary damages and restraining orders," Anderman said during her presentation. She told the committee the model is designed to complement federal criminal statutes, which can be hard to enforce and may not provide compensation to harmed election workers.
Anderman and Brennan Center colleagues described a string of recent incidents — a 2020 shooting near a state capitol, targeted online threats to former state election officials, arson at drop boxes and white-powder envelopes — as evidence of evolving risks. The PEACE Act would create civil causes of action, a rebuttable presumption when firearms are visible near voting sites, and a path for injunctive relief by state officials such as the secretary of state.
The center framed the bill as a gap-filler: criminal laws remain in force, the presenters said, but civil remedies could provide victims a faster, compensatory and deterrent tool. Committee members asked follow-up questions about legal standards for intent, the interaction with existing state law and how the presumption regarding firearms would be rebutted in court. The Brennan Center offered to provide draft bill text and technical assistance to staff.
The presentation concluded with an offer to continue working with legislators on statutory language and with election administrators on operational details.
"The model law is called the protecting elections from armed coercion and extremism act, the peace act, and it is a civil law to make people who intimidate or threaten voters, poll workers, or election officials liable for monetary damages and restraining orders," Anderman said during her presentation. She told the committee the model is designed to complement federal criminal statutes, which can be hard to enforce and may not provide compensation to harmed election workers.
Anderman and Brennan Center colleagues described a string of recent incidents — a 2020 shooting near a state capitol, targeted online threats to former state election officials, arson at drop boxes and white-powder envelopes — as evidence of evolving risks. The PEACE Act would create civil causes of action, a rebuttable presumption when firearms are visible near voting sites, and a path for injunctive relief by state officials such as the secretary of state.
The center framed the bill as a gap-filler: criminal laws remain in force, the presenters said, but civil remedies could provide victims a faster, compensatory and deterrent tool. Committee members asked follow-up questions about legal standards for intent, the interaction with existing state law and how the presumption regarding firearms would be rebutted in court. The Brennan Center offered to provide draft bill text and technical assistance to staff.
The presentation concluded with an offer to continue working with legislators on statutory language and with election administrators on operational details.
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