Election officials warned of 'insider threat' from polling place volunteers

CHICAGO (WLS) -- As the clock ticks down to the general election on Nov. 5, election officials have been warned to keep an eye on threats from the inside: Rogue volunteers whose actions may impact the security and integrity of election systems.

The "insider threat" could come from poll workers, watchers, and election judges working with ulterior motives, according to the F.B.I., U.S. Election Assistance Commission and other federal agencies.

Many organizations across Illinois and the country that have spent years promoting false claims that the 2020 election was stolen have since pivoted to recruiting poll workers and volunteers to take part in 2024 general election, the I-Team found.

At a west suburban Geneva country club in September, "Captain K" took the mic.

"What I do well is I promote the gospel that the 2020 election was stolen," said former Army Captain Seth Keshel, who goes by Captain K.

In a video recorded by the group Three Headed Eagle Alliance, Captain K shared unsupported claims that voter fraud was rampant in Illinois back in 2020, and explained why there's a need for Election Day volunteers to "fix" the problem.

"If you want to fix elections, you can start right here in Kane County," Keshel said. "We got plenty of influencers. We don't have enough middle managers and we definitely don't have enough infantrymen."

Keshel declined the I-Team's request for an interview but said in an email that, "poll watchers are needed to prevent fraudulent practices at polling locations," and that he has never "suggested the use of violence in dealing with the problems related to our elections."

Despite federal election officials saying 2020 was the "most secure election in history," the "Big Lie" that it was stolen is festering.

One poll last year by New Jersey's Monmouth University found, "three in 10 Americans" still believe "that Joe Biden only won the presidency because of voter fraud."

Federal authorities - including the FBI., Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Election Assistance Commission - fear that skepticism could lead to the planting of election volunteers with corrupt motives, as it has happened in other parts of the country.

The "insider threat" is one of many facing election officials nationwide.

"This is the by far the most dynamic threat environment and the craziest operating environment election officials have ever dealt with," said Noah Praetz, a former Cook County election official who now counsels election officials with his company, The Elections Group.

"If you thought your democracy was being stolen from you, you'd use every lever of power you could to peek under the hood," Praetz said. "If you thought things were being hacked, you might do things you're not supposed to, like run away with a laptop or a hard drive. Those things are big risks."

In a federal memo released earlier this year, officials warned of the "insider threat" or "an individual or group who uses their authorized access or special knowledge to cause harm," including "malicious acts that impact the security and integrity of election systems and information."

Those individuals including poll workers, watchers, and election judges working with ulterior motives.

Even in non-battleground counties and states, the "insider threat" is on the minds of Kane County Clerk John Cunningham and other local election officials.

"We're worried about Election Day," Cunningham said. "They tried the last election, they sent a lot of their group, one of the groups, sending a lot of poll watchers. Now they're trying to become judges. So we got to watch for that."

Kane County is one of many Illinois counties that election deniers, including Captain K, point to alleging vote fraud in 2020.

Cunningham said he's tried to show election deniers the real evidence.

"Some of them will listen," Cunningham explained. "Some of them have got their mind made up so much that if God came down, they wouldn't change their mind on it because they've been indoctrinated."

In Kane County, the Three Headed Eagle Alliance group that hosted Captain K has been recruiting poll workers.

In a statement, organization officials said they are a "non-partisan organization" however, most of their events deliver a pro-Trump message, some from election deniers.

Debbie Kanarowski, the group's chairwoman, told the I-Team in an emailed statement, "Three Headed Eagle Alliance is a non-partisan organization that encourages empowerment and engagement."

"The voting process works best when everyone is engaged and the voters understand this process," Kanarowski said. "Once the procedures are understood, it encourages more involvement and confidence. Voters will be more apt to vote and become active election judges or candidates which benefits all parties."

The I-Team reviewed training videos for poll watchers, and attended a live training session organized by a state group that promotes false theories about the 2020 election results.

The training session and videos relied on state law, and didn't promote any illegal activities.

To deal with the risk of threats, Kane County has invested in security.

Cunningham said cameras keep an eye on the path of every single vote coming in, and the actions of both Democrat judges wearing blue vests, and Republican judges wearing red.

In addition, Kane County Sheriff's Deputies will be patrolling all polling places in the county on election day.

Cunningham says his greatest resource are other poll workers and election judges who know the law.

"We've got a bank of judges who have been here for years," Cunningham said, "We did manage them to make sure that all the other judges who are coming in are basically following the law."

While election officials have to be on the lookout for risks to election integrity, Praetz said he believes the democratic process is served best when members of all parties are involved on Election Day.

"One thing that's unique about elections compared to the other critical infrastructure we worry about is, unlike the dam sections or the electrical grid, you can't throw a barbed wire around the fence and keep people out," Praetz said.

He continued, "The more skeptical people are, the better it is to have them at the table. Actually checking in voters, counting the ballots, running the audits so that they can validate that our democracy is on the up and up."