Election Day 2022: New security measures to keep Illinois election workers safe

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Panic buttons are now in place in Boone County, just east of Rockford. County officials ordered them for the 2020 election, and have increased training for their potential use this year.

"We have a society that is very on edge with these elections," Boone County Clerk and Recorder Julie Bliss told the I-Team. "We have a few located in strategic places about the office, just as a precautionary thing. You know, the, the rhetoric is, nationally, has had some consequences and, and certainly some implications that there could be, even though we don't have any direct threats that we are aware of right now. But it's always best to be prepared. So, these panic buttons, all we have to do if we do have an issue, we push a button and then it notifies our security company. If we don't respond when they contact us back, they notify the authorities."

Because of concerns of voter intimidation nationwide, the Justice Department is now planning on monitoring polls in 24 states to protect the rights of voters, including just over the border in Racine, Wisconsin.

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