When it came time to cast his ceremonial Electoral College vote for Joe Biden in 2020, Democrat Khary Penebaker had to keep things hush-hush. He wanted to bring his girlfriend , but wasn't allowed a guest. He couldn't even walk through the front door of Wisconsin's statehouse, USA Today reports. Instead, Penebaker and other Badger State electors met at an undisclosed location. Law enforcement escorted the group through tunnels to arrive at a room in the statehouse, which was closed off to the public. The 46-year-old Democrat, who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2016, called the experience "terrifying." He was scared after seeing stories of election workers being harassed in other swing states.
Penebaker, who is Black, said he thought back to how civil rights activists more than half a century ago had crossed Alabama's Edmund Pettus Bridge knowing they would be beaten by police officers on the other side. He said if they could survive that, he could muster the courage to cast an electoral vote. Democrats, scholars and election watchdogs are keenly vigilant about the safety of people like Penebaker, who sign up to cast votes for their political parties on behalf of the Electoral College a month after Election Day, and who typically assemble at statehouses as a key part of the Constitutionally-mandated ceremonial process of choosing the next president. Political violence can slow down the process of electing the president because officials end up needing to evacuate buildings and halt proceedings to shore up security, such as what happened on Jan. 6, 2021. The additional time can give bad actors time to sow doubt in the democratic process.