Jane Tim For NBC News:

of Midterm exam in November Election officials and pro-democracy advocates breathed a sigh of relief for the first time in years. The electoral system they have defended and supported for years has worked almost seamlessly, and most of the election naysayers who threatened to disrupt it have been defeated.

But that reprieve appears to have been short-lived, as the new year was marked by violent, financial and high-profile election denial.

• Failed Republican Candidate Claims Fraud systematic shooting Police claim they broke into the home of a local Democrat in New Mexico.
• Former President Donald Trump hit the trail In his third presidential run, he developed a conspiracy theory for the first time and won in 2020.
• In Pennsylvania, mostly rural Lycoming County spent three days last month recounting its 2020 election ballots after years of false fraud allegations.Recount confirmed the results, increased Trump’s margin of victory by just eight votes. Recounting is part of what electoral officials say is increasing mistrust of electoral agencies, even though manual recounting is typically slow, costly and inaccurate.
• In Arizona, Republican Kari Lake continued to challenge the November defeat in court and on television, hosting rallies and raking in more than $2.5 million since Election Day. analysis of her campaign funding disclosure after Election Day by Arizona Miller.
• Elsewhere in Arizona, a Cochise County election official was personally sued for trying to fend off efforts by local officials to block the certification of election results. resignedShe is one of a growing number of election administrators who are resigning due to harassment and election vetoism.