A poll worker directs a voter to a polling station for early voting at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex in Miami on Oct. 21.

For most people, calling the FBI is not a part of their job description. Unfortunately, that unorthodox task has become far too common for many election officials. I’ve experienced this firsthand. While overseeing Contra Costa County’s past presidential primary election, I had to report a threat against myself and my staff from someone wanting to see us all “hang.”

Sadly, I expect my office to receive additional threats in the coming weeks.

As trust in institutions has declined, our election system has become an easy target. Whether spread deliberately or through osmosis, rumors about the accuracy and integrity of our election system have taken hold. According to Gallup, 1-in-5 Americans are “not at all confident” in the accuracy of elections. This skepticism is one of the reasons our office has invested grant funding in a countywide “Trust in Elections” campaign this year.

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Elections in the Bay Area are more secure than ever by any measure. Local officials have put in place over 48 safeguards to secure people and processes, and our vote-counting technology and facilities.

Unfortunately, rumors — whether misinformation or disinformation — are undermining all this work.

Thousands of dedicated, nonpartisan public........

© San Francisco Chronicle