Election officials are not secretarial staffs, they are professionals. We call them “clerks” or “administrators” but the truth is they are profoundly well trained and deeply sophisticated pros who conduct hundreds — even thousands — of tasks in preparing for, conducting, and validating elections. Brenda Cabrera, Fairfax Virginia’s Director of Elections, renders an impressive list of the steps that go into, and follow, an election in SEN’s recent webinar. It’s important to know how deep is the knowledge, and the competence, of the people we rely on to conduct our democratic machinery. Now faced by mindless and violent threats, often to their personal safety, top election professionals are choosing to exit the service. Citizens should be aware of the extent of the knowledge that is being lost with each such retirement. And we citizens must re-double our efforts to protect these vital experts and their crucial service, the very bedrock of our freedom.