Conspiracy theorists and 16-hour days: Inside the stress elections officials face ahead of the midterms

Since Todd Stallings began working in Nacogdoches County’s elections office in 2003, his responsibilities have grown exponentially.

So has his stress.

First came a shift toward digital voting records, along with new state legislation that created more duties for elections officials. Then, accusations of foreign interference in the 2016 presidential race stoked the public’s fear about election integrity. And conspiracy theories about voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election have led to heightened scrutiny.