BELVIDERE, Ill. — Hidden amid the maze of filing cabinets and desks inside the otherwise unremarkable offices of the Boone County Clerk and Recorder are five buttons employees can press if they think they are in danger.
The “panic” buttons — one nestled behind a fake plant, another tucked away in an easily accessible drawer — were installed ahead of the 2020 general election after Clerk Julie Bliss, who oversees elections in the county, saw national rhetoric about election fraud getting more heated.
Since then, the situation hasn’t gotten any better.
