OPINION: Election officials are hard at work. So are election liars.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Top election officials from six swing states gathered here Thursday for an all-day briefing with journalists to discuss their aspirations and anxieties about the Nov. 5 general election.
I came to listen and learned plenty. I had three questions:
These officials from Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin had three answers for the first question – and their responses were clearly intertwined around the problem of rampant disinformation about American elections being spread by some politicians who appear on the ballots.
Lisa Marra, Arizona’s elections director, cited a lack of trust in the process, especially among uninformed voters exposed to that disinformation.
“The misinformation, disinformation, lack of trust in the system from people that just don’t want to spend the time to learn all the ins and outs and check balances, safeguards and election,” Marra told me when I asked for her chief concern at the “Ballots and Battlegrounds” event sponsored by the nonpartisan group Keep Our Republic.
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Al Schmidt, Pennsylvania’s secretary of state, expressed frustration about voters “being exploited” by politicians seeking to “undermine confidence” in our elections.
“Voters have been subjected to so much misinformation and disinformation in the past several years that it has apparently undermined confidence in election results,” he said.
Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s secretary of state, is aiming for a speedy and accurate tally for the Nov. 5 general election, but his top concern is safety.
“Obviously, security has been our top concern, but physical security of the precincts, physical security of the county election office, then also security of all of our poll workers,” he said.
Nearly a decade of one politician and his political party – looking your way Donald Trump and the GOP – spreading lies about elections and poll workers has had a dangerous impact on some people who swallow the disinformation. 
Raffensperger said quick results give “less time for conspiracy theories to start breeding.”
Jonathan Brater, Michigan’s director of elections, is also concerned about conducting a safe and secure election, free of harassment and threats, “given the climate where there’s a lot of agitation out there, a lot of misinformation out there.”
Karen Brinson Bell, North Carolina’s elections director, said turnover is her top concern. In her state’s 100 counties, 34 election administrators will be overseeing a presidential election for the first time this year.
The constant lies, the slander, the intimidation and threats can drive election officials off the job.
“One of the things we’ve really been focused on is the fact that we’ve had considerable turnover in North Carolina, and how to make sure that our veteran election administrators are prepared,” she said.
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Meagan Wolfe, Wisconsin’s chief election official, said she “fears for the future of the profession.”
“We’ve seen that there are a lot of claims about elections that aren’t rooted in fact, and no matter how well we administer our elections, no matter how many legal challenges they withstand, or audits or recounts, that there’s still some groups that wish to sort of disparage the process based on things that aren’t rooted in reality,” Wolfe said.
Three of the six – from Pennsylvania, Arizona and North Carolina – cited recent elections when local officials attempted to stall certification.
All six made clear their legal teams are prepared to take obstinate officials to court to force them to follow their state’s election laws.
“We’ve had a few instances where some county board members and one state board member did not vote to certify an election, but we still had a majority, or more than a majority, to certify,” Brinson Bell said.
“Our state law and Constitution are clear that you cannot use the certification process to delay or disrupt election results that you don’t like,” Brater said.
Marra said she hopes Arizona “won’t have issues that we did in 2022 with counties refusing to certify those election results.”
Every state runs elections based on its own laws. Some allow early processing of mail and absentee ballots. Some don’t allow that until the polls open on Election Day.
So the availability of results will vary.
Most of the officials said they’re hoping for results the morning after Election Day if they don’t complete them the night before.
Wolfe said Wisconsin expects fewer absentee ballots this year, a type of voting that surged during the pandemic. That might quicken the count, though she cautioned “accuracy over speed” at all times.
Everyone agreed: The closer the race, the longer it takes to declare a winner.
“When we know for sure really depends on how close the election is,” Brater told me.
This means we likely won’t go to bed on Nov. 5 knowing who our next president will be. And, as the ballots are counted, the liars who try to fill that void with disinformation will probably be busy.
Sit tight. Reject the nonsense. Know that the professionals are aiming for accuracy, no matter how long it takes.
Follow USA TODAY elections columnist Chris Brennan on X, formerly known as Twitter: @ByChrisBrennan