One thing I will point out on the posted comment:

Shouldn't election officials be held to the same standard?

Numerous previous court rulings regarding elected official malfeasance have stated that elected officials should be held to a HIGHER standard since they are representatives of the people and therefore are expected to lead by example.

So to answer the last question in the post - No, they should not be held to the same standard, they should be held to a higher one.