Law enforcement officials in California and across the country are bracing for threats against election workers, violence at polling places and voter intimidation amid Republican skepticism about the integrity of the voting process.
Security has been beefed up at polling stations and vote-counting locations ahead of Tuesday’s election, with bomb and gun-sniffing dogs, metal detectors, panic buttons and even rooftop snipers to protect workers and voters. Deployed.
For months, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California has been working with voting officials, police, and sheriff’s departments to prevent threats against election workers and respond to election-related security issues and voting law violations in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and California. I did. San Bernardino County, Ventura County, Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County, United States Attorney’s Office. Martin Estrada said.
“My office is deeply concerned about preserving the ability of each citizen to vote freely and fairly, without interference or discrimination,” Estrada said in a statement. “Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to work safely. We will continue to work tirelessly to protect our nation’s elections.”
Since the 2020 election, polling places have been forced to increase security measures due to harassment of election workers. Much of the trouble stemmed from former President Trump’s refusal to concede his loss to President Biden and his false claims that the election was stolen from him.
Unsubstantiated allegations of election fraud drew large numbers of participants in “Stop the Steal” protests across the United States, ultimately calling for Congress to certify the election results on January 6, 2021. Trump supporters even stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to stop the move.
More than a third of election workers surveyed this year by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law said they had been harassed, threatened or abused in the performance of their duties. According to opinion polls, these threats have been increasing every year since 2020.
Experts say threats may continue even after the votes are counted, and tensions could remain high until the day of the inauguration.
“Perhaps the most frightening thing about this period of regime change is that the range of people who distrust the government is expanding, and their aggression and intrigue is further fueled and channeled by mainstream politicians and online manipulators. That’s it,” said Brian Levin, founder of the Center for the Study of Hate and Hate. extremism. “Part of this current heightened risk has to do with former President Trump’s rhetoric and the length and trajectory of his verbal targets within it.”
Federal law prohibits threats of violence against election officials or officials, intimidation or bribery of voters, buying or selling votes, impersonating voters, tampering with vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, It is prohibited to mark the ballot without inputting the information. Estrada said the Federal Bureau of Investigation will have agents in field offices across the country ready to investigate allegations of election fraud and other wrongdoing on Election Day.
Art Acevedo, a former police chief in Miami, Houston and Austin, said law enforcement agencies are devoting unprecedented time and energy to preparing for Tuesday amid growing doubts about voting and concerns about violence. said. The effort “demonstrates the heightened threat environment facing our country,” he said.
“Government agencies are taking steps to protect ballot boxes, polling places, election offices, and all elements essential to ensuring free and fair elections. Law enforcement is committed to ensuring the safety of the American people.” It is the most visible part of the system that protects our country, and it is the most affected by the chaos and division that may occur in our country,” Acevedo said. “The men and women in blue may be caught in the crossfire caused by potential violence caused by misinformation campaigns by foreign adversaries or some American political operatives.”
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said there were no credible threats against polling places or poll workers in the county, but the department continues to monitor the situation. He said election security was a topic of conversation among police chiefs at a police conference in Boston last month.
“We should be worried,” Luna said. “Look at the context of the rhetoric. We always tell people it’s okay to disagree, but we can’t disagree. [to] You cannot get into a fight and act on your desire for violence. ”
In Orange County, Registrar of Voters Bob Page has tried to allay concerns by shedding light on the process, posting on social media the various steps involved in collecting and counting ballots. The county has transitioned from a solidly Republican area to a more politically diverse area in recent decades, but it also has its fair share of election skeptics. A University of California, Irvine poll earlier this year found that 26% of adults surveyed said they did not believe Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential election, and an additional 17% said he did not believe Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential election. He answered that he was not sure whether he had won legitimately.
“We are working closely with law enforcement and prosecutors at the federal, state, and local levels to not only protect the safety of our voters and the safety of our staff, but also to protect the safety of potential We are also investigating possible misconduct.” .
Security concerns and even attempts to interfere in the election emerged weeks ago.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said last week that a recently circulating video showing a person claiming to be from Haiti voting illegally in multiple Georgia counties was linked to Russian influence. It was determined that it was created by force. actors.
The group also produced a video falsely accusing people associated with Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign of accepting bribes. Officials said the video’s purpose was to “raise unfounded questions about the integrity of the U.S. elections and incite division among the American people.”
Last week, ballot boxes in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, were burned, damaging hundreds of ballots. Local authorities claimed the action was “targeted and deliberate”.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said Friday he would call in the Washington National Guard to protect election infrastructure and respond to any election-related disturbances. Some election officials around the country have installed panic buttons in election offices to alert law enforcement and have also installed bulletproof glass to protect poll workers.
Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo announced he would “preemptively activate” the Nevada National Guard in the run-up to the election. In nearby Arizona, another presidential battleground state, Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said in a recent court hearing that he wears a bulletproof vest during the campaign.
The Maricopa County Ballot Counting Center in Arizona has two layers of security fencing surrounding the building. There are also metal detectors and rooftop snipers.
Glenn Kucera, president of Allied Universal Enhanced Protection Services, said the company has security teams across the country to deal with Election Day threats.
Some of the security firm’s customers are scheduled to host voting sites on Tuesday, so Coalition employees will be monitoring those locations looking for “bad actors or anything unusual” that we can think of. Reporting any potential threats to law enforcement and their customers. Look,” Kucera said.
There are also plans to deploy dogs capable of detecting explosives and firearms.
“This year there are a lot more than usual. I think it’s because there’s too much disruption,” Kucera said of security concerns through Tuesday. “The Middle East is in conflict. There’s a conflict between Ukraine and Russia, North Korea is involved, and the threat is probably more present within U.S. borders now than ever before.”
Times staff writer Faith Pigno contributed to this report.
