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U.S. voting centers have beefed up their security measures this year, anticipating potential violence based on experience since 2020 and amid a steady increase in threats and harassment aimed at election workers.
Many centers have trained their workers in de-escalation tactics. They have conducted training in order to avoid any clashes between voters. Possible threats will also be recorded.
Hundreds of election offices have been reinforced with bulletproof glass and steel doors. Authorities are concerned about the rise of the right-wing election denial movement, which began in 2020 after Trump's rejection of Joe Biden's loss. Trump's promotion of baseless theories about the election mobilized large crowds to participate in the "Stop the Steal" protests, which culminated on January 6, 2021, when supporters stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to prevent the confirmation of election results from Congress.
Trump has not pledged to accept the result, claiming without evidence that Democrats will cheat to install his opponent, Kamala Harris.
In Washington DC, Police Chief Pamela A Smith said at a news conference on Tuesday that more than 3,000 police officers will work 12-hour shifts.
Maricopa County, Arizona, has some of the most visible security measures, driven by an almost constant presence of threats. In 2020, large protests took place outside the county's central tabulation center as votes were counted, creating an unsettling environment for workers. Few protested at the center during the 2022 midterm elections, after the county put up a permanent fence around the facility and beefed up its law enforcement presence, including officers on horseback riding around as a show of force.
This year the permanent fence is also surrounded by a temporary chain link fence, then again by the concrete barrier. The county sheriff confirmed there would be drones, though it's not yet clear if they would have to use rooftop snipers.
The federal government has stepped up investigations and enforcement of threats against election officials, creating a task force focused specifically on the issue that has brought charges in cases that cross state lines. Some state and local officials have also charged those who threaten election workers.
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