Anyone else concerned about violence on election day? Are you doing anything to prepare?

[mrs]

I'm sure many are stocking up on popcorn and drinks for election night!

According to the Washington Post:

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As a tense, divided country barrels toward Election Day, Americans say they are worried about the possibility of violence flaring up after the country votes for a new president next month.

Half of likely voters say they are at least somewhat concerned about violence either on Election Day or after, according to a USA Today/Suffolk University pollconducted this month. One in five likely voters say they are very concerned, about the same number who said they were not terribly confident that the United States would “have a peaceful transfer of power after the election.”

(Source:https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/10/26/half-of-likely-u-s-voters-say-they-are-concerned-about-violence-on-election-day/?postshare=9701477512143716&tid=ss_tw&utm_term=.b41650c287b4 )

I'm legitimately worried about some sort of domestic terrorism or roits. I almost feel a little paranoid. I went out and stocked up on nonperishable food and a few cases of water. I'm going to get my meds refilled before and fill up my car as well. I live in a large city in a battle ground state. 

Anyone else worried? Have you thought about having to shelter in place or something worse? Perhaps I need to purchase a tinfoil hat?

 

 

[VelociRapture]

There is a small bit of concern. We live in a solid blue state (yay Nutmeg state!) and our polling locations are schools - so no firearms or weapons are allowed at polling locations. 

Still, I'll be just over 30 weeks pregnant on Election Day. Husband has already agreed that we'll vote together before work just in case - it's less likely I'll have any issues if he's with me since he's over 6 feet. I don't anticipate any issues, but I'd rather play it safe because baby.

I'll likely have husband do our normal grocery shopping that weekend and I'll go grab anything else that may be necessary that Monday when he's working. Probably just snacks for watching the results. 

To anyone living in a swing state or red state - I hope nothing happens, but use common sense and stay safe. 

[GreyhoundFan]

I am concerned because there are just enough jackwagons out there to cause issues, and many of them are armed. My polling place is a community center where guns are not permitted, but I can see some concealed weapons getting in. The local and state police have already been put on alert. I also have a friend who is a poll worker, she is planning to wear a bulletproof vest. I have a feeling that the usual good-natured Republican and Democratic representatives outside the polling station will probably be replaced by more vocal people.

As I have mobility issues, I usually have my groceries delivered. I'll probably have extra stuff delivered right before election day. That way, if something happens to the supply chain, I'll be okay; if not, I can delay the next delivery accordingly.

[Ali]

I am a little nervous. Mr. A and I will plan on voting in the morning either together or at different times. I am not sure if I want to take the kids in, so that is why we are thinking about taking turns. Also, the baby had a meltdown when I was voting in the primary and it was kind of difficult to vote.

I live in a light blue state and I have seen lots of Trump signs and very few Hillary signs in my area.

[RosyDaisy]

The most I expect to see here in Alabama is a few drunken fists fights.

[AmazonGrace]

If there is no violence it is not for lack of trying. JMO

If somebody took up arms in the Trumpster's defense it'd be such an ego boost he could consider it a victory and save face. In his own mind, anyway. 

And some people who vote for him too, they would not have lost an election, they'd have stood up for freedom and patriotism and the American way of life and all that. 

[clueliss]

I'm not expecting issues - aside from the fact that the drive up to the church I vote at is way narrow so getting in/out is hard.  (and we don't have early voting here).  I will vote before work because I am old enough to clearly remember the lines in '92 and therefore almost always try to vote before work in presidential election years.

[formergothardite]

I'm not too worried. I think there might be isolated incidents, but most of the folks are going to grumble on Facebook, but accept Trump lost. 

 

[Howl]

I'm not any more concerned than I am on any given day -- because on any given day, I could encounter random gun violence.   

I think we'd be much more at risk from people shitting bricks if Agent Orange wins.  

Anyway, like I said previously, there's a process in place for the orderly transfer of power as well as orderly protest.  Zip chance of a  coup d'état.  The same thing will happen that happened when Obama was elected, twice: nothing.  A lot of impotent online pouting and insults.  

If Hillary wins, and I think she will, Agent Orange will become instantly irrelevant.  All that's needs done in that case is for him to hole up in his penthouse and pout.  Major media will cover him as long as it pulls in viewers; when that's past, the only coverage he'll get is from his own broadcasting company.  There's a good possibility that his "brand" has been irrevocably damaged and he'll be radioactive in terms of financial partners.  The only people who might still like him are Russians, who have apparently lent him insane amounts of money.  

TIME did great coverage of Trump's Russian connections in early August here: http://time.com/4433880/donald-trump-ties-to-russia/

This article also has a great photograph of the Putin kissing Trump mural in Vilnius, Lithuania.  

[AuntK]

With early voting here in Florida, I'm hoping everything  will go smoothly despite our asshat  governor trying to suppress Democrat's votes and tilt the election.  My concern is sufficient wine and queso .  . .

[Maggie Mae]

Nope. The election will be over before our polls close; we'll go home from work, watch the returns come in. I'll probably hear about how the election people screwed up again, like they do every year. Not enough ballots, people have to vote on questioned ballots (what's the point?) or not vote because there just aren't enough. The lines will be long and most people will go home without voting, because it really doesn't matter when the rest of your "country" gets to decide your fate regardless of what you actually want. So no, no violence. Just apathy. Like normal. 

[Bethella]

I'm worried about working the election. We always have the police on-call on election day, the only time we've had to call them was for the primary this year (fairly minor fistfight between two friends who realized they voting for different parties ). If anything happens where I am, it will probably just be people being belligerent assholes and arguing with the workers/trying to interfere with other people voting, there's a chance someone will get worked up enough to take a swing at someone else but probably not full blown violence.

I'll be stocking up on groceries and gas on Monday simply because after the election I'll be too tired to go shopping. I will probably try to stay up but it will depend on how the day goes and how tired I am and how quickly my caffeine overload is metabolized . If I do stay up there will alcohol involved. 

[Mercer]

I'm concerned - though more about something happening somewhere in the nation than about anything local. I don't think there is likely to be any sort of threat to my personal safety.

I don't really have any plans for in case of violence, just going to go about my day as usual and hope for the best.

 

[Scribber]

I'm in Colorado - where we are 100% mail-in ballots.  (You can drop off your ballot at a polling place, but it's little more than a person standing next to a box where you drop in your ballot.) 

So as far as issues at the polling place? Not here. 

BUT... Do I think someone, somewhere will do something stupid? Yes. 

We'll just be at home that day, probably eating popcorn and watching the results. 

[MarblesMom]

I am really sure nothing will happen in the village of 200 where I cast my ballot.  But... I am not convinced ass wipes with bravado will have to show us "something" (probably their low IQs) somewhere across the US.

If I was still in Los Angeles, I would stock up and hunker down.  Hell, we did that just for Halloween each year.

[47of74]

I already voted a couple weeks ago so if any asswipe j--z trumpet dickhole Agent Orange supporters were planning on hassling me over my vote it's too late.  And I'm going to be up in the Twins for school that week too. 

[ADoyle90815]

Not so much where I live, as it's already a blue state, and the majority of former Bernie supporters are voting for Clinton because Trump scares the crap out of them, and myself. We do have early voting, but it's only in a few places, including at the registrar's office. It was announced today that there have been a record number of early voters since early voting started earlier this week. Personally, I don't want to risk putting up any major campaign signs or stickers on my car, because you never know where the crazies are. In fact, the only sign for any Presidential candidate I've seen locally is for Gary Johnson. All other signs are for local candidates and ballot measures.

My local polling place is at the middle school's auditorium where it typically is, and I don't expect to run into any trouble with Crazy Cheeto supporters. I plan to be home that evening watching the results and might just have tacos for dinner.

[Childless]

I've already voted (for Clinton with a big smile on my face).  I live in a solidly red state that will probably go for Trump because I'm surrounded by idiots, so I don't expect anything will happen here.

[YeahWhatever007]

I'm actually concerned about this as well. I have a feeling all hell will break loose no matter who wins.

[GreyhoundFan]

The Washington Post had an article about a militia group that is encouraging members to patrol the polls on Election Day to watch for anomalies.

I love how they talk about "blending in". The picture at the top of the article features three guys who would not blend in anywhere in my neighborhood.

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Amid growing concerns about possible violence and vote fraud on Election Day, the Oath Keepers, a national group of former military and law enforcement officers, has urged its members to “blend in” with voters and do “incognito intelligence gathering and crime spotting” at polling places across the country on Nov. 8.

“In particular, we are calling on our retired police officers, our military intelligence veterans, and our Special Warfare veterans (who are well trained in covert observation and intelligence gathering) to take the lead,” group leader Stewart Rhodes said in a “call to action” on the group’s website and in a YouTube video urging members to “help stop voter fraud.”

The Oath Keepers are officially nonpartisan, but their concerns clearly echo Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s warnings about a “rigged” election and his calls for his supporters to monitor polling places for evidence of fraud by supporters of Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

 

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Gregory McWhirter, an Oath Keepers official from Montana, urged members on the YouTube video to “be friendly, be observant” and “operate within the law” by using cellphones to video any suspected illegal activity.

“If you start to see busloads of people get off at one poll, just to get off the bus at another poll, report that to your local law enforcement,” McWhirter said, urging members to also report if they “see someone walking around with stacks and stacks of mail-in ballots.”

Seriously? Busloads of people going around to vote at different polls? In my state, we have a voter ID law, did everyone on that bus get multiple fake IDs? Where are the tinfoil hats?

 

[Mercer]

My state doesn't have voter ID laws, but it would still be difficult to vote more than once. The Board of Elections assigns you a spot to vote (by default it's the polling place closest to your home address unless you request to vote somewhere else) and when you get there, your name is pre-printed in a book and you sign beside it. Once you have signed, you are counted as having voted and no one else is allowed to vote under that name. You could theoretically go to another polling place and cast an affidavit ballot, but those are all provisional until it is checked that they're unique votes from eligible voters, so your affidavit ballot would just get thrown out if it was a double vote.

That's not to say voter fraud is impossible. I'm sure people could come up with some creative way to fool any system. It just wouldn't be as simple as getting off a bus to vote again and again even if your state doesn't require you to present ID.

[bea]

I was talking about this on Twitter the other day. My next door neighbor's are Latino - he is a naturalized citizen from Peru and she is from Puerto Rico. They are both over 65, and she speaks very little English. They have owned their house for 40 years.
The other day, he came next door and asked me if I would go with them when they were going to vote. Apparently, they had heard at church that some Trump supporters were going to be attempting to prevent people who were obviously Latino, speaking Spanish, or in any way other than Aryan from voting. Mind you, this is a guy who paid off his house, works in his garden and rents out the top floor of his two flat. He lives on his social security check, he and his wife walk everywhere, they collect our mail when we are on vacation, they are the nicest people you can imagine. And they are genuinely scared. They are scared that someone is going to stop them from voting.
(I did them one better, and took them with me when I went to cast my vote early here in Chicago. No lines, no wait, no annoying people in red.)
Anyway, that is something I am worried about. Now that Trump has announced that he wants his followers of scrutinizing the people voting, there are going to be people who are going to be too nervous to get to the polls. Which was, I imagine, Trump's plan.

[nokidsmom]

Mr. No and I decided to vote by mail.  Not because of concerns over protesters but because of work schedule.    I don't anticipate any problems in our area, we are in a solidly blue state but in a light blue county that used to be diehard GOP.  I guess it's possible that there are some lingering diehards who could be disruptive, but it's a quiet suburb and people don't care for that shit.

ETA: I agree that regardless of who wins, there's going to be some protests as a result.   Someone is not going to be happy and raise hell over it.

[AmazonGrace]

http://www.cbsnews.com/live/video/federal-officials-growing-more-concerned-about-election-day-threats/?ftag=CNM15cf32c

[Howl]

In Texas, many of our polling places on election day are in schools, while school is in session.   Kind of a bad idea, in some ways, because from 7:30 to 8:30 am and at 2:30 - 3:30 pm these places are already clogged with cars -- everybody drops their kid off at school and then picks them up.  

Some people are planning on not letting their kids attend school on that day if their elementary school is a polling place because of fears of violence at the polling place. 

These Oath Keeper types of pretty foolish, because they could easily get one of their polling observers recruits arrested.  That said, poll watchers are a real thing in my state and it's very tightly regulated.  According to the Texas Tribune, here's how it goes down: 

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Poll watchers may look on as voters cast ballots or as officials count them. They can also observe inspection of voting machines. But they can't talk to voters or election officials unless they are reporting an irregularity to an election officer. They also can't make audio or video recordings or take photos inside a polling place.

The Texas Election Code includes several other rules governing poll watchers:

They must be eligible to vote in the county where they they are serving (or, in elections limited to a smaller jurisdictions, they must be eligible to vote in those communities).

They must present a “certificate of appointment” to the election judge at a polling station, and the certificate must come from the political party, candidate or ballot measure group that appointed them (groups of registered voters may also appoint poll watchers on behalf of certain write-in candidates). 

They may not access a voting station while someone is casting a ballot.

State law also prohibits poll watchers — or any voter, for that matter— from wearing a badge, insignia or emblem related to a candidate, measure or party on the ballot within 100 feet of a polling place’s door.

Parties, candidates and campaigns may not appoint more than two watchers at each precinct polling spot, early voting ballot board meeting or central counting station. They may appoint as many as seven watchers to each early voting polling location, but no more than two may serve at the same time. 

Although Texas is an open carry state, you cannot openly carry your gun onto the premises of a polling place.

And last but not least, the Russians wanted to send observers to the US to observe elections.  I don't know how many states they asked, but Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma turned them down.  The Texas Secretary of State said no, and it's nothing personal, because

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Texas is one of 12 states that explicitly prohibit or limit international election observers,according to the National Conference of State Legislature

Full text of Texas to Russian official: Stay out of our polling places here. 

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