southernhybrid
Contributor
https://www.vice.com/en/article/bvmpma/midterms-violence-rhetoric-politics
There's nothing like this going on where I live, at least not so far. I've never heard of any threats in my area regarding the elections and the place where I voted on Tuesday certainly didn't have any armed security guards. The workers didn't seemed frighted and the day I voted, all of the workers were women. People cooperated with each other and nobody acted threatening, although they did find one fake ballot later in the day. That is being investigated. Do any of you live in districts where they are taking extreme precautions like some mentioned in the next quote. I don't know what to think at this point.A dangerous narrative is brewing online, particularly in corners where “Big Lie” conspiracies about the 2020 election remain gospel. Those communities have seized on some recent polls forecasting GOP wins in the November midterms to assert that a “red wave” is all but inevitable. And some have made vague threats about “taking action”—including “taking up arms” if things don’t go their way.
“A massive, absolutely overwhelming Truth Tsunami of Continental proportions that will wash away the stench of rot and corruption from the world,” another wrote. “Nothing can stop what is coming.”
This narrative is coupled with the presumption that the only way Democrats could win in hotly contested races or maintain control of the House and Senate is if they commit election fraud—baseless claims that are being amplified by influential MAGA figures. And the prospect of yet another election being “stolen” is fueling threats of violence from the right.
Extremism watchdogs have been warning about the potential for political violence in the coming weeks.
The Soufan Center also noted that election workers in some places are undergoing active-shooter training, and election offices are in the process of bolstering security, hiring guards, installing bulletproof and bomb-resistant glass. For example, an election office in Flagstaff, Arizona, has had a barricade of bulletproof glass installed, and anyone wishing to enter will have to ring a buzzer. The walls of an election office in Tallahassee, Florida, have been fortified with Kevlar, a material used in bulletproof vests. Other election offices are paying for armed security guards for the busiest weeks close to the election.
“A massive, absolutely overwhelming Truth Tsunami of Continental proportions that will wash away the stench of rot and corruption from the world,” another wrote. “Nothing can stop what is coming.”
This narrative is coupled with the presumption that the only way Democrats could win in hotly contested races or maintain control of the House and Senate is if they commit election fraud—baseless claims that are being amplified by influential MAGA figures. And the prospect of yet another election being “stolen” is fueling threats of violence from the right.
Extremism watchdogs have been warning about the potential for political violence in the coming weeks.
The Soufan Center also noted that election workers in some places are undergoing active-shooter training, and election offices are in the process of bolstering security, hiring guards, installing bulletproof and bomb-resistant glass. For example, an election office in Flagstaff, Arizona, has had a barricade of bulletproof glass installed, and anyone wishing to enter will have to ring a buzzer. The walls of an election office in Tallahassee, Florida, have been fortified with Kevlar, a material used in bulletproof vests. Other election offices are paying for armed security guards for the busiest weeks close to the election.
It’s not just online chatter on fringe sites that’s driving these fears. Influential right-wing figures with large platforms, like former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, are stoking the flames, telling their supporters that the stakes couldn’t be higher this midterms and that Democrats will do anything they can to steal the election. Bannon, on his War Room podcast, has described the upcoming election as the “most important midterm election since 1862” (which took place during the Civil War).
And guests on Bannon’s show are priming listeners to expect the election to be rigged.