With Elections 72 Hours Away, States Begin Preparing for National Guard Deployment
With widespread civil unrest expected following the results of Tuesday’s election, many mayors and governors across the country are deploying resources in an attempt to get ahead of any potential violence.
With just over 72 hours until polls across the country begin to close, some elected officials are bracing themselves.
After a tumultuous summer which saw riots, looting and protests in cities throughout the country, many public officials are preparing for the worst by activating the National Guard, or putting members on high alert.
In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is prepared to send the National Guard into the Lone Star State’s cities, should they be needed.
KXAN-TV reported Abbott said Wednesday after 1,000 troops were activated, “our job is to make sure that cities are going to be safe.”
While Abbott does not want the presence of boots on the ground to affect the election, he won’t hesitate to send troops into locations where unrest might occur.
Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has activated roughly 400 members of the National Guard, according to Fox News.
Evers said on Thursday, “The Wisconsin National Guard has played a critical role in our response to the COVID-19 pandemic and this mission is no different.”
Evers added. “As Wisconsin faces an urgent crisis with more than 200,000 positive cases of COVID-19 across the state, the help of the Guard will be needed to ensure that Election Day goes smoothly and that voters and election officials alike have the assistance they need.”
Members of the Pennsylvania National Guard, meanwhile, remain active in Philadelphia following days of unrest and riots following the death of Walter Wallace Jr., a black man who was shot dead by police while allegedly holding a knife.
KYW-TV reported hundreds of men and women with the Guard are in the city, where they will assist police to keep order.
The Military Times reported states across the country have not activated guardsmen and women yet, but have put many members on high alert.
In Arizona, Republican Gov. Doug Ducey said during an interview with KNXV-TV he would not “hesitate” to deploy 300 members of the state’s National Guard to help restore order in the event of unrest.
Officials in Alabama have also put 300 National Guard members on high alert.
States such as New Jersey, Colorado, Tennessee, Virginia and Wyoming have also activated some selected National Guard members to assist with election security and cyber security to varying degrees.
Other troops will assist at the polls in some areas.
While states are readying National Guard members with varying degrees of concern, police officers and business owners in some of the country’s largest cities are already preparing for election unrest.
Images posted online show the measures being taken by merchants in other cities to get ahead of any potential political violence.
Driving through downtown LA…so many businesses boarded up & in the process of boarding up. Same thing happening in Beverly Hills & Santa Monica in anticipation of election night. All 3 areas hit hard by looters & rioters during George Floyd unrest. pic.twitter.com/wxrfs3ErDN
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) October 30, 2020
Retail stores in NYC getting boarded up before the election. pic.twitter.com/jOacLxLjGE
— Brian Sozzi (@BrianSozzi) October 31, 2020
KRCR-TV reported that the California Highway Patrol has placed uniformed officers on a tactical alert.
The state’s police agency is on alert, as are police agencies in the Golden State.
Officers with the LAPD have been told to be ready to report to work, regardless of schedule, in the event of chaos related to the election, The Los Angeles Times reported.
Likewise, in the San Francisco Bay area, officers are preparing for unrest, according to The San Francisco Chronicle.
Vacation days for agencies in both areas of the state have been canceled.
In Washington, D.C., many businesses have closed and boarded up in preparation for violence like that which was seen this summer, when leftist protestors ensconced themselves in the city for months.
Businesses boarding up in DC ahead of the election. pic.twitter.com/efpLoFNRr5
— Ben Tracy (@benstracy) October 30, 2020
In New York City, police have been preparing a strategy to curtail potential violence, WLNY-TV reported.
The department has urged merchants along Fifth Avenue to close, and some items which could be used as projectiles, such as public trash cans, have been temporarily removed.
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