Officials brace for Election Day under cloud of threats
As millions of Americans descend on polling locations across the country, election officials and law enforcement authorities are focused on administering a fair and safe election under a cloud of threats, online disinformation, and the potential for a grueling legal fight in the weeks ahead.
Although a typical Election Day inevitably includes some hiccups like long lines or weather-related issues, this year election workers face the additional challenge of a heightened threat environment and an onslaught of litigation concerning voting rules and ballot counting.
Even so, election officials on Monday expressed confidence in their ability to execute on Election Day. Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt said the vote in his state would be "free, fair, safe, and secure." Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said that "at the end of the day, it's going to be fair and fast and accurate."
And in North Carolina, Karen Brinson Bell, the executive director of the state's Board of Elections, said, "Despite all the naysayers, despite all false information and sensationalist rhetoric out there about elections, and despite a devastating hurricane, we are making this happen in North Carolina."
-Lucien Bruggeman