Election Day is officially less than one week away. As tensions run at an all-time high, lawmakers in Congress and law enforcement in Washington worry about violence and a tumultuous period post-elections, with Democrats, in particular, being convinced that Trump will challenge results if he loses.
Ahead of Nov. 5, authorities in Washington are quietly preparing for the possibility of heightened unrest, of the likes of those on Jan. 6, 2021, where hundreds of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol to try to prevent the certification of the 2020 election results.
One House Democrat told Axios they are "extremely" concerned about violence and hired half a dozen state troopers to provide security at their election night event, a significant boost over past years.
Similarly, federal and local law enforcement are already ramping up security across D.C., according to Axios.
The Secret Service confirmed to the news outlet that security enhancements have been made to the Capitol in the run-up to the certification of presidential electors on Jan. 6— including fencing erected around the Capitol complex.
The Capitol Police also performed a "casualty evacuation exercise" on Monday that involved landing three helicopters on the East Front of the Capitol.
"We're certainly in a heightened threat environment here. There's no doubt about it... so we're going to have to be vigilant about it and make sure we're taking precautions," said Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.).
Other Democrats are also expressing concern about the outcome of the Election, whether it favors Trump or not. For instance, Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) told Axios she fears violence "if [Trump] wins, he and his violent supporters will be emboldened, and if he loses, I worry they will be worse than four years ago. I think about it a lot."
Republicans, on the other hand, are pointing the finger at Democrats, claiming they will not accept a Trump victory, and predicting they will be the perpetrators of violence.
Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) said governors should have their national guard units "ready to go on a moment's notice to quell any type of civil unrest," and that "they better have [the Capitol] locked down" on inauguration day.
Likewise, Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) cited rioting during Trump's inauguration in 2017, telling Axios, "I think there's a very good chance they will do it again."
Worries in Washington come as voters largely seem ready to put baseless election fraud claims coming from the Trump campaign behind, and accept the outcome of Nov. 5, regardless of who wins.
A recent study from ABC News/Ipsos showed that the vast majority of voters, 86%, is prepared to accept the results of the presidential election as legitimate. By comparison, two-thirds of respondents believe Trump is not prepared to do the same. Fewer than half as many, 30%, also believe this about Vice President Kamala Harris.
Concerns about the electoral process itself, however, remain divided, with 93% of Democrats being confident that the votes in the presidential election will be counted accurately, falling to 68% among independents, and just about 51% among Republicans.
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