Final votes presidential elections has yet to be elected, but concern is already swirling among state election officials that a close result could lead to chaos during the usual post-campaign events.
In the weeks following Election Day, results will be certified by state officials, recounts may occur, and voters will meet in each state to officially cast their votes at the Electoral College. Those votes will then be sent to Washington, D.C., where lawmakers will officially count the results during a joint session of Congress on January 6, 2025.
These meetings in the States were appointed by federal law and determined by state laws, statutes, or constitutions is happening December 17. January 6, 2021 violence — as well rising expectation Former President Donald Trump may not accept election results if he loses to Vice President Kamala Harris, federal officials tease enhance security This time in the country’s capital for the same event. Specifically, concerns are many the possible presentation of alternative lists of voters may manifest itself as riots on the eve of and during these meetings.
Officials in battleground states, whose capitols will often host the December caucuses, are also beginning to plan for such contingencies to prepare for disruptions.
“We’re not going into this naively,” North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, a Democrat, said in an interview.
“I don’t need anyone to go through this election naively, watching what happened on January 6, listening to reports of people trying to disrupt the actual vote,” he added. “I don’t need anyone to be really naive about what the possibilities are – because sometimes desperate people do desperate things.”
In interviews, officials in the most hotly contested states said they plan for the worst but hope for the best when it comes to the safety of their constituents. There have been no public reports of overt threats directed at those meetings, and officials have declined to discuss whether they were received.
Officials were hesitant to offer specific details because of the sensitivity of the issue and the fluidity of their plans. But many said they have already begun gathering security protocols with the help of local, state and federal law enforcement officials, while in some cases citing legal language as evidence that the venue can be changed without disruption. any law or statute.
Some officials pointed to Colorado as a strong example of planning for the potential chaos surrounding a voter meeting. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat, lobbied successfully to amend state laws so that if the governor deems it “impossible” to meet at the Capitol, the place of the meeting of the electors may be changed.
But since it’s not legally an option in the seven key presidential battleground states, that’s what officials in those states are planning for potentially messy meetings of their voters.
Arizona
In Arizona, as most states expressly require, voters must do so to meet in the first on the Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December (Dec. 17 this year) to vote for president and vice president, but the state charter does not expressly state that the meeting must be held at the state Capitol.
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said officials are in the process of making plans to ensure the meeting takes place “in a place where voters will have the opportunities they need to get the job done right.”
“We have all the plans to carry out these duties,” Fontes, a Democrat, said in an interview.
Fontes said his office and other officials are in regular contact with various levels of law enforcement but are not at liberty to discuss safety or security protocols.
“We will take any legal action necessary to continue to appropriately represent the state of Arizona, taking into account the circumstances that best suit the needs of the constituents,” he said.
“As we say in the Marine Corps: Semper Gumby – we are always flexible. We understand that certain circumstances may require changes to the law, especially when there is a possibility that there may be security issues.”
Georgia
In Georgia, state law requires voters to “meet” at the state Capitol, and election officials there make sure they do.
“No alternate locations are being considered,” Republican Mike Hassinger, a spokesman for Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, said in an email.
Hassinger said officials have not yet requested additional security for the meeting and will do so “only if necessary,” adding that existing security around the complex is “always pretty tight.”
He pointed to the presence of Capitol Police, Georgia State Patrol officers, the existing security fence and other measures, including issuing employees inside the complex with a push-button security badge that would alert Capitol Police and call them to their exact location. in an emergency.
Michigan
Law in the state of Michigan requires voters will meet in the state Capitol’s Senate chamber on Dec. 17 this year. State officials said there was no way to change that.
“I don’t think there’s any room to change that,” Angela Benander, a spokeswoman for Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, said in an interview. Benander said Benson’s office is working closely with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office and the Michigan State Police, both of whom will play an important role in any final decision on security.
Responding to questions about the potential contingencies surrounding the meeting of voters, Whitmer’s spokeswoman Stacey LaRouche said Whitmer is “committed to protecting the right of Michiganders to vote and ensuring that every ballot is cast and counted.” as we have done in every previous election, Michigan will follow state and federal requirements” during the certification process and meeting of voters.
“We do not publicly discuss security measures at the capitol to keep our security protocols secure,” Michigan State Police spokesman Michael Shaw said in an email.
Nevada
Nevada has more laws wide when, how and where the meeting of voters will be held, and state officials remain in the process of finalizing the details. Officials are considering both in-person and virtual meetings for the event.
“We are more flexible than some other states. There is no designated place for our constituents to meet. We can do it virtually if we want to,” Cecilia Heston, a spokeswoman for Democratic Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, said in an interview. He said the plan is “not 100% done on the ground yet.”
North Carolina
In North Carolina, the state Board of Elections handles all voting matters. But it is Marshall’s secretary of state who manages all matters related to voters.
According to state lawelectors meet on the first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December (December 17) in the state house chamber of the state Capitol.
“It is in the House of Representatives by law. I can’t change it. There is no emergency authority that I would have to change it,” Marshall said, but added that his office is already in touch with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies and has even given those officials several tours of the state Capitol complex. to make sure he knows he is.”
“A time of disaster is not the time to meet your partner for the first time,” she said.
“Four years ago, there was a bit of fear when people wanted voters to behave differently – so we actually had a warming,” he said, pointing to 2020. early partners by making plans.”
He said his staff had been preparing for “all contingencies” for “a period of time” and had several “other plans” in place in case of multiple crises.
Pennsylvania
State law in Pennsylvania manages the electors are to meet at noon on December 17th at the “seat of government of this Commonwealth”—the Capitol.
State officials would not comment specifically on what contingency plans are being considered for security issues related to the incident.
“The State Department and the Shapiro Administration will take all necessary steps to ensure the security of the electoral college,” said Amy Gulley, a spokeswoman for Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt, a Republican.
“The Pennsylvania Department of State takes the safety and security of our election workers and the public very seriously, which remains a top priority for the Shapiro Administration. The Department is confident that voters will be able to gather and exercise their obligations safely and in accordance with all legal requirements.”
Wisconsin
in Wisconsin, state law requires although voters meet at the state Capitol at noon on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December (December 16), in practice, legislators follow a federal law that dictates they meet on the first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December (December 1). 17).
Spokesmen for the Wisconsin Elections Commission, Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski and Gov. Tony Evers (both Democrats) did not respond to questions about what contingency plans have been or are being considered for the event.