US elections: Snipers on rooftops and officials in bulletproof vests as America votes amid high security

Rooftop snipers and officials wearing bulletproof vests are among the extreme measures being implemented at some polling places in the United States, according to a senior election official.

Election day, when millions of Americans vote, goes mostly smoothly, with a few scattered reports of incidents.

In Georgia, one of seven battleground states that could help determine the election outcome, voting was temporarily halted in Atlanta’s Fulton County after police received bomb threats.

But police said they found no active threat.

Georgian foreign minister Brad Raffensperger said that the source of these threats comes from Russia; The FBI said they appeared to come from “Russian email domains.”

In Washington, U.S. Capitol police said they arrested a man who was stopped during a sweep at the visitor center, saying he “smelt like fuel, had a torch and a flare gun,” and that the center was closed for the day. while investigations are ongoing.

This comes as authorities are on higher alert for security challenges around the US capital and increased patrols near the White House around election day.

Cait Conley, senior adviser to the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said the agency is not tracking any national, significant events that impact election security.

‘We don’t play’

Earlier, in Philadelphia, an official in the battleground state of Pennsylvania warned troublemakers: “We’re not playing around. Stick around and learn.”

Electoral official Tammy Patrick told Sky News that barbed wire fences were also installed in many areas that had problems following the 2020 presidential election.

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Ms. Patrick, chief program officer for the National Association of Election Officials, said 40 percent of workers have already faced threats or harassment.

It is feared that authorities may be at risk during the casting and counting of votes, or that violence may break out if the votes are counted. Donald Trump loses the outcome and appeals.

“Vote Officials had to take some extreme measures to make sure they were protecting not only themselves and their staff, but also the actual ballots that contained voters’ voices,” Ms. Patrick said.

When counting centers in places like Maricopa County, he said some staff resorted to “bulletproof vest enforcement.” Arizonaand in Las Vegas, NevadaHe had put up barbed wire.

“There are snipers on buildings around some electoral offices in this country. These are extraordinary times,” Ms Patrick told Sky News.

Metal fencing was also being erected Monday near the White House in Washington, D.C., near the site of the infamous storming of the Capitol building after the last election.

The Maricopa County tallying center in downtown Phoenix was a flashpoint for rigged election conspiracy theorists four years ago, and now security has been stepped up.

‘There are drones around voting centers’

County Sheriff Russ Skinner said his department was on “high alert,” with drones monitoring activity around polling stations, snipers and other assets ready if needed.

“There will be zero tolerance for anything related to criminal activity,” Mr Skinner added.

Arizona and Nevada are two of seven key states expected to tip the balance and decide who becomes president.

Concerns of unrest have increased due to the extremely close nature of the contest and Donald Trump’s claims (without evidence) that the election was rigged.

He repeatedly told supporters he could only lose if Democrats cheated and refused to say whether he would accept the result.

Pennsylvania is another swing state and carries more weight than the others because of its 19 electoral college votes. On Monday, authorities issued a clear warning to troublemakers.

“Anyone who thinks it’s time to play the militia game and learn, F,” warned Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner.

“Anyone who thinks it’s time to insult, mock, mistreat, threaten people, stick around and learn,” he added.

“We have handcuffs, we have jail cells, we have Philly juries, and we have state prisons.

“So if you’re going to try to turn an election into some kind of oppression, if you’re going to try to bully people, if you’re going to try to bully votes or voters, if you’re going to try to erase votes, try any of that nonsense, we’re not playing and that’s what we’re going to do.

The worst-case scenario, and the one most likely to cause problems, is if Trump loses and refuses to accept defeat, according to Peter Simi, a sociology professor who studies threats against public officials.

He told Reuters the unrest may be “dispersed, multi-location events” rather than a repeat of the mass attack on the US Capitol.

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