As Election Day nears, police chiefs and sheriffs around the country are bracing themselves for violent threats against election workers, turmoil at voting sites and intimidation of voters.
In Maricopa County, Arizona, multiple emergency hubs will be running on Nov. 5. In Georgia, all new police officers are now required to study election law. In Omaha, Nebraska, the sheriff has even inspected ballot-counting machines in response to residents’ concerns. And across the nation, local law enforcement officials have been huddling with election officials to game out how they will handle bomb threats, SWAT hoaxes and white powdery substances if they materialize on Election Day.
It all points to what many law enforcement officials and election experts see as a dire new normal: elections in America marred by threats, mischief and violence.
“It is a new reality,” said Meghan Noland, the executive director of the Major County Sheriffs Association. “What we preach is that, while we hope that Election Day is peaceful and calm and safe for everyone, hope is not a strategy; preparation is.”…