With the Nov. 8 midterm elections less than two weeks away, there is growing concern for the potential of real-world political violence.
The hyper-partisan nature of U.S. politics, combined with rampant disinformation and the promotion of conspiracy theories about election integrity are increasing the prospects for trouble at polling sites and the harassment and intimidation of electoral workers. Across the country, there are reports of election offices taking preventive measures, including installing bulletproof and bomb-resistant glass, offering active-shooter training and fortifying walls with Kevlar to mitigate the effects of an attack.
Violent rhetoric is exploding online. Sites like Telegram, Gab and Parler are overrun with threats related to “taking up arms” in an effort to overturn by force what these individuals claim will be a “rigged” and “stolen” election. The temperature in the broader far-right ecosystem has been rising steadily since the FBI searched former President Donald Trump’s residence at Mar-a-Lago in August. After the search, a radicalized Trump supporter attempted to attack an FBI office in Cincinnati and was killed in a shootout with agents.
