There have been reports of automated calls providing misinformation purported to prevent people from participating in surveys, but none of the widespread bullying that had been feared
WASHINGTON – Despite fears of widespread intimidation or disruption at polling stations, the vote for a large majority of Americans went smoothly on Tuesday, with sporadic reports of automated calls, texts and some live calls intended to confuse and deter voters, or scattered incidents, but few major problems
« It’s really a relief so far, » said Daryl Johnson, former senior Homeland Security analyst who focuses on domestic terrorism. But he warned that « the post-election period will be more volatile and riskier, because you will face the consequences of election results »
By early evening, most complaints across the country about bullying involved robocalls to voters relaying false information The election protection hotline said it had received reports of automated calls from 17 discouraging states the vote
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a tweet that callers are asking voters to delay the ballot to avoid long lines « Obviously this is FALSE and an effort to suppress the vote No long lines and today is the last day to vote », Ms. Nessel said, “Don’t believe in lies! Make your voice heard! «
The robocall complaint comes on top of live calls to Michigan voters, which threatened Flint and Grand Rapids voters with arrests if they showed up to the polls, and a text message sent to voters Dearborn voters to warn of ballot ‘sensor’ malfunctions in the polling precinct The message, which the state attorney general’s office is investigating, told voters if they wanted their vote for their candidate preferred presidential count, they actually had to mark the ballot for the other candidate
« As a reminder, the FBje encourages the American public to verify any electoral and voting information it may receive through its local election officials, » the agency said in a statement
Voters in Michigan also began receiving disturbing, typo-filled text messages that claimed to be from FBje
The messages, which were sent to voters in Dearborn – which has the highest concentration of Muslims per capita in the United States – read: « Urgent alert: Due to a typographical error, the ballots scantron votes used for the 2020 election have been exchanged sensors If you intend to vote for Joe Biden, you must bubble in Trump and Vice Verse – Federal Law of Inquiry «
A spokeswoman for the Michigan Attorney General’s Office said officials are still trying to locate the sender The office has sent an urgent alert on Facebook and Twitter to ensure Dearborn voters have not fallen in the scam
In Virginia, Kristen Clarke, chair of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights under the act, said robocalls had been made to warn voters that they could get sick if they went to vote » Stay home and stay safe, ”calls say
The robocalls were similar to those reported in Michigan, Texas, California, Florida, Kansas, Ohio, Washington, Georgia, New York, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania on Tuesday Zignal Labs, a media analytics company, tracked more than 14,248 mentions of automated social media calls on Tuesday, the vast majority of them in Michigan, Kansas and Florida
The “Stay home and stay safe” robocalls had started during the campaign and continued during the vote, Ms Clarke said Voting rights groups said voters in several other states had received similar calls asking them to vote on Wednesday, Ms. Clarke said
In total, more than three million calls were made on Tuesday to some 800,000 people across the country, asking them to « stay safe and stay at home », according to data provided by the company TelTech
A senior homeland security official said such robocalls were common during elections and intelligence officials said there appeared to be no early signs the calls were from a foreign government But Gen Paul M Nakasone, the director of the National Security Agency, said his agency would « take a very close look » at the calls, and said he was confident the FBje was « on top right now ». / p>
Homeland security intelligence services warned last month that extremists may seek to target « physical electoral infrastructure » such as polling sites Federal officials and local police officials continued to target themselves on Tuesday prepare for possible unrest ahead of election night, with the Department of Homeland Security deploying tactical customs and border protection and immigration and customs officers throughout the United States to protect federal assets A new fence had been erected in front of Lafayette Square, near the White House
Agents deployed by the Department of Homeland Security are tasked with guarding federal buildings, not enforcing immigration rules. These Homeland Security tactical teams were also the subject of a report released Tuesday by Homeland Security Inspector General said the agency sent teams to quell protests in Portland, Oregon, without the proper authority or training The Department of Homeland Security disputed the finding
At a press conference on cyberthreats, Christopher Krebs, director of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, urged Americans to be patient until election day « Stay calm, vote, then after today, stay calm and let them count, ”said M Krebs said
Bob Bauer, a former White House lawyer who helps lead the Biden campaign’s election protection efforts, said the campaign saw « minimal problems and disruption » around the vote and that « in the together the vote goes smoothly «
Still, a few random acts of violence or intimidation have surfaced In Chicago, a man told police that a group clubbed his car with baseball bats while driving near a vote, according to Chicago Police Department spokesperson Sally Brown
A gunman wearing a Trump hat, combat boots and a visible handgun was arrested on his return to a North Carolina polling station after being banned earlier in the day, according to the service. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police
Police identified the man as 36-year-old Justin Dunn They said in a statement he voted on the site but « continued to hang out » afterwards, prompting a call to police « regarding Dunn possibly intimidating other voters »
Museum staff in Kansas City, Mo moved to cover spray-painted « Do not vote » message
In Dallas County, Texas, a mask dispute forced a Democratic election judge and several voters to leave a neighborhood over health concerns
As voting set to begin on Tuesday, Beth Biesel, a Republican election judge, told her Democratic counterpart Lynn Dickinson that she and her designated election officials refused to wear masks In Texas, two election judges are appointed at each polling station – a returning officer by the majority party and the deputy judge by the minority – to organize the polling stations and ensure the security of the ballots.
Ms Biesel previously joined a Texas activist in filing a lawsuit last month to challenge Dallas County’s mask requirement for poll workers The Texas Supreme Court dismissed their claim
Tuesday, Ms Either way, Biesel appeared without a mask, in what Ms Dickinson and a non-partisan poll observer described as a political statement
« It was a small, crowded room with a polling judge and polling officers aggressively facing people and not wearing masks, » said Joanna Grossman, non-partisan observer for Dallas County. It was really an organized event Unfortunately they weren’t there to treat the voters «
Despite the relative calm during the vote, law enforcement officials across the country nonetheless remained on high alert on Tuesday Election day came after a weekend in which caravans blocked off roads and an increase in threats made online and at the end of a bitterly dividing election
Retailers and banks from Boston to Washington to Los Angeles searched for increased security Disney and Saks Fifth Avenue were among the brand name stores in Manhattan that closed their windows And Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills was closed for the polling day and the next day
Julian Barnes and Hailey Fuchs contributed reporting from Washington, Kathleen Gray from Detroit, Danny Hakim from Raleigh, NC and Neil MacFarquhar from New York
Robocall, US Presidential Election 2020, Election Day, Donald Trump
News from around the world – AU – Despite fears of violence, Election Day unfolds without clashes as millions of people line up to vote
