‘We’re in a different space’: Police chiefs in battleground states make new plans to secure elections

Many departments hope to be near-invisible on Tuesday itself so as to create no impediments to people casting their ballots, but they told CNN they are ready to intervene — to protect polling places and votes as they have always done, but also to counter rumors and misinformation.

“Me and thousands of police chiefs all over the country are really taking this very, very seriously,” said Police Chief Shon Barnes of Madison, the capital city of the swing state of Wisconsin.

“As we are a battleground state, we’re not only thinking about what will happen on November 5, but in December when the (Electoral College) electorate shows up and they have to cast their vote, what will that look like and making sure that nothing happens to impede that vote.”

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings in North Carolina, another swing state, told CNN: “I, as many other major city chiefs, am more concerned about what happens after Election Day and whether people are satisfied with the results and/or the timing of the results.”

The issue has become pressing for law enforcement since the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol that delayed certification of the last presidential election. Law enforcement leaders at last month’s International Association of Chiefs of Police conference discussed how to make sure the electoral process could be completed if there was disruption not just in Washington, DC, but in their cities and states.

At that conference, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said some court proceedings had been canceled on Election Day in his city, freeing up 400 officers to be deployed. He said they were prepared for any number of incidents — from hoax “swatting” calls to an active shooter — all to happen on Election Day.

“It really has taken what we’ve always done, but never really focusing on voting, and taking those layers and laying them on top and making sure our individuals know what the cadence is going to be on that day,” he said.

The extra officers will often stay in the background, chiefs said, leaving poll security to election officials, unless they are called in to help with any problems.

“We’re in a different space than we were many years ago when it comes to elections,” he said. “We do understand the process, but we also understand that it’s almost like people feel like it’s attached to who they are. And what that means is if you don’t win or your candidate doesn’t win, how are you going to accept that?”

Close battles may trigger recounts and historic legal fights are already being gamed out, which could mean it is days or even weeks before results are confirmed.

If that happens in Wisconsin, Barnes said he is ready for people to come to his city to demonstrate, perhaps some taking advantage of the state’s open-carry firearm rules. He’ll be looking to make sure people don’t break laws but he also hopes there will be no violation of what he called “the civility of our democratic process.”

“I do believe that, depending on who wins or who loses, the tenor of the conversation will change. I really believe that,” he said.

“I am expecting a peaceful transfer of power, which is what we normally have, and there are some clues that that’s happening. One is a concession speech. We hope that there’s a concession speech and it allows people to heal and move on and put what appears to be a divided country back on the same path.”

A CNN poll suggested this week that 88% of American adults believed that once votes were certified, the loser of the presidential election should accept the results and concede, but only 30% thought former President Donald Trump would do that in the event he lost. Some 73% of those questioned thought Vice President Kamala Harris would accept a defeat.

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“We have put more planning into this than we did four years ago,” Barnes said of election security. “The events that happened on January 6 have really woke a lot of people up.”

As well as training officers on election laws, some of which are new this year in states like Georgia, chiefs have also familiarized themselves with how the results from the ballot boxes go through state electors and then to Washington.

“I don’t see a lot of panic around (Election) Day but I do see some apprehension around certifications, what we’ll have going on here in December,” Barnes said. “That’s where I hear people saying, ‘Well, what if it doesn’t go the way people want?’ That’s not without merit, unfortunately.”

In the Madison incident response center, police officers will be gathered to monitor any crowds or hotspots on large screens all around the room, and also to try to squash unfounded rumors.

“The disinformation worries me because social media moves so fast. One thing could go out and it could be retweeted, reposted and we have to be a part of that,” Barnes said.

His officers will be fact-checking reports or complaints and putting out their own accounts on social media. If a problem is reported in “Madison,” investigators are going to let people know if it’s Madison, Wisconsin, or actually a place with the same name in any of more than 20 other states.

The spread of lies or misleading statements and the potential impact are top of mind in other swing states.

Sheriff Willie Rowe of Wake County, North Carolina, told CNN: “While implementing our standard protocols, we are closely watching for misinformation, social media threats, and potential protest activity to be ready should any local concerns arise.”

In Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police said it was preparing for a busy election week as it balanced “the protection of First Amendment rights to free speech and peaceful assembly, while also preserving public safety.”

Sheriff Russ Skinner in Maricopa County in swing state Arizona said he was disquieted by his county getting global attention for becoming a hotbed for conspiracy theories since 2020, but insisted good plans were in place to tackle misinformation.

“We’re very concerned about those type of comments being made and not just from potential candidates, whether they’re winning, losing or what their conspiracy theory is,” Skinner told a news conference.

Before 2020, he would have expected to deploy 40 or 50 deputies on just Election Day, and once the ballots were at the counting center, their work would be done, he said.

Now, more than 200 employees could be assigned on a rolling basis to respond to needs on what will be a multi-day event.

Madison’s Barnes said they didn’t even talk about election security when he trained at the academy 25 years ago.

Barnes, a former high school history teacher who quotes Alexis de Tocqueville on fears about the “tyranny of the majority,” knows police have not always been on the correct side of ensuring all citizens can exercise their voting rights. But even with a visit to the site of “Bloody Sunday” in Selma, Alabama and his studies of the Civil War, Barnes said living and working in Wisconsin in 2024 has given him a whole new perspective.

“Battleground means something totally different to me now.”

-CNN