Snipers at election offices and staff in bulletproof vests, says official

Snipers connected rooftops and officials wearing bulletproof vests are among utmost measures astatine immoderate US voting locations, according to a elder predetermination official.

Barbed-wire fencing has besides been enactment up astatine respective places that saw occupation successful the aftermath of the 2020 statesmanlike vote, Tammy Patrick told Sky News.

It comes arsenic Philadelphia's territory attorney, Larry Krasner, told troublemakers to enactment away, warning: "We're not playing. F astir and find out."

US predetermination latest: Harris and Trump tied successful archetypal authoritative result

Ms Patrick, main programme serviceman astatine the National Association of Election Officials, said 40% of workers had already experienced threats oregon abuse.

There are fears officials could beryllium astatine hazard arsenic votes are formed and counted, oregon that unit could interruption retired if Donald Trump loses and disputes the result.

"Election officials person had to instrumentality immoderate utmost measures to marque definite they person protected not lone themselves and their staff, but the literal ballots that incorporate the voices of their voters," said Ms Patrick.

She said immoderate unit had resorted "to implementing bulletproof vests" portion counting centres successful places specified arsenic Maricopa County, Arizona, and Las Vegas, Nevada, had enactment up barbed wire.

"There are snipers connected apical of buildings astir immoderate of this country's predetermination offices. These are bonzer times," Ms Patrick told Sky News.

Metal fences were besides being enactment up connected Monday adjacent the White House successful Washington DC, not acold from the infamous storming of the Capitol gathering aft the past election.

The Maricopa County tabulation centre - successful downtown Phoenix - was a flashpoint for rigged predetermination conspiracy theorists 4 years agone and information has present been beefed up.

'Drones astir polling stations'

County Sheriff Russ Skinner said his section was connected "high alert" with drones monitoring enactment astir polling stations and snipers and different assets acceptable if needed.

"There volition beryllium zero tolerance connected thing related to transgression activity," added Mr Skinner.

Arizona and Nevada are 2 of the 7 cardinal plaything states expected to extremity the equilibrium and determine who becomes president.

Concerns of unrest person ratcheted up owed to the highly adjacent quality of the contention and Donald Trump's claims - without grounds - that predetermination cheating is already taking place.

He's besides repeatedly told supporters helium tin lone suffer if Democrats cheat and has refused to accidental whether helium volition judge the results.

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Pennsylvania is different plaything authorities - and carries much value than the others owed to its 19 electoral assemblage votes. On Monday officials determination gave a blunt informing to would-be troublemakers.

"Anybody who thinks its clip to play militia, F astir and find out," warned Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner.

"Anybody who thinks it's clip to insult, to deride, to mistreat, to endanger people, F astir and find out," helium added.

"We bash person the cuffs, we bash person the jailhouse cells, we bash person the Philly juries and we person the authorities prisons.

"So if you're going to effort to crook an predetermination into immoderate signifier of coercion, if you're going to effort to bully people, bully votes oregon voters, you're going to effort to erase votes, you're going to effort immoderate of that nonsense, we're not playing. F astir and find out. That's what we're going to do."

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The worst script and the 1 astir apt to spark occupation is Trump losing and refusing to concede defeat, according to Peter Simi, a sociology prof who has researched threats against nationalist officials.

He told Reuters unrest could beryllium "dispersed, diffuse events crossed aggregate locations" alternatively than a repetition of the wide storming of the US Capitol building.