The final votes for the presidential election have yet to be cast, but there is already concern among state election officials that a close result could create chaos during the routine events that follow a campaign.
In the weeks following Election Day, results will be certified by state officials, recounts may take place, and voters in each state will meet to formally cast their votes in the Electoral College. Those votes will later be sent to Washington DC, where lawmakers will formally count these results during a joint session of Congress on January 6, 2025.
These state meetings, established by federal statutes and specified by state laws, statutes, or constitutions, will take place on December 17. The violence of Jan. 6, 2021 — as well as growing expectations that former President Donald Trump will overturn the election results if he loses to Vice President Kamala Harris — has prompted federal officials to increase security in the nation’s capital for the same occasion this time . There is particular concern that the possible submission of alternative electoral lists could manifest as unrest prior to and during these meetings.
Officials in battleground states — most of which will see their Capitols host December’s election rallies — are also beginning to plan for such contingencies, preparing for the possibility that these events could be disrupted.
“We’re not going into this naively,” North Carolina Secretary of State and Democrat Elaine Marshall said in an interview.
“I don’t think anyone needs to go through this election naively, having watched January 6, seen what happened and now listening to news reports of people trying to disrupt the actual vote,” she added. “I don’t think anyone really has to be naive about what the possibilities are – because sometimes desperate people do desperate things.”
In interviews, officials in the most contentious states said that when it comes to the safety of their constituents’ gathering, they largely prepared for the worst but hoped for the best. There have been no public reports of explicit threats against these gatherings, and officials declined to discuss whether they had received any.
Officials have largely been reluctant to reveal specific details, citing the sensitivity of the matter and the fluidity of their plans. But many said they had already begun gathering security protocols with the help of local, state and federal law enforcement officials, while in some cases also pointing to legal language regarding the location of that meeting as evidence it could be changed without to break the rules. any laws or statutes whatsoever.
Some officials cited Colorado as a stark example of planning for potential chaos surrounding the election rally. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat, successfully lobbied to change state statutes to allow the location of the election rally to be changed if the governor deemed it “not feasible” to meet at the Capitol.
But since that’s not legally an option in the seven core presidential battleground states, here’s what officials in those states are planning for potentially messy rallies of their constituents.
Arizona
In Arizona, as explicitly required in most states, electors must meet on the first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December (December 17 this year) to cast votes for president and vice president, but state law does not specify explicitly that the meeting must take place in the Capitol.
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said officials were making plans that would ensure the meeting would take place “in a space where voters will have the facilities they need to get the job done.” clear.”
“We have all the plans in place for carrying out these tasks,” Fontes, a Democrat, said in an interview.
Fontes said his office and other officials had been in regular contact with law enforcement officials at various levels but were not at liberty to discuss safety or security protocols.
“We will undertake whatever legal action is necessary for the voters to appropriately represent Arizona as we deem necessary at the time, given the circumstances that best suit their needs,” he said.
“It’s like we always said in the Marine Corps: Semper Gumby – we are always flexible. We understand that certain circumstances may require variations to what the law requires, especially where there is the potential for safety concerns,” he said.
Georgia
In Georgia, state law requires that voters “shall” meet at the Capitol, and election officials there are ensuring that will happen.
“No alternate location is being considered,” Mike Hassinger, a spokesman for Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, said in an email.
Hassinger said officials had not yet requested additional security for the meeting and would do so “only if necessary,” adding that existing security around the complex “is always quite tight.”
He pointed to the presence of Capitol Police, Georgia State Patrol officers, an existing security fence and other measures, including issuing a security badge with a button to employees within the complex that will alert and summon Capitol Police to their exact location. in case of an emergency.
Michigan
In Michigan, state law requires electors to meet in the Senate Chamber of the Capitol on December 17 this year. State officials indicated there was no room to change that.
“I don’t think there’s any room for that to change,” Angela Benander, spokesperson for Democrat Jocelyn Benson, Secretary of State, said in an interview. Benander said Benson’s office was working closely with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office and with the Michigan State Police, both of which would play a prominent role in any final decisions regarding security.
Stacey LaRouche, a spokesperson for Whitmer, responded to questions about possible contingencies related to the meeting of voters, saying in a statement that Whitmer “is committed to protecting Michiganders’ voting rights and ensuring every vote is cast and counted ” and that “as we have done in every previous election, Michigan will follow state and federal requirements” during the certification process and election meeting.
Michigan State Police spokesman Michael Shaw said in an email that “to keep our security protocols safe, we do not publicly discuss security measures at the capitol.”
Nevada
In Nevada, the law is broader on when, how and where the meeting of electors takes place, and state officials are still finalizing the details. Officials are considering both in-person and virtual gatherings for the event.
“We are more flexible than some other states. There is no designated space for our constituents to meet. We can do it virtually if we want to,” Cecilia Heston, spokesperson for Democrat Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, said in an interview. She said the plan “is not yet 100% finalized on site.”
North Carolina
In North Carolina, the State Board of Elections handles all matters related to voting. But it is Marshall’s Secretary of State who handles all matters relating to the voters.
Under state law, electors meet in the State House chamber of the Capitol on the first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December (December 17).
“It has been laid down in law in the House of Representatives. I can’t change it. There is no emergency power that I would have to change,” Marshall said, adding, however, that her office was already coordinating with local, state and federal law enforcement officials, and had even given those officials several tours of the Capitol. complex “to ensure that their command controls know the lay of the land.”
“A time of disaster is not the time to meet your partner for the first time,” she said.
“Four years ago, when people wanted voters to do it differently, there was a bit of a scare — so we actually had a warm-up,” she said, referring to 2020. Her office, she said, had “been very careful with our partners make plans early.”
She said her staff had been preparing for “any contingency” for “quite some time” – and had made a series of “other plans” in the event of multiple crises.
Pennsylvania
In Pennsylvania, state law requires electors to meet “at the seat of the government of this Commonwealth” – the Capitol – on December 17 at noon.
State officials would not comment specifically on contingency plans being considered in case of safety concerns surrounding the event.
“The State Department and the Shapiro Administration will take all steps necessary to ensure the security of the Electoral College,” Amy Gulli, spokesperson for Republican Secretary of State Al Schmidt of Pennsylvania, said in an email .
“The Pennsylvania Department of State takes the safety and security of our election workers and the public very seriously, which remains a top priority of the Shapiro Administration. “The ministry is confident that voters can meet safely and in accordance with all legal requirements and fulfill their obligations,” she added.
Wisconsin
In Wisconsin, state law requires electors to meet at the Capitol at noon (December 16) on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December — although in practice lawmakers adhere to the federal statute that requires them to meet on the first Tuesday after the election. second Wednesday in December (December 17).
Spokespeople for the Wisconsin Elections Commission, Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski and Governor Tony Evers (both Democrats), did not respond to questions about whether and what contingency plans were being considered for the event.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
