CHICAGO (CBS) — Ahead of Election Day next week, law enforcement and election officials are preparing amid concerns about unrest or violence.
The actions being taken are all about preparation – which stem from past political violence Research shows that many believe political violence is okay.
“Security is a major concern of voters as we head into this election,” said Max Bever, director of public information for the Chicago Board of Elections. “In the city of Chicago, fortunately, we don’t see the same types of threats or problems as many of our friends in other election areas. But we still have to prepare for the worst.”
Bever ensures that polling stations run smoothly and that polling station workers remain safe.
“We do not train our poll workers in dealing with public safety issues or de-escalation techniques,” he said. “We don’t think it should be a poll worker’s responsibility to feel like they have to put themselves at risk in any way.”
This is why the Cook County Sheriff’s Office is implementing new measures at polling places to ensure safety like never before.
‘What should we do? Where do you have your polling stations? Where are all the locations where the ballots go? Is that taken care of? Are there police?’ said Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart. “We have police that we’ve assigned to certain locations where we haven’t traditionally worked.”
Dart said this implementation of law enforcement makes his deputies proactive rather than reactive.
There have already been serious problems elsewhere in the country.
In the state of Oregon and Washington it is ballot boxes have already been set on fire. In Florida, an 18-year-old was arrested at a polling place for wielding a machete in what police said was an attempt to intimidate voters.
“That’s where law enforcement can get involved,” Bever said. “That would be escalated to a 911 call.”
Concerns about such acts are all reasons the Cook County Sheriff’s Office remains prepared.
“We fully expect that the election will have no problems, no drama or anything like that,” Dart said. “But we’ve also made sure that if it does, we can deal with it quickly and effectively so that it won’t interrupt anyone anywhere.”
On Wednesday, Dart said his office received its first call about an issue at a polling place — a man refusing to leave and causing problems.
Police responded and handled the situation without escalating it.
