In the U.S., preparations are underway for potential civil unrest following the elections.

Washington and over 20 states are deploying military personnel to protect election commissions and government buildings from potential protests and violent unrest by Donald Trump supporters following the presidential elections.

This was reported by RBK-Ukraine citing AP and Reuters.

More than 20 states have requested the deployment of National Guard troops to Washington as needed, should a relevant request be made in the weeks following the elections and before the inauguration.

The District of Columbia has not yet made an official request for the activation of Guard troops. However, officials are discussing and preparing for the possibility that the Capitol may once again experience violence related to the certification of election results by Congress on January 6, as well as the inauguration two weeks later.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, November 4, Jean-Paul Louranson, head of the National Guard Bureau's future operations division, stated that it is still unclear how many Guardsmen will be needed this year.

According to him, this will depend on what the District of Columbia wants, but he noted that the National Guard Bureau and states are anticipating a request for assistance.

Nevada

Concerns about possible political violence are troubling officials in several "swing states," the outcomes of which will determine the winner.

In Las Vegas, a barrier has been erected around the building where votes will be counted in Nevada. Governor Joe Lombardo of Nevada stated that he invited a "limited contingent" of 60 National Guard members to ensure timely responses to any challenges. This is the same state where protests by Trump supporters erupted after the 2020 elections.

Arizona

A metal barrier has been set up near the vote counting center in Maricopa County in downtown Phoenix, which became a hotspot for election fraud theories and threats to election officials in 2020.

According to Sheriff Russ Skinner, his department will be in a state of "increased readiness" to threats and violence. He instructed staff to be prepared to carry out their duties.

"We will have plenty of resources, a lot of personnel, and a lot of equipment," he added, noting that deputies will use drones to monitor activity around polling places, and snipers and other reinforcements will be ready to deploy if violence is likely.

He stated that "polarization" is becoming more intense in the days following the elections, so law enforcement will remain on heightened alert and "there will be zero tolerance for anything related to criminal activity."

A local Arizona election commission representative told Reuters that concerned about potential protests or even violence, several schools and churches in the state, which previously served as polling centers, will not operate at polling places this year.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which has over 400,000 members in Arizona, has offered several locations for voting to fill this gap.

Michigan

In Michigan, Trump supporters descended on a conference room in downtown Detroit, where elections took place in 2020, and began banging on windows when the counting of absentee ballots stretched into the second day.

This year, yellow bike racks have been installed on both sides of the boulevard where the building stands. Visitors are required to pass through metal detectors, and about 15 police officers patrol the central hall.

Daniel Baxter, Detroit's Chief Operating Officer for absentee voting and special projects, said that police are also on the roof and around the building. He noted that the eight days of early processing of mail-in ballots proceeded peacefully.

California and Washington

Peter Simi, a sociology professor at Chapman University in California who has studied threats against public officials, noted that the worst-case scenario would be if Trump loses and does not concede defeat.

In his view, instead of a repeat of the attack by Trump supporters on the Capitol in 2021, the conflict may become "disparate, diffuse events in different locations," which law enforcement will find harder to manage.

Moreover, precautionary measures are not limited to states where political battles are taking place. Authorities in Oregon and Washington have reported an activation of the National Guard. Some store windows in Washington and other cities have been boarded up with plywood.

U.S. Presidential Elections

On Tuesday, November 5, the United States will hold its next presidential election. The main candidates in the race are Kamala Harris from the Democratic Party and Donald Trump from the Republican Party.

According to the latest ratings, both candidates have roughly equal ratings. The final election results will be determined by seven "swing states," where voters traditionally fluctuate in their choice of candidate.

Risk of Unrest

On January 6, 2021, Trump supporters stormed the Capitol during the certification of the presidential election results, which Joe Biden won, interrupting the proceedings of Congress.

A number of states and government entities are concerned about possible unrest by Trump supporters in these elections as well.

At the end of October, ballot boxes were set on fire in two states, destroying hundreds of ballots.

In Washington, police are erecting high barriers around the White House, the Capitol, and Kamala Harris's residence.

Meanwhile, the Democrats' campaign has a plan in case Trump prematurely declares victory in the election before all votes are counted.