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Three-quarters of voters are concerned about the possibility of violence on and after election day, according to a new poll.
The poll conducted by USA Today/Suffolk University (pdf) found that 75 percent of respondents were either “very concerned” or “somewhat concerned” about the possibility of violence on election day and afterwards. Meanwhile, only 11 percent of respondents say they are not at all concerned about the possibility of violence.
The results are an increase from October 2016 (pdf), which found 51 percent of Americans expressing concern about the possibility of violence. Meanwhile, 27 percent said they were not al all concerned.
Among the respondents, both Democrats and Republicans have shown similar levels of concern with 80 percent Democrats and 71 percent Republicans saying that they were “very concerned” or “somewhat concerned” about the possibility of violence.
This comes as local and state officials around the country are considering activating the National Guard in order to support the election and stand-by in the event of civil unrest. The guards will also assist to fight foreign attempts to disrupt the election through cyber attacks. At least 1,400 guard troops have committed to the efforts, according to the Military Times.
State and federal officials have cautioned over potential violence and rioting on election day and days that follow.
A threat assessment by the New Jersey Department of Homeland Security and Preparedness released in late September warned (pdf) that a number of threats from domestic extremists and foreign adversaries that have emerged due to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic, anti-government sentiment, nationwide civil unrest, and various forms of disinformation, will begin to converge with the presidential election “in a manner not previously experienced by our nation.”
“Disinformation has played a vital role in the spread of inaccurate information regarding COVID-19, along with ongoing riots and alleged police brutality that have contributed to the civil unrest,” the report states. “Several near-peer competitor countries engage in these types of disinformation operations to undermine the United States’ credibility on a global front, as well as to induce political contention.
“This includes nation-state actors such as China, Iran, and Russia, which are attempting to sow anti-U.S. sentiments.”
It also warned that these threat actors may magnify existing issues to potentially create chaos during the election period.
“Incidents of civil unrest resulting in riots, violent acts, and fatalities will converge with election uncertainty, producing confrontations between protesters and counter-demonstrators challenging election outcomes,” the report stated.
The new polling data, which was released on Oct. 29, also found that only 23 percent of Americans are “very confident” that the United States would have a peaceful transition of power if Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden wins. Meanwhile, 32 percent are “somewhat confident,” while 17 percent say they are “not at all confident.”
A majority of respondents (69 percent) also said that they believe the divisions in the country have grown deeper than they were in the past, with only 22 percent saying that they believe divisions are about the same.
The poll was conducted between October 23 to October 27, 2020, of 1,000 likely voters through telephone interviews and has a margin of error of plus minus 3.1 percentage points.
Isabel Van Brugen contributed to this report.
Focus News: Three in Four Voters Worried About Potential Violence on Election Day: Poll