Background
Several scholars, lawmakers, intelligence agencies, and the members of the public have expressed concerns about political violence surrounding the 2024 election. [2] [3] The fears come amidst increasing threats and acts of physical violence targeting public officials and election workers at all levels of government. [4] [5]
Since the 2020 election and continuing into the 2024 election, the election denial movement in the United States has prompted thousands of death threats directed at election workers, officials, and their families, with some receiving letters laced with fentanyl. [6] [7] Threats have led some election workers to resign and have affected recruitment of temporary poll workers. [8] [9] Efforts to protect election workers are diverse, including active shooter drills, provision of trauma kits and Narcan, and the use of bullet-proof vests, bullet-resistant glass, metal detectors, various kinds of barriers, armed guards, police snipers, drones, and security cameras. [8] However, many boards of election lack the funds for such efforts. [9]
In October 2024, Reuters reported that they had identified at least 300 cases of political violence since the January 6th, 2021 attack by Trump supporters, with 51 cases identified between January and October 2024. The pace of incidents have risen since Trump first took office in 2016, with 93 cases reported at its peak in 2020. [10] An August poll by the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University indicated that respondents expected "a lot" or " a great deal" of political violence after the election. An October AP-NORC poll found that 27% of Republicans and 42% of voters overall were either extremely or very worried about post election violence. [11] In a NPR/PBS News/Marist poll released on November 4, 72% of likely voters reported being concerned about violence as a result of the election. [12]
Trump has been identified as a key figure in increasing political violence in America both for and against him. [13] [14] [15] Political violence is at its highest since the 1970s, and most recent violence has come from right-wing assailants. [16] [17] Trump has increasingly embraced far-right extremism, conspiracy theories such as Q-Anon, and far-right militia movements to a greater extent than any modern American president. [18] [19] Trump has espoused dehumanizing, combative, and violent rhetoric and promised retribution against his political enemies. [a] Trump has played down but refused to rule out violence following the 2024 election, stating "it depends". [26] Trump has suggested using the military against "the enemy from within" on Election Day that he described as "radical left lunatics", Democratic politicians, and those who oppose his candidacy. [27] [28]
Other political leaders in the United States have also used violent or extremist rhetoric, such as Ohio Republican George Lang who said it may take a civil war to 'save America' if Trump loses the election. [29] Following the January 6 United States Capitol attack, 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called for the 'formal deprogramming' of MAGA 'cult members'. [30] [31] [32]
Political violence
Assassination attempts on Trump
On July 13, 2024, Trump survived an assassination attempt while addressing a campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania. [34] Trump was shot and wounded on his right ear by Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old man from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, [35] [36] who fired eight rounds with an AR-15–style rifle from the roof of a building located approximately 400 feet (120 meters) from the stage; the shots killed audience member Corey Comperatore and critically injured two other audience members. [35] Seconds later, Crooks was shot and killed by the U.S. Secret Service's counter-sniper team. [37] The motive and cause of the assassination attempt are still under investigation by authorities. [38] On September 11, 2024, a bipartisan Senate report identified tech issues and other preventable mistakes by the Secret Service during the event. [39]
On September 15, 2024, Trump survived a separate assassination attempt at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. The suspect did not fire his weapon, and no deaths or injuries were reported. [40] The suspect, Ryan Routh, is in custody. [41]
In August, a Pakistani national was arrested for allegedly plotting to assassinate Trump. [42]
Ballot attacks
Locations of ballot drop box arson attacks in October 2024
In October 2024, a series of arson incidents targeted ballot drop boxes across the United States during the election. Fires set in ballot drop boxes have occurred in Washington, Oregon, and Arizona, resulting in damage to hundreds of ballots. Ballot drop boxes are widely used in the United States for mail-in voting, particularly in states with established vote-by-mail systems such as Washington and Oregon. In 2024, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warned that ballot drop boxes were at risk, identifying them as "soft targets" for potential interference. These attacks emerged days before the election, intensifying concerns over voter access and the security of election systems. [43]
Washington and Portland
On October 28, 2024, an incendiary device was placed inside a ballot drop box near the Multnomah County Elections Division office in Portland, Oregon. The fire suppression system prevented major damage, although three ballots were affected. [44] Security was subsequently increased around ballot boxes in Multnomah County. [45]
On the same day, a fire broke out inside a ballot drop box at Fisher's Landing Transit Center in Vancouver, Washington, damaging hundreds of ballots. [46] [47] Firefighters quickly contained the flames, but officials from Clark County advised any voter who submitted ballots after 11 a.m. the day prior to request a replacement ballot. In response, additional security measures were put in place, including increased surveillance and monitoring. [48] Security footage suggested a possible link between the Portland and Vancouver incidents, showing a similar vehicle at both scenes. [45] The attacks took place less than an hour apart from each other, and occurred less than two weeks before the 2024 United States presidential election. A prior arson attack from October 8, 2024, against a separate Vancouver ballot box, in which no ballots were damaged, was also linked to the October 28 attacks. [49]
Prior to the fires the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security had issued a bulletin raising concerns about "election-related grievances" could motivate domestic extremist activity and that ballot drop boxes could be seen as "attractive targets". [50] [51]
Arizona
In Phoenix, Arizona, a fire was started in a mail collection box, destroying some ballots and other mail. A suspect was arrested and claimed that he was trying to be arrested and that the fire was unrelated to the election. [52] Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes assured affected voters that they would receive replacement ballots. [53]
Investigation
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), along with state and local law enforcement agencies, is actively investigating these incidents. Authorities in Arizona have identified a suspect, while the cases in Washington and Oregon are still under investigation, with efforts to determine potential connections between the incidents. Security measures continue to be reinforced as investigations proceed. [48]
The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) and Vancouver Police Department used materials from the incendiary devices attached to the ballot boxes to draw a connection between the Portland and Vancouver attacks. [57] [58] Authorities also found a link between the October 28 incendiary devices and an incendiary device from a separate Vancouver ballot box attack on October 8. A bomb squad removed the October 8 device with no damage to the ballots. [59] [60] In a joint statement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and district attorney Tessa M. Gorman announced an investigation into the three fires. [61]
The suspect in the Portland and Vancouver attacks was described by the PPB as a white male between 30 and 40 years old, "highly knowledgeable in metal fabrication and welding", with a medium to thin build. Investigators also sought information on a black or dark-colored Volvo S60 with no front license plate, and released two images of the vehicle in question. [62] [63] Police cautioned that the perpetrator likely intended to continue the attacks. [64] [65]
The New York Times reported that two law enforcement officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, claimed the words "Free Gaza" were marked on the October 28 incendiary devices, and "Free Palestine" on the October 8 incendiary device. It was unclear to investigators whether the writings reflected the views of an actual pro-Palestine activist or someone trying to "sow discord" in the United States. [66] [67]
Campaign headquarters and workers violence
Between September and October, the Democratic Party's campaign office in Tempe, Arizona was hit by gunfire. The office was shut down on October 6, after the third shooting. [68]
After looking for campaign materials for Trump at a tent at a VFW in St Clair Shores staffed by the St Clair Shores Democratic Club, the 55-year-old man reportedly yelled derogatory and anti-LGBTQ slurs and insults at the group. Before leaving he claimed that Trump would win and that he would "exterminate" people like them before entering his vehicle and accelerating towards them. He was later arrested and charged with three counts of assault with a deadly weapon and three counts of ethnic intimidation. [69]
Threats and suspicious packages
As of March 2024, the Department of Justice's Election Threats Task Force had charged 20 people with threat-related crimes. [70] In September 2024, suspicious packages were sent to state election officials in Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, Tennessee, and Wyoming. This resulted in evacuations in several states. The inclusion of white powder in most of the packages mirrored the 2001 anthrax attacks, but the substance in the Oklahoma delivery was identified as flour. [71]
On November 3, a man was arrested after threatening to shoot people at a polling location in Rochester, Minnesota after an election judge at the location reported hearing him state that he would "shoot all the Democrats in the building" when he and another man enter the building to vote. When officers attempted to investigate the incident at the mans home, the man was reportedly belligerent and repeatedly screamed at the officer he was going to kill him. [72]
On November 5, bomb threats that were later identified as Russian originated hoaxes were email to polling locations in the five battle ground states of Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. At least two polling locations in Georgia were briefly evacuated, and Pennsylvania extended their voting hours, while it did not disrupt voting in other locations. The Russian embassy claimed that the allegations of Russian interference were "malicious slander". [73] NBC News analysis found the bomb threats overwhelmingly targeted Democratic-leaning cities and counties. [74]
Also on November 5, New York State Police responded to a polling location in Fowler after a convicted felon attempted to vote and was rejected from the polling site, as he had not re-registered since being released from prison according to their records. After being rejected, the man became irate and made multiple threatening remarks such as that he would burn the place down and that he was going to return with a gun, before fleeing the scene. Officers later arrested the 69-year-old man and he was charged with making a terroristic threat. [75]
Violence leading up to Election Day
On February 24, 2024, a man planted and detonated an improvised explosive device outside of an Attorney General's office in Montgomery, Alabama. The man, 26-year-old Benjamin Douglas Calvert, also placed antifascist, anti-police, and anti-ICE stickers on state government buildings. No buildings were damaged and no casualties were reported. Calvert was sentenced to 20 years in prison without possibility of parole. [76] [77] [78]
In early April, a Trump supporter in New Jersey known for brandishing pro-Trump slogans was attacked by a man with a sledgehammer and was critically injured. The victim was later transported to a nearby hospital via Medevac. The attack occurred in an auto-body shop in Middletown on Route 36. Police say the attack may not have been politically motivated. [79]
In early May, an antifascist (antifa) group known as Rachel Corrie's Ghost Brigade [80] claimed responsibility for an arson attack where at least 15 police cars in Northeastern Portland were destroyed. [81] [82]
On July 2 in Pasquotank County, North Carolina, three black male teenagers were playing in a front yard when a truck carrying four white males all wearing ski masks approached them and asked if they supported Trump. When they responded "no", the occupants of the truck pulled out BB guns and shot them several times, striking at least two of them and breaking windows in the house behind them. [83]
In July, an 80-year-old man in Hancock, Michigan, was hospitalized after being run over while putting up a Trump sign in his yard. The suspect called police confessing to the attack, and when police arrived was found dead in his home to a self-inflicted gunshot. In two other earlier incidents in the area, vehicles owned by supporters of candidate Donald Trump were vandalized. [84]
In September, a man in Farmington Hills, Michigan pulled a knife on a black female postal carrier after becoming upset over a Kamala Harris mailer while verbally assaulting the worker and Harris, calling the worker a "black nigger" and that he did not want a "black nigger in my mailbox." The man was later arrested and federally charged as the postal worker was a federal employee. [85]
On October 29, Republican candidate for Washington State House of Representatives, Riaz Khan, was attacked by a man with a hammer while putting up a campaign sign in Mukilteo, Washington. The suspect reportedly shouted Islamophobic and anti-Trump messages during the attack, in which Khan sustained bruising on his back. [86] [87]
On November 2, a 60-year old man named Robert Yott in Bath, New York attacked a man in a supermarket wearing a "Trump 2024" cap. Yott punched the man in the mouth and head, breaking several teeth. Yott did not know the victim prior to the attack, and was charged with a felony assault and criminal mischief. [88] [89] [90]
Violence against voters, poll workers, and at political events
In September, an elderly Harris supporter at a rally was allegedly grabbed by his neck and thrown to the ground before being repeatedly punched by another in York City. The attacker also yelled racial slurs and was later arrested, after rally goers were able to subdue him. [91]
On October 30, a supporter of Donald Trump in Neptune Beach, Florida, was arrested after brandishing a machete in front of two supporters of Kamala Harris at an early voting location. [92] During early voting in San Antonio, Texas, a voter was arrested and charged for allegedly assaulting an elderly poll worker. The worker reportedly asked the man multiple times to remove his MAGA hat at the polling location. In Texas, it is illegal to wear any clothing showing support of political candidates while in a polling location. [93]
On November 1, 2024, a voter wearing a "Let's Go Brandon" hat was reportedly struck by a poll worker after a verbal altercation over his hat at an Orangeburg County, South Carolina polling location. It is illegal to wear anything supporting a candidate whose name is on the ballot, but wearing a general political message is permitted by South Carolina law. [94]
On November 2, a 17-year-old male was arrested in Stuart, Florida after he allegedly punched a 70-year-old woman in the stomach at a rally for Kamala Harris. [95] On November 3, a 24-year-old man went on a profanity filled tirade and assaulted a 74-year-old election judge at a Orland Park voting location, after being asked to not cut in line and wait his turn, the man also struck an 81-year-old woman. [96] On November 4, an 82-year-old woman wearing a Harris pin was arrested on suspicion of a hate crime after allegedly assaulting a 55-year-old multi-racial Trump supporter in Edmonds, Washington. [97]
Additional security was placed around some ballot drop off locations in Washington DC during election day, after private security alerted the Metropolitan Police Department about an unidentified individual purposefully dumping screws and nails on the road by polling places and ballot drop off locations. [98]
Violence during and after Election Day
On November 5, a woman in Seattle killed her father in a meltdown after the election results stated Donald Trump won the election. [99] Leading up to the attack, her father asked her turned on the lights in the home, which increasingly infuriated her, leading her to bludgeon her father to death with an ice pick and smash multiple windows in the home. [100]
On November 7, a man in Minnesota known for his anti-Trump stances murdered four of his family members before committing suicide. Prior to the attack, he stated he would shoot his family members if Trump won the election. The attacker held anti-Trump, anti-religious, and anti-misogynistic views. [101]
On January 20, less than three months following the election, a man attributed to the left-wing Zizian transgender, vegan, and anarchist group, shot and killed a border patrol agent in Vermont before being killed by another agent.
