Midterms 2018: FBI, Homeland Security on Alert for ‘Ongoing Threat of Violence’ During Elections

Video shows NY firefighters breaking into polling station after it locked voters out

Federal authorities have advised law enforcement about potential political violence on Nov. 6, over the midterm elections across the United States.

The FBI, along with the Department of Homeland Security noted an “ongoing threat of violence” in a bulletin to high-ranking officials, KTRK reported.

“Both domestic extremists and (radicalized jihadists) have previously targeted public events and government officials, and we remain concerned by the ongoing threat of lone offender violence,” the statement says. “We are concerned some domestic extremists and (radicalized jihadists) may perceive the election or transition period (which in most cases will extend through January 2019) as an opportunity to engage in violence, including assaults against political or prominent public figures and low-level acts of violence against governmental and nongovernmental institutions associated with political figures or the democratic process.”

The Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and FBI also issued a statement on Nov. 5, saying they’ve “been working in unprecedented ways to combat influence efforts and to support state and local officials in securing our elections, including efforts to harden election infrastructure against interference.”

They are working to make sure that every single vote is “counted and counted correctly,” the statement reads.

“At this time we have no indication of compromise of our nation’s election infrastructure that would prevent voting, change vote counts, or disrupt the ability to tally vote,” officials stated.

A man walks to use a voting booth at one of the Virginia primary election polling stations at Colin Powell Elementary School, in Centreville, Va. on March 1, 2016. (Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images)

However, there are some foreign actors who might try to spread “false information about political processes and candidates, lying about their own interference activities, disseminating propaganda on social media, and through other tactics,” the statement reads.

The agencies named China, Russia, and Iran in particular as foreign actors that may try to influence the election.

“As noted in a joint statement on October 19, 2018, such actions are a threat to our democracy, and identifying and preventing this interference is one of our highest priorities. On Sept. 12, President Trump signed an executive order that makes clear the U.S. government will not hesitate to defend our electoral processes or punish those who attempt to undermine them,” the statement reads.

Facebook, in a statement, said it was contacted by federal law enforcement on Nov. 5 about potential election meddling from foreign entities.

“Our very early-stage investigation has so far identified around 30 Facebook accounts and 85 Instagram accounts that may be engaged in coordinated inauthentic behavior,” Facebook stated. “We immediately blocked these accounts and are now investigating them in more detail. Almost all the Facebook Pages associated with these accounts appear to be in the French or Russian languages, while the Instagram accounts seem to have mostly been in English—some were focused on celebrities, others political debate.”

Locked Out of Station

Voters in Brooklyn, New York, said that they were left standing outside a polling station early on Nov. 6 after workers were unable to get inside the building.

Jaleesa Parris uploaded a video to Twitter, showing firefighters trying to pry open the doors. The station was supposed to open at 6 a.m.

Video Credit: Jaleesa Parris via Storyful