White Nationalists Plan Show of Force on Election Day
White nationalists plan a “show of force” to monitor polls throughout the country on Election Day, according to Politico.com.
Andrew Anglin, a Neo-Nazi leader, has shared plans to set up cameras and hand out drugs and alcohol in city ghettos, drawing on stereotypes to suppress minority voter turnout.
Along with his partners in the “alt-right” website “The Right Stuff,” the support of other nationalist movements such as the American Freedom Party, and various groups comprised of armed individuals, state that they are will conduct “intelligence-gathering” at polling places that are in predominantly minority areas and have historically voted Democrat.
The “call-to-action” is not surprising. Throughout his campaign, Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, has been telling his supporters to monitor polls. “Voter fraud is all too common,” Trump told a crowd Oct. 18. “But take a look at Philadelphia, what’s been going on, take a look at Chicago, take a look at St. Louis. Take a look at some of these cities, where you see things happening that are horrendous,” he continued as he labelled cities with large minority populations.
The rancor has created an undercurrent of fear and violence. The plans put forth by the “alt-right” and white nationalists underscores those fears and increases the possibility of violence at polling places.
Leaders of the “alt-right” have claimed that they are monitoring polls to discourage voter fraud. “We are organizing poll watchers in urban areas to cut down on the most traditional type of voter fraud. We also will have stationary cameras hidden at polling locations in Philadelphia, to monitor anyone that comes in to vote and make sure that the same people are not voting at multiple locations,” a representative of The Right Stuff told Politico in an email.
The United States has not experienced the widespread voter fraud that the “alt-right” is claiming. In this election season alone, there has only been one case of duplicate voting, the voter fraud the “alt-right” wants to monitor.
In Iowa, Terri Lynn Rote, a 55 year-old Trump supporter attempted to vote twice in support of the Republican candidate. She cast one ballot in Polk County, Iowa and a second ballot in Des Moines.
Despite Rote’s case, in-person voter fraud in support of either of the two major parties is still extremely rare. It’s the first time in 12 years that Polk County Auditor Jamie Fitzgerald can remember ever having to report potential voter fraud, he said to the Des Moines register.
Members of the “alt-right” have been trying to downplay any indication of intimidation. David Duke, a former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard and current candidate for the Louisiana senate, told Politico that he encourages his supporters to monitor all polling places. “It’s good to watch everywhere because there always can be major mistakes,” said Duke.
It is unclear whether the show of force will materialize on Election Day.