FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Election officials said they are working around the clock to protect voting in Central California, as recent high-profile voting scares have become top of mind for voters.
“We are very confident that we will have a free and fair election in Fresno County,” said Fresno County Clerk and Registrar of Voters James Kass.
His team has been preparing for months, considering the risks posed by bad actors.
“We have security plans in place at all of our locations, so we are prepared in case there is a physical threat,” Kass said.
The possibility of a physical threat has emerged amid heightened political rhetoric across the country.
“ABC News obtained documents from the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Intelligence, in which they say in a confidential message to law enforcement and government officials that this environment has serious consequences, regardless of political leanings. “They were actually saying out loud that they were concerned that it could lead to “acts of violence,” said Josh Margolin, chief investigative reporter for ABC News.
Violence at polling places is rare, but notable when it occurs.
“I feel like there’s more tension,” said Bre Villegas of Merced. She saw images of charred ballots in the Pacific Northwest.
She doesn’t want her ballot in a drop box.
“Instead of going to drop it off or vote in person, I decided to send it by mail,” Villegas said.
In California, voters can track their mail-in ballots online to see if officials have received them. But voters say they also have questions about cybersecurity and whether outsiders can operate the tabulation machines.
“It’s an air gap,” Kuss said. “You can’t hack it the way someone jumps on a computer and hacks a government program in the movies.”
Kuss and Margolin say the election system is designed to maximize security and protect voters, despite domestic and foreign threats.
“Voting is safe, votes are being cast securely, votes are going to be counted, and the risk of any kind of potential violence and even the risk of some kind of fraud or election fraud is minimized,” Margolin said. It has been kept to a minimum.”
If you see something, the official will ask you to say something.
U.S. prosecutors named local election officials citing concerns about voting rights and complaints about possible fraud.
The public phone number is (916) 554-2723.
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