‘We’re in a different space’: Police chiefs in battleground states make new plans to secure elections

Police chiefs across the United States are preparing to tackle misinformation as well as any disturbances not just on Election Day, but in the weeks that follow.

Police chiefs across the United States are making unprecedented plans for Election Day and the weeks that follow. Many departments hope to be near-invisible on Tuesday itself so as to create no impediments to people casting their ballots, but they told CNN they are ready to intervene — to protect polling places and votes as they have always done, but also to counter rumors and misinformation. “Me and thousands of police chiefs all over the country are really taking this very, very seriously,” said Police Chief Shon Barnes of Madison, the capital city of the swing state of Wisconsin. “As we are a battleground state, we’re not only thinking about what will happen on November 5, but in December when the (Electoral College) electorate shows up and they have to cast their vote, what will that look like and making sure that nothing happens to impede that vote.” Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings in North Carolina, another swing state, told CNN: “I, as many other major city chiefs, am more concerned about what happens after Election Day and whether people are satisfied with the results and/or the timing of the results.” The issue has become pressing for law enforcement since the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol that delayed certification of the last presidential election. Law enforcement leaders at last month’s International Association of Chiefs of Police conference discussed how to make sure the electoral process could be completed if there was disruption not just in Washington, DC, but in their cities and states.