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With the US presidential election approaching, many states have launched unprecedented security plans to prevent potential "nightmare scenarios" such as post-election violence

According to a report by The Washington Post on the 3rd, local officials in many states have stepped up security efforts at election-related locations, including placing snipers on the roofs of important counting centers, setting up emergency buttons for election workers, and deploying drones for aerial surveillance. In addition, law enforcement agencies have also arranged for first-level responders to be on standby and more police patrols.

Currently, the National Guards of Nevada and Washington are ready to deal with possible riots, and states such as Arizona and Pennsylvania have prepared plans for unexpected "situations" during the vote counting. Among them, most voters in Arizona are concentrated in Maricopa County, and security forces are on standby for the possible "worst scenario".

In Phoenix, Arizona, the ballot counting center in the city is reportedly protected "like a fortress." The Maricopa County Sheriff has suspended the approval of first-level responders for leave and mobilized about 200 people to work around the clock during the election to monitor polling stations and outdoor ballot drop boxes, and is considering sending snipers if necessary.

Many other states in the United States have also taken similar security measures. Hundreds of election offices have been reinforced with bulletproof glass and steel doors and equipped with additional surveillance equipment. Some areas have also prepared chemical protective clothing and antidotes for election workers to deal with the threat of "suspicious powder mail." In Georgia, one of the key "swing states," guardrails have been installed around the state capitol.

Analysts told The Washington Post that the biggest threat to the election comes from the right-wing "election denial movement." In 2020, then-Republican President and candidate for this year's election, Donald Trump, refused to admit his defeat to Democratic presidential candidate Joseph Biden, and the related movement was seen as one of the reasons for the "Capitol Hill riots" on January 6, 2021. In recent years, those who do not recognize the election results have gradually moved from the margins of the Republican Party to the core.

Damon Hewitt, executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights, believes that this year's presidential election has both "clear and real dangers" and "substantial monitoring and protection in place." However, the security measures "should not be so many" and we "should not normalize them."

According to the final pre-election poll results released by NBC on the 3rd, Trump and Democratic candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris tied for the same approval rating, at 49% each, with only 2% of voters saying they had not yet decided who to vote for. Despite the "fanatical" campaigning and billions of dollars spent on advertising in recent weeks, the approval ratings of the two have only risen slightly by one percentage point each compared to the same poll in October.

NBC reported that this extremely tight race highlights the strong polarization in American politics and society today, with a 34 percentage point gender gap in voting preferences between men and women. Overall, Harris's campaign was boosted by the issue of abortion rights and the enthusiasm of Democrats to vote, while Trump had an advantage on the issues of economy and cost of living.

However, polls show that no matter who wins, 60% of voters believe that American public opinion will continue to be divided, and about two-thirds of voters believe that the United States has gone in the wrong direction.