(NewsNation) — With just one week until the 2024 election, cities across the U.S. are beefing up security at polling places, driven by a troubling increase in threats directed toward election workers.
Local governments have coordinated with law enforcement to ensure safe voting and implement new security measures at polling locations.
A visible police presence, installing cameras and training poll workers on how to handle disruptive individuals are just a few steps being taken.
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Poll workers face violence, threats
The violence and threats against poll workers have already begun.
Jesse Lutzenberger, 63, was arrested last Thursday after he was accused of assaulting a 69-year-old election worker in San Antonio, Texas.
Lutzenberger was asked to remove his cap, which showed support for former President Donald Trump, while walking through a polling place. He cast his vote and then put his hat on before leaving the place, according to Bexar’s County Sheriff Javier Salazar.
As Lutzenberger was leaving, the voting clerk told him to take off his hat as it is illegal to sport clothing supporting a candidate inside a polling area under Texas law.
Lutzenberger then allegedly threw an arm or elbow back at the clerk, and then turned and threw several punches right at the victim’s face, Salazar said.
The 69-year-old election worker suffered some “marks” on his face but no life-threatening injuries, Salazar said Friday. The sheriff said that Lutzenberger was arrested following the incident and taken to Bexar County jail.
Incidents such as this are what have the safety of polling places around the country on the top of voters’ minds.
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Increasing election security measures
In Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, election workers installed a bullet-proof protective covering inside the polling site windows. People can see outside the building, but cannot see inside. They said the move was taken after recommendations made to the county by federal security experts.
“We invited Homeland Security to come in and access the building. They did, and this is one of the suggestions,” County manager Romilda Crocamo said about the bulletproof protector.
Luzerne County, where Wilkes-Barre is located, has implemented several other security measures, including adding a low barrier of large rocks surrounding the county building.
The county has faced multiple threats during past elections and has taken extra security measures to ensure voter safety.
Emily Cook, the director of the Luzerne County’s Bureau of Elections, has also reportedly received several threats through social media and in person.
The county voted in favor of Trump during the 2016 and 2020 elections, facing election controversy in the past when several absentee ballots were discarded in 2020. Those ballots were eventually recovered and counted.
The Hill contributed to this report.
