State Election Officials Told to Step Up Security Efforts

[Rose Siding]

State election officials have issued a bulletin to the 50 states and the District to step up security preparations and contingency planning for disruptions to safeguard national balloting in case of an al Qaeda attack.

U.S. counterterrorism officials are mobilizing to deter such a plot, although they say there is no intelligence about timing or targets. Analysts are alarmed about the possibility of direct attacks at election sites within the United States or a domestic reprise of last spring's Madrid train bombings before national elections in Spain.

"The information that the federal government has tells us the prudent thing is to make sure we do everything we can to reduce anxiety, and to make sure the process of democracy goes on uninterrupted," said George W. Foresman, homeland security adviser to Virginia Gov. Mark R. Warner (D), chairman of the National Governors Association.
.......
Materials circulated to election managers recommend that states plan for possible scenarios including an elevated national terror threat level before Election Day, the possibility of attacks leading up to Nov. 2 requiring higher security and strikes that disrupt balloting.

A threat matrix also advises authorities to consider planning how they will secure individual polling places, defend state election board Web sites, protect voting data and results, maintain evidence such as ballots, survive power or phone outages and guard electoral college members who will vote in state capitols Dec. 13.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52541-2004Sep26.html?nav=rss_politics/elections/2004

[A_Possum]

1. Okay, are we gonna stay home?

I'm guessing that there will be an orange to red alert on election day, to try to keep people home.

I AIN'T STAYING HOME. Who's with me?

[Kimber Scott]

2. I'm not staying home.

nt

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. No way will I stay home.

B*sh's Terra Lerts won't suppress MY vote. I'll crawl there on my hands and knees if I have to.

[AndyTiedye]

6. Vote Early

[Virginian]

9. Can't stay home, gotta be there all day.

Virginia was a red state, but the Governor, Mark Warner is a Dem.
Virginia opens the polls early, 6 AM. The thought has crossed my mind of a suicide bomber coming in to my precinct early in the day to discourage the rest of the country from turning out.

I am glad my Governor is on the ball. It makes me feel safer. I hope he runs against that smirky faced George Allen for the senate in 2006.

[LisaL]

4. Well, there you go.

No surprise there. They will probably come out with orange alert just before the election, to keep voter turn out low.

[shraby]

5. Might just backfire on them...

the red states are more worried about terra attacks.

[Rose Siding]

8. This is ominous

They are to plan "how they will secure individual polling places". If they get a threat, do they just lock up and go home; election over?

[TrogL]

7. The Taliban isn't the problem

Black Box Voting is the problem.

[VegasWolf]

10. They will use the confusion of the alert to mask the screwy Diebold

"voting machines" results.

[Norquist Nemesis]

11. One more reason to have patrol cars close by

and try to intimidate voters in districts that are primarily Dem.

edit: I meant "excuse" to do it.

[flordehinojos]

12. Yeah, a DickCheney, George W. Bush, Karl Rove and POPPY BUSH planned

AlQaeda attack against our democracy! These people govern by fear, lies and manipulations.