Will the '1·6 Riot' Be Reenacted... National Guard on Alert for US Presidential Election

[US Election 2024]

The U.S. presidential election officially began on the 5th (local time), engulfing the entire country in intense tension. As the race remains extremely close until the final moments, state governments and election authorities have entered a heightened state of alert amid concerns that the 'January 6 Capitol riot' from four years ago could be repeated.

According to the Associated Press on the 4th (local time), more than 24 states have expressed willingness to deploy their National Guard units to Washington, D.C. if requested.

Polling station in Union City, Georgia, USA.
[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

This is because thousands of former President Donald Trump's ardent supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, refusing to accept the election defeat and attempting to block congressional certification during the presidential election four years ago. In this election as well, former President Trump has repeatedly claimed in rallies that he could lose due to 'election fraud,' raising fears that the January 6 Capitol riot could recur.

The AP reported that Washington, D.C. has not yet officially requested the deployment of the National Guard but is preparing for the possibility of a repeat of the Capitol riot.

According to foreign media reports, 19 key battleground states have already deployed or placed their National Guard units on standby. In 10 states including Arizona, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, the National Guard has begun operations primarily focused on cybersecurity missions. The National Guard is also on standby in states such as Nevada and Pennsylvania.

Security at voting and counting facilities has been significantly strengthened. Counting centers such as those in Las Vegas, Nevada, where protests by former President Trump's supporters occurred after the 2020 election, have installed metal fences.

Arizona law enforcement has deployed drones and snipers in preparation for any emergencies; however, a local election official reported that some schools and churches in the state have decided not to provide voting locations this year due to concerns about protests and violence.

Michigan has introduced metal detectors to control access to counting centers.

Peter Simi, a professor at Chapman University in California, warned that if the worst-case scenario unfolds where former President Trump refuses to concede defeat, incidents could occur in a dispersed manner across multiple regions, unlike the concentrated attack on the Capitol four years ago, making response efforts more difficult.