According to a report on the Spanish Vanguard website on September 21, as Virginia, Minnesota and South Dakota began early voting for the presidential election this week, the FBI and the U.S. Postal Service warned that election workers in at least 20 states had received "suspicious packages" containing threatening content, some of which contained an "unknown substance." In recent months, there have also been letters containing gunpowder and the deadly drug fentanyl, as well as death threats against officials and their families.
According to a recent CBS survey, more than a third of those involved in organizing the 2020 presidential election are currently working on new jobs because they are worried about their lives. The Brennan Center for Justice calls this phenomenon the "mass resignation of election officials," which means that on November 5, about 40% of election supervisors will lack relevant work experience. According to the Bipartisan Policy Research Center, this number is the highest this century.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas expects this to be a "high-risk" election under the threat of "domestic terrorism." Many counties have upgraded their security systems, cameras and protective fencing, according to reports. Durham County, North Carolina, has added bulletproof glass and doors that can only be opened with ID cards, and distributed nasal sprays for treating accidental overdoses to staff in case envelopes contain toxic substances. In Los Angeles, police dog teams will help search for such substances in mailed ballots for the first time.
This is the new normal in an America scarred by hoaxes, conspiracy theories and growing polarization, which has become more acute since Trump entered politics. The Republican claimed that the two assassination attempts he suffered were due to "inflammatory remarks" by Democrats who claimed he was a "danger to democracy."
The report pointed out that Trump recently stated on the "Real Social" website that "unscrupulous election officials will be tracked down, arrested and prosecuted to a degree unprecedented in our country." The election "will be subject to the most stringent professional supervision, and if I win, those who cheat will be prosecuted in the most severe manner, including long-term imprisonment, so that this kind of corrupt judicial behavior will never happen again."
On the 21st, U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris "invited" former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to have another televised debate with her on social media. Trump refused, saying that the debate would be held "too late."
Harris challenged Trump on social media: "I would be happy to participate in the second presidential debate on October 23. I hope Trump will join me." Jane O'Malley Dillon, head of Harris's campaign, said in a statement that Harris has accepted CNN's invitation to hold a debate on the 23rd of next month, "(I believe) Donald Trump should have no problem agreeing to participate in this debate."
Trump declined the invitation at a campaign rally in Wilmington, North Carolina on October 21, saying, "The problem with another debate is that it's too late. Voting has already begun." October 23 is less than two weeks away from the U.S. presidential election on November 5. Minnesota, South Dakota and Virginia have taken the lead in opening early voting since the 20th of this month. By mid-October, more than 10 states will open in-person voting.
Trump said that Harris had the opportunity to accept the debate invitation from Fox TV in the United States, "I waited and waited, but they (Harris campaign team) refused."
On the 10th of this month, Harris and Trump had their first televised debate. The debate was hosted by the American Broadcasting Corporation. Some real-time polls in the United States believe that Harris performed better in the debate. However, Trump was satisfied with his performance in the debate and did not think he lost to Harris.