Authorities warn of political violence as Central CA officials work to protect your vote

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — With recent high-profile voting scares on the minds of voters, election officials say they’re working around the clock to protect your vote in Central California.

“We are very confident that this will be a free and fair election in Fresno County,” said Fresno County Clerk and Registrar of Voters James Koos.

His team prepared for months, even considering the risk of bad actors.

“We have security plans in place at all of our locations, so if there’s a physical threat, we’re prepared for that as well,” Koos said.

The possibility of physical threats comes amid heightened political rhetoric across the country.

“ABC News obtained documents from the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Intelligence where they actually said out loud in a confidential message intended only for law enforcement and government officials that they are concerned that, regardless of political preference, this environment could well lead to acts of violence.” , said ABC News Chief Investigative Reporter Josh Margolin.

Violence at polling stations is rare, but visible when it does occur.

“I think the tension is even higher,” said Bre Villegas of Merced. She saw images of burned ballots in the Pacific Northwest.

She didn’t want her ballot sitting in the box.

“I decided to just mail it in instead of dropping it or going to vote in person,” Villegas said.

In California, voters can track their mail-in ballots online to make sure officials have received them. But voters say they also have questions about cybersecurity and whether outside actors can tamper with the meters.

“He’s got an air gap,” Coos said. “You can’t hack it the way someone thinks about it in the movies, where someone jumps on a computer and hacks a government program.”

Even with internal and external threats, Koos and Margolin say election systems are designed to provide maximum security and voter protection.

“Voting is safe, voting is secure, ballots will be counted, and the risk of any potential violence or even the risk of any fraud or election fraud is minimal,” Margolin said.

If you see something, officials want you to say something.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has appointed a district election officer to handle complaints about voting rights issues or potential fraud.

The public telephone number is (916) 554-2723.

Follow Gabe Ferris for updates Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.