Plans being made in case of terror attack on election day?

[Lanshark]

Can you imagine the mess this would be? Are they using electronic voting in all states this election? If so it seems as if they could close the polls immediately and restart at another time.

Exclusive: Election Day WorriesNewsweekJuly 19 issue - American counterterrorism officials, citing what they call "alarming" intelligence about a possible Qaeda strike inside the United States this fall, are reviewing a proposal that could allow for the postponement of the November presidential election in the event of such an attack, NEWSWEEK has learned.

The prospect that Al Qaeda might seek to disrupt the U.S. election was a major factor behind last week's terror warning by Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge. Ridge and other counterterrorism officials concede they have no intel about any specific plots. But the success of March's Madrid railway bombings in influencing the Spanish elections—as well as intercepted "chatter" among Qaeda operatives—has led analysts to conclude "they want to interfere with the elections," says one official.


As a result, sources tell NEWSWEEK, Ridge's department last week asked the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel to analyze what legal steps would be needed to permit the postponement of the election were an attack to take place. Justice was specifically asked to review a recent letter to Ridge from DeForest B. Soaries Jr., chairman of the newly created U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Soaries noted that, while a primary election in New York on September 11, 2001, was quickly suspended by that state's Board of Elections after the attacks that morning, "the federal government has no agency that has the statutory authority to cancel and reschedule a federal election." Soaries, a Bush appointee who two years ago was an unsuccessful GOP candidate for Congress, wants Ridge to seek emergency legislation from Congress empowering his agency to make such a call. Homeland officials say that as drastic as such proposals sound, they are taking them seriously—along with other possible contingency plans in the event of an election-eve or Election Day attack. "We are reviewing the issue to determine what steps need to be taken to secure the election," says Brian Roehrkasse, a Homeland spokesman.

 

[jrydberg]

I'm no expert on such things, but I think about all they could really do is allow polls to remain open for longer than normal to make sure people have the opportunity to vote.

 

[minniepumpernickel]

Oh gosh, I sure hope that they don't delay the election.

 

[tidoublegger]

I think that it's smart that they are planning in case of this scenerio, but I think it's unnecessary to publicize this. Sensationalism at it's best again!

 

[AirForceRocks]

I'm not sure they could delay the election even if they wanted to. I'm pretty sure that the day Presidential elections must be held is in the Constitution.

 

[Kimberle]

There are thousands of voting places, our town has at least 10. How on earth could "they" disrupt the entire voting process. I could see "them" trying to disrupt a few locations, but not every one.

I could see "them" trying to disrupt one of the conventions, or harm one of the candiates before "interrupting" the voting process.....

 

[Jeanny]

Originally posted by AirForceRocks
I'm not sure they could delay the election even if they wanted to. I'm pretty sure that the day Presidential elections must be held is in the Constitution.

It may be, but I don't think they even thought about terrorists when they were writing our constitution.

 

[AirForceRocks]

Originally posted by Jeanny
It may be, but I don't think they even thought about terrorists when they were writing our constitution.

I agree, but at the same time, I don't think that we can just ignore an election date that is set out in black and white. It's not like it's open to interpretation as to when the election can be held. It is very specific.

 

[peachgirl]

the federal government has no agency that has the statutory authority to cancel and reschedule a federal election." Soaries, a Bush appointee who two years ago was an unsuccessful GOP candidate for Congress, wants Ridge to seek emergency legislation from Congress empowering his agency to make such a call.

The very idea that now this government wants the power to cancel elections is positively frightening and I can only hope congress would never agree to such a thing.

 

[CEDmom]

I think AFR is correct but even if they could postpone it how would this avert an attack? I think the terrorists could just adjust their plans to attack on the new day. It really isn't a deterrent.

 

[stacilee]

I think if there WERE to be a terrorist attack anywhere in the Nation on Election Day what would occur would be that most US citizens would be so glued to their television sets and computers that they would not leave their homes to vote. They may be afraid to "go outside".

On 9/11, I went to my kids' schools and signed them all out and brought them home. Not because I was afraid in my small southern town but because of the significance and magnitude of the events. The schools chose not to "tell the children" because they didn't want to frighten them.

The principal of our local highschool was the only one who "spoke of it". He came on the intercom system and gave them a brief explaination of what was happening in New York and DC, (don't think the crash in PA had hit the airwaves yet) and asked that they observe a few moments of silence to pray. He then told the student body that they may use the school phones in an orderly fashion to call home for rides if they wished to go home, or use their cell phones without fear of punishment to call their parents( cellphones are forbidden on campus, but many kids have them anyway - kind of don't ask, don't tell) or if they were drivers they may sign themselves out.
I was in the building during this announcement. Some kids asked if I could give them a ride home, no problem. Teachers were stopping me in the halls to ask what the latest news was since they weren't getting any news either.
Never, will I forget that day.

 

[Lanshark]

I may have misread but I didn't think it was meant to be a deterrent. I thought it was meant to handle the situation where we are attacked on that day thus keeping multitudes from the polls. If 9/11 had been a federal election day how many people would have gone out to vote?