Washington — Threat actors are likely to exploit allegations of voter fraud to incite election-related violence, according to a federal bulletin obtained by CBS News.
“Some people are calling for violence in response to stories of voter fraud, primarily targeting election officials and populations that threat actors perceive as a threat to the integrity of the 2024 general election,” the bulletin said.
The bulletin, released Monday by the Department of Homeland Security, warns that online forums used by domestic violent extremists contain threats of violence against election officials and infrastructure “to prevent perceived fraud or to retaliate.” Many posts promote stories about voter fraud linked to mail-in ballots or electronic voting machines, it says.
“Some people motivated by this narrative have declared online their intention to intimidate voters or election officials by surveilling infrastructure or election personnel, including by armed individuals,” the bulletin continues. “Some of these online users have encouraged violence against ideological opponents related to the use of mail-in voting, while others have encouraged ballot box sabotage methods. Other people are using online forums to call for the violence against local election officials in response to allegations of fraud.”
Federal investigators believe there are several factors that could increase threat actors’ perception of election fraud, including “a contested or close election, variations in state election laws and regulations impacting the release of results, unforeseen events that delay the counting of votes, or technological or administrative problems. errors impacting vote counting processes.
The warning comes as ballot boxes were set on fire in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, destroying hundreds of ballots. A number of mail-in ballots were also damaged in the recent fire at a U.S. Postal Service mailbox in Phoenix, Arizona. The incidents are under investigation.
Last week, intelligence and law enforcement agencies said Russian actors “fabricated and amplified” a video purporting to show someone destroying mail-in ballots in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, “part of a broader effort by Moscow to raise unfounded questions about the integrity of U.S. elections and fuel divisions among Americans.”
A common intelligence bulletin released earlier this month The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI have warned of the possibility that domestic violent extremists “with election-related grievances” will target political candidates and elected officials in the coming weeks. He said domestic extremists “pose a threat of violence against a range of targets directly and indirectly associated with the elections, at least until the presidential inauguration” on January 20, 2025.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Monday that the United States continues to face an “heightened” threat environment.
“The department continues to advise federal, state and local partners to remain vigilant for potential threats and encourages the public to report any suspicious activity to local authorities,” the spokesperson said.
