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An election day unlike any other

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Illinois

With the election nearing, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker warned voters of “misinformation” that could be posted to social media, urging state residents to consult reputable sources for information in the days ahead.

The governor warned residents from getting their information on social media networks like Facebook and Twitter in the coming days, and to instead consult local election authorities and reputable news outlets for the latest updates on election results. […]

As those votes are counted, Pritzker urged voters to be patient and to be skeptical of claims made on social media, suggesting that voters could potentially stay off of those platforms in the coming days.

“Look at a variety of news outlets if you’d like, but be wary of claims you see on social media,” he said. “So check before you repost anything, or better yet, you may want to take the next few days off from social media. Facebook and Twitter will still be there in the morning.”

* Also…

Observers say foreign enemies may seek to agitate an already divided electorate. Because many people have voted by mail, presidential election results aren’t expected to be completely totalled Tuesday night.

Pritzker said hostile agents posing as Americans could produce false information they hope will be shared over social-media platforms.

“They would like nothing more than to promote conspiracy theories and sow discontent,” the governor said Monday, as he gave his daily coronavirus briefing.

* In other news…

Meanwhile, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said that National Guard troops staging at McCormick Place on Monday would be on standby if needed.

”Out of an abundance of caution, we’ve made sure that our National Guard is simply in a state of readiness,” Pritzker said.

“We want to make sure that the cities, counties that call upon us for help from the state of Illinois that we have those resources available to them … we simply have them at a state of readiness in case they are asked to help.”

The city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications on Monday said in a tweet: “The City has not made any calls to deploy the National Guard in Chicago. Similar to past emergency preparedness plans, the State has stationed personnel at McCormick Place to be ready to respond if needed, however, there are currently no plans for them to be deployed.”

And the National Guard on Monday also tweeted: “Obviously, people can see Illinois National Guard trucks and troops moving. This is to be ready to respond if needed, but we have not been given any missions. We, along with most other Illinoisans and Americans, hope we are not needed.”

* And…

As Election Day nears, Illinois State Police has been taking steps to ensure public safety during and after the election.

Director Brendan Kelly said along with the state Department of Homeland Security and the Illinois National Guard, ISP has been planning for months plans to safeguard the election and keep Illinois communities safe during the aftermath.

“The Illinois State Police will support state, local and federal partners as needed with threats to public officials, bomb threats, suspicious packages and other serious criminal investigations that could be related to elections,” Kelly said.

Kelly said state police have been taking part in readiness exercises with state and local partners. Terrorism intelligence is monitoring possible issues.

“Since its inception, the Statewide Terrorism and Intelligence Center, or STIC, has supported elected officials with information sharing and analysis of security events,” Kelly said. “In collaboration with our federal partners, STIC serves as a hub for sharing election-related matters.”

Kelly said state police will have high-visibility patrols during the election period to help local law enforcement with any issues at polling places. He said the state agency will provide extra personnel if needed.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 3:44 am

Comments

===The governor warned residents from getting their information on social media networks like Facebook and Twitter in the coming days, and to instead consult local election authorities and reputable news outlets for the latest updates on election results.===
Good advice for non election days too.

Comment by Da Big Bad Wolf Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 6:05 am
We are so fortunate to have a stable democracy.

On his first tour in Iraq my son spent 3 days on a school roof behind sand bags in Ramadi so the Iraqi citizens could vote. Hope the National Guard can stay at McCormick Place.

Comment by Last Bull Moose Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 6:14 am
Good for Director Kelly supporting local law enforcement. My question is where do these sworn personnel magical appear from? They are so short but some how hundreds of ISP appear for unrest and disappear a short time later. Get them out of the special units and administrative positions and put them on the road. To many ISP trooper/supervisors (hiding) in gaming, FOID, etc and failing. Not enough to support the road troops.

Comment by Clueless In Illinois Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 7:08 am
To think, just 4 years ago this morning, we were rolling out of bed hungover and giddy from the best world series finish in history, planning for a parade, counting the years of the new Cubs dynasty, heading into Jesse White’s final term, excited over an Obama Presidential Library, remembering who Hillary had as a running mate, wondering about Donald Trump’s future plans starting up a news network, and planning for Speaker Madigan’s retirement.

Oh, the places you’ll go…

Comment by Ok Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 8:02 am
Does anyone else find it concerning that the National Guard and law enforcement have to stand in readiness on Election Day? How sad it is that we cannot behave lawfully on this day that so defines why this nation came into being.

Comment by thoughts matter Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 8:06 am
Rich, don’t you usually predict the outcomes of the important races beforehand?

Comment by Stritz Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 8:11 am
@Last Bull Moose - Maybe it was snark that I did not pick up on but I don’t think that this year has shown us to be a stable democracy. It seems pretty fragile to me.

Comment by hisgirlfriday Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 8:41 am
This is a worrisome year. But we still have a stable democracy. No matter the outcome we will not see the violence of Iraq, Venezuela, or the former Yugoslavia.

Comment by Last Bull Moose Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 8:48 am
With a single precinct reporting, I’m projecting the old white guy wins the Presidential election.

Comment by Revlis Etan Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 9:03 am
“projecting old white guy wins the Presidental election”

And a solid majority in Congress.

Comment by Flyin' Elvis'-Utah Chapter Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 9:15 am
hisgirlfriday,

I was just reflecting on that. How this year feels like 1968 must’ve felt for the people who experienced it (I was too young to notice). That seems the last year that our democracy looked so unstable.

Comment by cermak_rd Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 9:51 am
I agree with “Thoughts Matter”. It is sad that Chicago has to prepare for rioting on this election.

Comment by Top of the State Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 10:04 am
Breaking news: with just .00001% of all ballots counted, Channel 3 Vote2020 Center is calling the election for nobody yet. May not be worth even looking at results until tomorrow, but as others have written, it’s hard to ignore the urge to look for a minute or two.

Comment by thisjustinagain Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 10:26 am
Not to burst anyone’s bubble, but the bar guard are not in readiness just for Chicago. And not just for people on the left.

Comment by JS Mill Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 11:31 am
I’ve been following the state board of elections on Twitter. Today they posted a link to a search tool for finding out where the election day registration centers are. One of them listed for DeKalb County, in the student center at NIU, was an early voting site but is not open today. If ISBE doesn’t have it right, what are the odds the students got the memo? I know the local League of Women Voters was leery of this and had planned to station a couple members at the site to help direct students and others to their home polling sites. I sure hope they are.

Comment by yinn Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 11:46 am
==Breaking news: with just .00001% of all ballots counted, Channel 3 Vote2020 Center is calling the election for nobody yet.==

If this actually happened on Champaign’s Channel 3 (WCIA), I am certain that August Meyer would be rolling over in his grave.

Comment by Chatham Resident Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 1:15 pm
- Clueless In Illinois - Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 7:08 am:

Director Kelly has said to the legislature that it’s hard to get people to move to Springfield to fill administrative/civilian positions. ISP has actually been exempted from hiring freezes and is still having trouble. Might have something to do with the vision folks like Langfelder implement for Springfield: let’s be a backwater.

Comment by Precinct Captain Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 1:35 pm
No violence based on politics exists in a true Democracy…ideally.

I urge everyone to stand tall…against all forms of violence.

Comment by Dotnonymous Tuesday, Nov 3, 20 @ 2:40 pm