It’s no secret that there’s heated rhetoric on the 2016 presidential campaign trail, and some voters are wondering if that rhetoric will translate to protests or violence following the results on election night.
“Everybody’s tense,” said Johnson County voter Ralph Riemer. “They don’t know the outcome.”
41 Action News reached out to Kansas City metro law enforcement to discover their plans to respond to any potential unrest.
Kansas City Police Department Captain Stacey Graves says KCPD “does not anticipate any problems on Election Day but KCPD will be prepared for any situation.”
In Wyandotte County, Lt. Kelli Bailiff says the strategy for an election day response is no different than any other year.
“We will just handle it as it comes,” said Bailiff. “We are prepared for anything that may happen for that day or the next day or the weeks to follow.”
Safety during the election day voting process is a priority as well for metro election officials.
Wyandotte County Election Commissioner Bruce Newby acknowledged there are procedures in place, but declined to provide specifics so that potential agitators won’t be able to maneuver around them.
In Johnson County, Election Commissioner Ronnie Metsker says his office has “designed a plan in concert with local authorities to keep election workers and voters safe.”
When asked if the election results could spark unrest, Johnson County voter Dr. Bernard Johnson thinks its a possibility.
"I think it can. People are so sensitive now. Anything matters to them,” said Johnson.
Other voters had more faith in the electorate.
“The peaceful transfer, the respect for rule of law, I think it’s engrained into who we are as Americans, and I think we’ll probably make it through as we’ve done before," said Johnson County voter Kristy Howell.
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Brian Abel can be reached at brian.abel@kshb.com.
