- Military
veterans anticipating disturbance at polling places throughout the US organized a nonviolent "quick reaction force" — a term used in the armed forces for the small teams that provide immediate assistance in an emergency. - Roughly 200 veterans signed up with a progressive organization to train in deescalation techniques for use at polling locations. The unarmed veteran-volunteers have handed out water, hand sanitizer, and face masks for early voters waiting in lines.
- The effort comes as President Donald Trump's reelection campaign kicked off a recruitment effort for an "army" of poll watchers.
- "As veterans we have put our lives on the line in defense of our country before, and we are mobilizing now," the executive director of the anti-Trump veterans group Common Defense said.
Military veterans anticipating disturbance at polling places throughout the US have established a nonviolent "quick reaction force" — a term used in the armed forces for the small teams that respond immediately in an emergency.
In the past few weeks, roughly 200 veterans signed up to train in deescalation techniques with Common Defense, a grassroots organization that opposes President Donald Trump and seeks to elect progressive candidates and advance policies for former service members. The veterans have mobilized in 45 cities to recruit other veterans to join their cause.
Stephanie Flores, a US Navy veteran who is Common Defense's communications manager, told Insider the group's purpose was to "make sure that we have an election that is fair and that is peaceful."
Flores said the organization taught deescalation techniques for the veteran-volunteers to protest safely and to "make sure all of our ballots are counted" during the election season.
"We've heard it everywhere in the media, even the FBI — there is a real threat about armed militias and all of that," Flores said, referring to reports of voter intimidation by armed citizens. "So that's why we're preparing our veterans and our leaders to be ready to deescalate and protest safely. But our main goal and how we're planning to do this is through narrative."
"As veterans, we swore an oath to protect our democracy, which also means ensuring a fair election where all the votes are counted transparently," Flores added.
Numerous allegations of voter intimidation surfaced after states began their early-voting processes — some reports insinuate some sort of involvement by the US military. At one voting site hosted by a public library near Miami on Saturday, a person wearing military fatigues was seen standing behind supporters of President Donald Trump, according to an NBC News journalist.
—Carmen Sesin (@c_sesin) October 31, 2020
The man wore a previous version of the US Army's combat uniform — complete with a unit crest on his beret and Velcro patches signifying affiliation with the military branch — and a pistol holster on his thigh.
Despite those features, the man was probably not currently in the service: His beard would be in violation of the Army's grooming standards, and based on his physical appearance he most likely did not meet the service's body-fat and weight standards.
The man's appearance alarmed some veterans, many of whom emphasized that people without military experience would not be able to tell the difference between him and an active-duty service member.
"Whether he served in the Army at one time or not, his presence at a polling site in this uniform creates the appearance of military involvement in political activities," retired Marine Corps Col. David Lapan, a former Pentagon spokesman, told Insider. "However, if he's not currently serving — active duty, National Guard, or Reserve — he's not in violation" of Defense Department regulations.
"Whether it's a current uniform or an old one, the appearance to the public of inappropriate military involvement in elections is the same," Lapan added.
Alex McCoy, a Marine Corps veteran who is Common Defense's policy director, said the example at the public library in Miami might have been an isolated incident.
"We expected there to be a lot more right-wing-group voter intimidation at polling places and early-voting sites than there actually seems to have been," McCoy told Insider. "Any of it is bad, obviously, but we were worried it would be more extensive and more widespread."
McCoy added that the group was still preparing for "very limited counterdemonstrations" in the country and that his members would "be present and be visible as a deescalatory measure."
'We have put our lives on the line in defense of our country before'
On Saturday, six veteran-volunteers handed out water, hand sanitizer, and face masks for voters in lines at a polling place in North Carolina.
Kyle Pritz, a US Marine veteran who is the lead organizer for Common Defense's North Carolina branch, said his team was specifically called upon for assistance by another organization that experienced "overt" instances of voter intimidation from "neo-Confederates."
At a separate protest in the same county on Saturday, several people, including children, were pepper-sprayed by law-enforcement officials during a march to the polls. Police officials said the protest was unsafe and the activists did not disperse after being ordered to do so.
Pritz said the polling site, which shared a parking lot with a church, was mostly uneventful; however, he said patrons at a bar across the street were brandishing handguns. It is legal to openly carry a firearm in the state.
Volunteers had to sign waivers to attend the event and received guidance beyond their normal training on deescalation methods. The military veterans were instructed not to wear any clothing containing military camouflage and were prohibited from carrying weapons. Most of them wore regular clothes with "veteran signifiers," such as a hat denoting their military service.
All volunteers were also vetted for their military service and were interviewed to make sure they were competent enough to control themselves if things escalated, according to Flores, the organization's communications manager.
The effort comes as Trump's reelection campaign kicked off a recruitment effort for an "army" of poll watchers — a term that is supposed to be used for certified people to monitor voting processes for fairness.
Each state has its own regulations, but certified poll watchers are not allowed to engage with voters, and their duties — ensuring votes are counted and reporting violations — are often mundane and nonpartisan.
Trump's surrogates, however, have preemptively questioned the integrity of the
Military veterans have joined some of the civil-rights protests this year. Dozens of people representing themselves as military veterans marched alongside other protesters in the wake of several deaths of Black people. Some of them have faced off directly with their active-duty counterparts and law-enforcement officials. One of the best known of those was Christopher David, the US Navy veteran who was dramatically pepper-sprayed and beaten on camera during the Portland, Oregon, protests in July.
Jose Vasquez, a US Army veteran who is the executive director of Common Defense, said he was prompted to act —along with other like-minded veterans — because of Trump's consistent reluctance to condemn racist behavior and right-wing extremism.
"We are in a historic moment of crisis that could upend our democracy unless we act to block the corruption of Donald Trump and the violence of his most extreme supporters," Vasquez said in a statement. "As veterans we have put our lives on the line in defense of our country before, and we are mobilizing now in historic numbers to protect our fellow citizens and our system of democratic governance."
"As veterans who swore to uphold and defend the Constitution, seeing the president refuse to commit to respect the election results and calling on fascist gangs to rally by his side is the realization of all of our worst fears," he added.