Election security expert warns focus should shift to post‑poll period
As voters head to the polls, former Justice Department lawyer David Becker says the real risk may come after the polls close.
As Americans cast ballots in Tuesday’s midterm elections, former Justice Department voting‑rights attorney David Becker—founder of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation and Research—told Morning Edition that the immediate concern is not voting‑day disruptions but what may happen after the polls close.
Becker said roughly 60 million Americans have already voted and reported “hardly any problems.” His remarks arrive while voting‑rights and immigrant‑advocacy groups prepare for the possibility of federal agents near polling places, even though the Trump administration has said it does not plan to deploy them.
He referenced 18 U.S.C. 592, a federal statute that restricts certain deployments of armed personnel at polling sites. Violations of that law can lead to up to five years in prison and disqualification from federal office, and Becker said courts would intervene if immigration agents or troops were placed unlawfully.
Becker warned that the media and online speculation could amplify fear. He noted that images of officers near voting locations, when stripped of context, might “spread unnecessary alarm and discourage voters from casting their ballots.”
Election officials, he added, have prepared for routine issues such as traffic jams and bad weather, and most voters are unlikely to face long waits.
“I think we expect to hear statements from losing candidates and losing parties that the election was rigged when we know, of course, that our elections are secure and verified,” Becker told NPR’s Steve Inskeep.
The conversation, edited by Treye Green, focused on what voters might encounter on Election Day and why Becker is more concerned about the post‑poll environment.
