Stay safe at the polls

MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – There are deep divides between candidates, political parties and the electorate this election cycle. 19 News spoke with election officials and law enforcement about how to avoid trouble at the polls.

Marquette County Undersheriff Lowell Larson says his officers have received advanced training on how to deal with potential issues related to voter intimidation and other illegal activities related to this year's election. Although the sheriff's office has not received any specific threats, it will deploy additional deputies throughout the county if necessary.

“We have more deputies manning the street for tomorrow. Hopefully they won’t be needed, but we will provide them if needed,” Larson said.

Larson says the county will also activate its emergency operations center just in case.

“It just hasn't been done in a long time, so this is a great opportunity for us to test our emergency operations center and hopefully it will just be a test,” Larson said.

David Allen of the League of Women Voters explains that each party can send representatives, called challengers, to oversee the election. Allen is a nonpartisan challenger and is tasked with making sure everything is in order, regardless of party affiliation.

“Our job is to make sure that bad actors from either party don’t emerge and try to challenge voters for improper reasons,” Allen said.

Marquette County Emergency Manager Brian Hummel is confident his office is prepared for any unforeseen problems, but trusts the people of UP to follow election laws.

“We are collectively worried about what can happen or could happen, but this is all a hypothesis, like I said, nothing has been articulated that represents a clear threat or danger that is out there for us,” Hummel said .

If you feel intimidated or threatened while voting, the best course of action is not to contact anyone and to tell a poll worker immediately.