IntelBrief: Serious Concerns Over Political Violence Surrounding U.S. Midterm Elections

Bottom Line Up Front

• In the leadup to the November 2022 U.S. midterm elections, concerns are growing over threats of election-related political violence, which are spiking online.
• On sites like Reddit, Parler, Telegram, Gab and Truth Social, there have been widespread calls for civil war, echoing some of the most violent rhetoric that accompanied the lead-up to the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.
• Election workers are now receiving active shooter training, as election sites and offices are in the process of hardening formerly soft targets, hiring security guards, and installing bulletproof and bomb-resistant glass.
• Issues including abortion, immigration, COVID-19 vaccines, election integrity, and inflation have raised the temperature of an already hyper-partisan political climate.