The 2020 presidential election has been well underway, having started last night on November 3rd. Even though votes have been cast and counted throughout the night, results have still not been released. This is due to the plethora of people who opted to vote by mail this year due to COVID-19. 

As if this whole nail-biting ordeal hasn’t been stressful enough for the public already, there have been mentions of possible rioting in prominent cities following the release of results. Areas such as New York City, Washington DC, and even downtown Dallas have been seen boarding up windows and getting ready to go under lockdown if events take a turn for the worse. Organizations such as the Proud Boys and citizens with strong feelings towards this event have promised to exemplify civil unrest if things go too far. 

Who are the Proud Boys and how do they affect this election? 

The Proud Boys are a far-right group with a colorful history of assaults and violence concerning political affairs. Formed in 2016 by Gavin McInnes, they expressed themselves as a group of politically correct men for “Western Chauvinists”. They have been referenced quite recently during the first presidential debate when President Donald Trump was quoted saying, “ stand back and stand by”. This alarmed quite a number of concerned viewers, leading to a social media frenzy. 

Their presence is raising alarms concerning affairs after this election, since a video has surfaced of an unnamed Proud Boys sympathizer warning people of a “civil war” and reminding the population to stock up on guns. While the prospects of a second so-called “civil war” is extremely unlikely, the probability of multiple riots, however, is not. 

Have there actually been protests during the election? 

Nationwide organization, Protect The Results, is an affiliation of multiple grassroots organizations who have organized over 520 events in retaliation to the election. Protestors outside D.C, Los Angeles, Raleigh and Portland marched in masses of about 200 people, making their voices and opinions heads. There were also outraged feelings towards Donald Trump, which might have caused protests to swell, after he released a statement claiming that the polls were rigged. 

As pushing and shouting escalated in front of the White House, multiple arrests were made in an attempt to disperse the public.Reports of multiple confrontations between these polar groups have been reported to have broken up before anything serious had taken place. There have been first hand accounts claiming that smoke bombs were also used to scatter crowds. 

How can you be safe during this time? 

The most important things people at home could be doing right now is keeping a safe and revolved media presence. As provoking as events may be, it is extremely important for your safety to not say anything concerning the election that you might regret later. 

If you live in a largely populated city which could be subjected to rioting, going under temporary lockdown until nationwide feelings have resolved would also prove beneficial. Multiple businesses are boarding up store windows as an extra precaution. If you happen to live in a major metropolitan area, stock up on food and medication for the rest of the week. 

Things won’t spiral out of control, but it is always better to be safer than sorry. Results of this crucial election might not even be released until the end of the week as multiple states still have to finalize votes, so keep a clear head and take a deep breath.