According to Bring me the news
There’s an effort to recruit former U.S. Special Operations personnel to provide “armed security” at polling places in Minnesota on Election Day.
That’s according to a Washington Post story published Friday and an Oct. 6 Facebook post from Tennesse-based security firm Atlas Aegis, which is seeking armed security guards for the November election and post-election support missions in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
The Facebook post says the agents who are hired will “protect election polls, local businesses and residences from looting and destruction,” noting it anticipates the job will “last well beyond the elections with 15 to 30 days of work,” with the “antifas” cited as apparent reason they need to guard the polling places.
Atlas Aegis’ website says its mission is to provide a level of security to its clients that’s rarely seen outside U.S. Special Operations and employs former Navy SEALS, U.S. Army Special Forces and Rangers. The Facebook post says they’re seeking former Special Operations forces with “Tier 1 and Tier 2” experience.
Bring Me The News has reached out to Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison for comment on this seeing as there are laws that make it illegal in Minnesota for people other than voters and elections staff to be within 100 feet of polling places unless they are registered to be an election challenger, as well as laws prohibiting voter intimidation.
Meanwhile, there are also federal laws aimed to prevent voter intimidation, details of which Minneapolis Elections and Voter Services was retweeting on Friday.
A private security company is recruiting a “large contingent” of former U.S. military Special Operations personnel to guard polling sites in Minn. on Election Day as part of an effort “to make sure that the Antifas don’t try to destroy the election sites” https://t.co/ul7099fqfA
— Ben Pershing (@benpershing) October 9, 2020
The Washington Post reached out to election officials in Minnesota and Minneapolis, who said they were not aware of the security firm’s intentions to guard polling places and stressed state and federal laws.
“It’s not a good use of people’s time and money to arm themselves or others at or near a polling place,” Simon told the paper. “It’s not helping … Law enforcement on the state and federal level, with whom we are in constant touch, have a good handle on the situation.
Caudle said he wants to hire U.S. military personnel because they have experience in defusing situations and won’t be seen unless there’s “an issue” and having them at polling places would not intimidate voters.