After months of politics becoming more and more divisive, most Americans are preparing for some form of political unrest after the voting ends tonight. According to a new poll, 62% of Americans are expecting violence.
Former FBI special agent Jonathan Gilliam told KTRH that even during early voting, there was a very uneasy feeling. He said, "I've never seen such tension at a voting station, ever in my life. And I've talked to other people, and they said the same thing. People weren't talking; they weren't smiling."
After years of rising tensions, Gilliam says this might be the new norm in American politics, thanks in part to the growing distrust between Americans and the government. With both parties being highly skeptical of the last two presidential elections, Gilliam stated, "It will be like this, and get worse, unless they just go back to paper ballots, and hand count those ballots."
Gilliam says that having more secure elections can go a long way towards restoring trust in the government, and calming down political tensions.