National Guard

A ninth U.S. service member has died from the coronavirus, as total confirmed cases in the military approached 59,000, the Pentagon said Wednesday.

Poll workers in two Wisconsin counties-- with the help of at least 20 National Guard members-- will have to transcribe votes from at least 13,500 misprinted absentee ballots to clean ballots, possibly delaying reporting of ballots. 

Businesses in big cities across the U.S. shut down Tuesday and focused less on making sales than on keeping safe as Election Day and fear of civil unrest loomed.

The Oregon National Guard was directed to place its members on standby ahead of potential election unrest in Portland, Gov. Kate Brown announced Monday. 

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday activated the state’s National Guard as a precautionary measure against anticipated civil unrest on Election Day.

Amidst fears about civil unrest and violence following the Nov. 3 presidential election, more state leaders are considering the deployment of the National Guard.

Additional Pennsylvania National Guard arrived in Philadelphia on Friday to bolster protections after days of rioting following the police-involved shooting of a Black man.

About 400 members of the National Guard will be deployed in Wisconsin to compensate for any shortages of poll workers in the state for Tuesday’s presidential election, Gov. Tony Evers said Tuesday.

Although officials said there were no immediate plans to assign troops sent to five Texas cities to polling sites, the possibility concerned Lone Star State Democrats.

The prospect of a contested election and other political disputes could exacerbate existing tensions.