Biden: Democracy is in danger, warns against ‘intimidating’ voters

President Joe Biden warned Americans that democracy is at stake in today’s midterm elections, and said, “This is your chance to defend it.”

“We know in our bones our democracy is at risk,” Biden told a crowd of Democratic supporters at a rally yesterday at Bowie State University in Maryland.

Officials in a county in the state of Arizona, which is witnessing a heated competition in the midterm elections, announced enhanced security measures before the polls opened today, warning that there will be “zero tolerance” of any attempt to intimidate voters.

Millions of Americans are expected to go to the polls to elect state governors, members of Congress and local officials, in the most intense elections in recent years.

Authorities have doubled voter protection measures in Maricopa County in Arizona, which has become an example for sceptics about the elections and their results; voters here chose Joe Biden over Donald Trump in 2020.

“We will have zero tolerance,” Sheriff Paul Pinzon told reporters. “I have plenty of cells for people who choose to come here and break the law.”

The county, which has a population of 4.5 million, has been experiencing increased tension since the 2020 elections because the Republican Party said it does not trust the voting system, claiming flaws in the system. Despite several reviews of the ballots, no evidence of fraud was found.

OPINION: American democracy has been turned into an illusion