Just days from Nov. 3, there are new questions about the possible involvement of the National Guard on Election Day.
While the National Guard will not play a role in the election process, state officials say they are prepared to deploy the Guard to address issues of violence.
Gov. Greg Abbott acknowledged the plans for increased support Wednesday in the event protests occur and build in intensity in Texas.
“Our job is to make sure that cities are going to be safe, and along those lines, we want to make sure that in any event there are any protests after the elections are concluded, that we will have adequate personnel in place to make sure that we will be able to address any protests that could turn into riots,” Abbott said.
The governor said the guard will not be part of the election.
“The National Guard will play no role whatsoever in the election process. They will not be at polls or anything like that, and they will not be disruptive in the election process whatsoever," Abbott said.
Mark Jones is a political science professor at Rice University. He said there are really two ways people can look at increased support from the National Guard.
“You can look at it in the negative light that the governor is engaged in political theater trying to use the National Guard to boost Republican turnout or in a positive light that he is simply being prudent because of the real risk of protests, violence, and damage on election night,” Jones said.
He added the move makes sense given the events of the past year.
“Here we are in 2020 where there is a real prospect for violence, at least there’s a potential for violence, that doesn’t mean it is going to occur but it’s something you can’t rule out, and in that sense it is prudent to have the National Guard in case a plan would need to be in action,” said Jones.
There are few specifics on how many members of the National Guard will be deployed to the Dallas-Fort Worth area and where people may expect them.
Fort Worth police said they are not aware of any National Guard members in their city and a spokesperson for the Dallas Mayor’s Office said he doesn't know of plans to deploy the National Guard to Dallas.
“The Dallas Police Department is working in partnership with our local, state and federal agencies as we prepare for the upcoming election,” a Dallas police spokesperson said in a statement. “There is currently no actionable intelligence that requires the assistance of the Texas National Guard. Therefore, there has been no request for their presence at this time.”
The guard will primarily support the Department of Public Safety. Major General Tracy R. Norris released a statement on behalf of the National Guard.
“The Texas Military Department was activated to provide additional support to the Department of Public Safety in the summer of 2020,” said Maj. Gen. Tracy R. Norris, the Adjutant General of Texas. “Texas Service Members continue to support DPS in this capacity, guarding historical landmarks such as the Alamo and the State Capitol. To be clear, there has been no request nor any plan to provide any type of support at any polling location in Texas.”
Cal Jillson, a political science professor at SMU, said the National Guard should not be visible unless something happens, and they shouldn't be part of the electoral process.
“They shouldn’t be on the street and they certainly shouldn’t be at polling places unless there’s a need for them that local police and local officials can’t handle,” Jillson said. “If you haven’t voted get out and do that, don’t worry about all the dust being kicked up.”