Former President Donald Trump is urging supporters to “guard the vote” in next year's election, a phrase that has raised alarm bells among democracy advocates, who say it gives permission to take extreme measures that voters would can intimidate and threaten election workers.
The term is relatively new to Trump, although activists in the far-right movement have laid the groundwork for its broader application.
Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn has repeated the phrase for months in messages, speeches and interviews. And Victor Mellor, a close aide to Flynn, told The Associated Press that he has created a new group called “Guard the Vote” ahead of the 2024 election. Mellor provided AP with a video showing the group's new “command center” in a Florida building where Flynn's offices are located.
Trump used the phrase Saturday in Ankeny, Iowa, saying his followers need to “guard the vote” because “we have all the votes we need.” He encouraged his supporters to “go to cities like Detroit, Philadelphia and Atlanta to “watch the votes as they come in.”
Political reporting experts say the context in which Trump uses “guard the vote” is prompting his supporters not only to expect fraud in several Democratic cities next year, but also to intervene to ensure Trump wins .
“It suggests that the election results are already outdated. It has been decided,” said Susan Benesch, founder and executive director of the Dangerous Speech Project. “Does it actually protect the election against fraud, or does it protect the election against an outcome that does not declare Trump the winner?”
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said that by “monitoring the vote,” Trump meant “stopping any instances of voter fraud in areas where fraud is taking place.” He did not elaborate or answer questions about whether the term referred to Flynn's or Mellor's efforts.
“If he's really talking about peaceful, normal and legitimate polling, then he should say so,” Benesch said.
The phrase “guard the vote” became popular in 2022 when right-wing activist groups, including one in Washington state that called itself Guard the Vote, began monitoring ballot boxes to detect fraud.
The term resurfaced earlier this year when Trump was filmed using it at a June event at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, and when Flynn began repeatedly pushing the term a few weeks later.
“I was recently with President Trump probably about two and a half weeks ago and we were talking about this idea, about monitoring the vote,” Flynn said in a July 6 interview with radio host Eric Metaxas. “It means we have to monitor every aspect of the vote from the moment it starts, whether it's 45 days or 30 days before the vote, right through to the counting.”
Since then, Flynn has posted or spoken publicly about monitoring the vote at least eight times. In a speech in Rhode Island in September, he discussed being at the polls “24/7” to film people delivering ballots. In a post on X last month, he referred to “concerned vigilantes” at polls. In July, he wrote on Telegram: “#WeThePeople is going to control all of you and the entire election system from top to bottom, start to finish, sunrise to sunset.” Flynn did not return an email requesting comment.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, partisan poll watchers employed by political parties or other groups are allowed to observe voting and vote counting but are not allowed to interfere in the election process. States have different rules that govern their conduct and qualifications.
Mellor, who owns a concrete company and has been politically active in Sarasota County, Florida, told AP this week that he has created a group called “Guard the Vote,” which would connect members of law enforcement agencies and citizens to provide training on to hold elections.
Mellor said when he heard Trump use the phrase “guard the vote” on Saturday, he thought, “That's me.” I 'monitor the vote.'”
Mellor shared few details about the group's plans, but said it would involve “educated Americans and well-trained law enforcement.”
Asked about criticism that the phrase “monitoring the vote” could encourage violence or endanger the election system, voters or election workers, Mellor said that would “absolutely not happen.” There will be no weapons. Everything happens through the rule of law.”
He said there would be “no intimidation whatsoever” and that the group was not a right-wing operation. He said he encouraged Americans of all political backgrounds to join, and that more details would be announced in the coming days.
“This is not a militant movement. This is an educational movement,” he said, adding that it was aimed at helping people understand what he called a complicated electoral process.
Although there was no apparent connection to Mellor's efforts, right-wing groups began monitoring ballot boxes in at least two Arizona counties during the 2022 midterm elections before a federal judge ordered them to keep their distance from voters. Some were masked and armed, and some were associated with the far-right group Oath Keepers.
Mellor shared with AP a video of what he called his “command center” in a building he owns in Venice, Florida, which also houses Flynn's offices and a studio where Flynn regularly conducts interviews.
The short video showed a large windowless room surrounded by concrete walls with the slogan “GUARD THE VOTE” written on one wall. In the center of the room was a long conference table surrounded by cushioned chairs, with what Mellor believed was his gun on the table. Asked about the weapon, Mellor told AP that he had not realized it was in the video and that the weapon did not transmit a message.
“I don't leave home without it,” he said.
On another wall was an oath of office, surrounded by seals and flags for the military branches. Other walls showed maps of states such as Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Georgia, North Carolina, Alaska, Texas, Florida, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
A whiteboard contained notes referencing the strategy, including a mention of sheriffs and a list of prominent election deniers. In one corner of the whiteboard it says “Fraud Detection,” followed by the words, “Don't use word fraud, use election security.”
A joint investigation by AP and the PBS series “Frontline” last year revealed how Flynn had worked closely with Mellor since 2021. Mellor founded a place called The Hollow and turned it into a hub of activity for Proud Boys and other activists in the Sarasota County area. far-right community.
Mellor, a former Marine, posted a photo to his Facebook page on Jan. 6, 2021, showing him and his son outside the U.S. Capitol, telling “Frontline” he was proud to be there that day. He told AP in October 2022 that he and Flynn “experience and cherish a true grassroots movement in its purest form.”
“I assure you this is just the beginning,” Mellor said at the time.
Jennifer Mercieca, a historian of political rhetoric at Texas A&M University, which wrote a book about Trump's rhetoric, said his use of the word “guard” was notable because it could be a military word: “Like you're an army.”
“And so the framing there is interesting because it is not the language of democracy and the democratic process. It is the language of warfare,” Mercieca said. “And that's how fascism works. You say politics is war and the enemy cheats. It's up to us.”
She said Trump's repeated claims that there will be cheating in an election that has not yet taken place are a way to draw his followers into his conspiracy theory. Trump also suggested that the election was rigged against him even before the 2016 and 2020 elections.
“You tell the population that the rules have already been broken. Right? They are so corrupt. They are such big deceivers. They are enemies. They are threats. And then you say: And it's up to us to defend it,” Mercieca said.
What should Americans think when they hear Trump use such language?
“It's still part of Trump's January 6 insurrection. He is still 'cropping,'” she said.
Election officials in the cities Trump mentioned say they are committed to a secure 2024 election and will not be intimidated by Trump or anyone else.
“Detroiters are not scaredy-cats. We are not losers, we should not be bullied,” said Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey. “So they can come if they want to, absolutely. We are ready.”
“This is nothing new, Trump says these things before every election,” Lisa Deeley, chair of the Philadelphia City Commissioners, said in a statement. “In 2016 he said they had to make sure people didn't vote five times. 2020 saw 'Bad Things Happen in Philadelphia'. Each of those elections, 2016 and 2020, was completely fair and accurate and that is what we will continue to deliver in 2024.”
Jessica Corbitt, spokesperson for Georgia's Fulton County, declined to comment on Trump's attacks on Atlanta but said election security is a concern for the county after threats against its employees. She emphasized that “polling stations must be safe for everyone.”
Officials said they have taken steps to improve election security since 2020. In Detroit, for example, election officials have fortified their building with bulletproof glass and increased security during vote counting.
Jena Griswold, Colorado's secretary of state, said she has drafted new laws to protect against election threats, including bans on threatening or defrauding election workers, tampering with election equipment or openly carrying firearms near polling places.
“Donald Trump's increasingly extreme rhetoric continues his efforts to undermine this country's free and fair elections,” Griswold said. “Every state should follow our lead.”
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