Shelby County officials announced on Tuesday that there has been coordinated inter-agency planning for various scenarios on election night. While they noted potential disputes at polling places or possible delays in counting the ballots, President Donald Trump has contributed to Americans' anxieties over whether this will be a peaceful and fair election.
Political analyst Otis Sanford believes that no matter who wins, there will be some kind of public reaction that public officials should be prepared to deal with.
Also this week, U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr visited a police precinct in Memphis at a time with a record number of homicides. Sanford says federal support of local law enforcement would be more welcome by communities of color if government did more to address recent incidents, such as the killing of George Floyd, rather than downplay them.
