Dear Friends,

On Monday, I addressed the Des Moines City Council. I wanted their assurance that they’re prepared to fight federal crime if President Trump sends armed agents to polling sites, as he has repeatedly threatened to do. (Click the image to hear my brief remarks.)Wherever you live, you have a right to know that your city and county are prepared to respond to crimes committed by armed federal agents at polling places. Again, Trump and other administration officials have threatened to do so. Repeatedly, That would be unprecedented and emphatically illegal.

I’ve spoken one-on-one with three Des Moines City Council members about this. While I respect and appreciate the work of each of these elected officials, I’m completely unsatisfied with the City’s preparedness given Trump’s threats to subvert our election.

I hope Des Moines officials will prove me wrong. But as of today, I’ve heard nothing from the Council in response to the concerns I raised on Monday and previously.

As far as I can tell, Des Moines is sleep-walking into Election Day. So I’ll ask again, and encourage you to ask your local officials: If armed federal agents show up at the polls and a poll worker calls 911, can we count on local law enforcement to respond?

I’ve spoken with our County Auditor, Jamie Fitzgerald, and I’m convinced that his office has been preparing for this threat for months. Good for our county government.

Voters should go to the polls with the confidence that all levels of local government have their backs. Let’s each do our part to make sure that happens.

Thanks for reading, listening, and taking action.

Ed Fallon