Oath Keepers Promise to Patrol the Polls on Election Day
With Donald Trump doubling down on claims of a 鈥渞igged鈥� election, the Oath Keepers is calling all members to rush to the polls and monitor for voter fraud.聽
Stewart Rhodes, Oath Keeper founder and president, announced 鈥淥peration Sabot 2016鈥� yesterday on the group鈥檚 website. Rhodes, whose organization recruits from the military, law enforcement and emergency first responders, boasts 鈥渟ignificant capabilities鈥� to conduct covert intelligence operations to ensure the election is not 鈥渟tolen鈥� from the American people.
鈥淸W]e call on you to form up incognito intelligence gathering and crime spotting teams,鈥� Rhodes instructed. 鈥淎nd go out into public on election day, dressed to blend in with the public 鈥� with video, still camera, and notepad in hand, to look for and document suspected criminal vote fraud or intimidation activities.鈥�
Rhodes did not specify where the Oath Keepers has enough members to monitor polls, but for nearly three years, he has actively mobilized extremists nationwide to respond in a moment鈥檚 notice. His call to action, at the end of a campaign season that has seen violence (, here and ) is a cause for concern.
While the Oath Keepers claims to be non-partisan, Rhodes admits his fears that election tampering 鈥� if it comes at all 鈥� will come from the Left.
聽鈥淸W]e are, indeed, most concerned about expected attempts at voter fraud by leftists,鈥� Rhodes says before widening his scope to include all voters. 鈥淏ut we will spot, document, and report any apparent attempt at vote fraud or voter intimidation 鈥� as is our duty.鈥�
The Oath Keepers are well known for showing up heavily armed in instances of social crisis. Staking out polling stations to thwart voter intimidation is likely to cause more problems than it solves, especially given the group鈥檚 own history of frightening locals. Coming at a time of increasing racial tensions, likely armed, mostly white men secretly patrolling voting stations looking for 鈥渟uspicious鈥� activity is incredibly worrisome.
Regardless, the group truly believes it鈥檚 obligated to do it.
Among other obligations recognized by the Oath Keepers is its ten 鈥淥rders We Will Not Obey.鈥� These 鈥渙rders鈥� echo fears that are central to America鈥檚 antigovernment movement 鈥撀爐hat the government will enact mass gun confiscation, impose martial law, blockade American cities turning them into concentration camps and usher in a 鈥淣ew World Order鈥� of globalist elites.
With these paranoid conspiracy theories as a driving force behind the Oath Keepers, it seems unlikely the group鈥檚 claims of non-partisan and patriotic altruism are sincere. For many in the antigovernment movement, Hillary Clinton, or 鈥淗itlery鈥� as Rhodes likes to call her, is the embodiment of these .
