Election officials prepare for worst

Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2004 | 9:26 a.m.

SUN STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Heeding warnings that terrorists could try to disrupt the fall elections, state and local election officials are aiming to coordinate communications and decision-making with governors and security officials so voting goes as smoothly as possible.

Top election officials made public on Monday recommendations sent to state and local officials, encouraging several steps, including identifying key decision-makers, which decisions to weigh in the event of increased threat warnings or actual attacks, and the best ways to communicate with the public.

Federal officials repeated last week their concerns that terrorists could be aiming to mount an attack before the Nov. 2 general election, but said they have no new information indicating a time, place or method of attack.

Nevada Secretary of State Dean Heller is in Washington this week meeting with the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to talk about security and possible disruption of the election process. He is slated to return to Nevada late Wednesday.

The national commission is more concerned about other states but also recognizes that Las Vegas is a major polling location, Heller said.

Heller said he has concerns about security but he doesn't want to see National Guardsmen stationed at the polling places on Election Day.

"My biggest concern is there would be intimidation" of the voters, he said. He said he is learning more while in the nation's capital and will report to Guinn after he returns to Nevada. Heller also said he wants to talk to local election officials about how prepared they are to deal with any kind of natural disaster like an earthquake or flood.

He said he is learning more from the national meeting and will brief local officials when he returns.

The election recommendations made public Monday followed more than a month of discussions among officials at the National Governors Association, the National Association of Secretaries of State, the National Association of State Election Directors and others.

The recommendations seek to ensure that communications and responses are thought through now, so there are no last-minute conflicts or glitches that undermine the election.

"You need to sit down and work through these decisions beforehand," said George Foresman, homeland security adviser to Virginia Gov. Mark Warner. "Election Day, or three days before the election, is not the time to have the discussion."

Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., a member of the Homeland Security Committee, said he is concerned that terrorists might strike before the Nov. 2 election in hopes of influencing the United States' presidential election, similar to the reaction in Spain last March after commuter train bombings killed more than 200 people.

Terrorism analysts and government officials have said that al-Qaida was emboldened by the March commuter train bombings in Madrid, which was a factor in the ouster of Spain's former ruling party.

"There is legitimate information that says they're looking for ways to influence the election, and they're talking about their success in influencing the Spanish election," Gibbons said.

Increasing chatter shows that terrorists could strike anytime in the weeks before the election, though "we're working desperately on that," Gibbons said.

While Gibbons said it's "so much more difficult" for terrorists to attack within the United States today than before Sept. 11, 2001, it's still impossible to stop all attacks. He said he hopes the American people realize that even if the United States were to return all of the 130,000 troops stationed in Iraq, there would still be danger at home.

"They're smart enough, they're patient enough, they're evil enough to do that," Gibbons said.

But Gov. Kenny Guinn's top homeland security official downplayed the report.

"I don't see a threat in Nevada," Adjutant General Giles Vanderhoof, Guinn's homeland security adviser said.

He said he received the notification Friday about security measures and planned to talk to Guinn and Heller to see if they recommended any security measures.

"The (national) guard is able to respond quickly," he said. The emergency operation center is open 24 hours, seven days a week to take any calls if there are problems, he said. While there may be potential threats in such places as New York, Vanderhoof said, "I don't see any problem in Nevada."

Sun reporters Cy Ryan and Kirsten Searer and the Associated Press contributed to this story.