Pennsylvania's 19 Electoral College votes expected to play crucial role in outcome of election
Philly DA issues warning on eve of Election Day
Larry Krasner issues a warning about election intimidation as voters prepare to head to the polls on Tuesday. (Philadelphia District Attorney's Office)
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner issued a warning to anyone who might think about interfering in Election Day activities.
During a press conference on Monday, Krasner highlighted voter protection efforts made by the election task force on the eve of Election Day.
"We are here on a very important day before a very important election. We are here more than anything to speak about protection of an election, making sure that the election that will occur tomorrow will be free. It will be fair, and it will be final," Krasner said.
Krasner said they have no "deep, abiding fears or concerns" surrounding safety and reassured the community that when they get up to vote tomorrow, they would be protected.
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Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner (AP Photo/Matt Rourke/File)
"I also want to be clear. Anybody who thinks it's time to play militia, F around and find out," Krasner said. "Anybody who thinks it's time to insult, to mistreat, to threaten people, F around and find out."
"We got a pair of handcuffs, we got a jail cell, and we got a Philadelphia jury," Krasner said, promising to prosecute anyone who tries to interfere in the vote.
"So if you're going to try to turn an election into some form of coercion, if you're going to try to bully people, bully votes or voters, you're going to try to erase votes, you're going to try any of that nonsense. We're not playing. F around and find out," Krasner said.
Krasner said he is hopeful that they won't have any issues, but he also said they do have a concern that there may be people either working in the polls or close to the polls who are going to bring frivolous, bogus challenges to voters.
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Philly DA Larry Krasner said "F around and find out" to "anybody who thinks it’s time to play militia" on Election Day. (iStock)
"This is the bottom line," Krasner said. "Anybody who thinks you're going to play those games in Philadelphia, you're going to do it in bad faith, I've got no problem with doing it in good faith, but if you do it in bad faith, there is an election court, there are judges, they have orders."
During the last presidential election, two men, 61-year-old Antonio LaMotta and 42-year-old Joshua Macias of Chesapeake, Va., were arrested in Philadelphia with weapons and ammunition outside the Pennsylvania Convention Center where votes were being counted that eventually won President Biden the White House.
Krasner acknowledged that they are all aware of the controversy facing elections in the U.S. and are making sure every vote is counted.
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A voter fills out a mail-in ballot at the Board of Elections office in the Allegheny County Office Building on Nov. 3, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)
"But this is my nonpartisan hat. We do not care who gets your vote. We care that you get to vote. That is the most important thing," Krasner said.
The FBI Philadelphia field office said it is also bringing in additional support and adding election command posts. The agency said it will enable each FBI field office across the country to streamline communication and response and ensure the safety and security of the elections and public.
"The FBI works closely with our federal, state and local partners to identify and stop any potential threats to public safety. We gather and analyze intelligence to determine whether individuals might be motivated to take violent action for any reason, including due to concerns about the election. It is vital the FBI, our law enforcement partners and the public work together to protect our communities as Americans exercise their right to vote. We encourage members of the public to remain vigilant and immediately report any suspicious activity to law enforcement." — FBI Philadelphia Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs
Pennsylvania is expected to play a crucial role in the outcome of the presidential election, having 19 electoral college votes up for grabs.
"Pennsylvania is the one state that it's hard to see someone losing and then still winning the presidential race," Mark Harris, a Pittsburgh-based longtime Republican national strategist and ad maker, told Fox News. "It's clearly ground zero."
Both Trump and Harris are spending part of their last full day of campaigning in the Keystone State.
Harris will close her election eve swing through Pennsylvania with two star-studded rallies: an evening one in Pittsburgh and a late-night one in Philadelphia by the famed "Rocky Steps" outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Trump, who is also making stops Monday in battlegrounds North Carolina and Michigan, is holding two rallies in Pennsylvania: in the afternoon in Reading followed by an evening one in Pittsburgh. And he held a rally Sunday in Lititz, outside Lancaster.
Fox News Digital's Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
