Jigyasa Maloo, Samuel Pearson
Jennifer Loy, Chief Editor
October 29, 2024
San Marcos, Texas[1]
Event: On October 28, 2024, the San Marcos Police Department started investigating at least five flyers, found on yard signs supporting presidential candidate Vice-President Kamala Harris over the weekend. The flyers appear affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), as an anonymous author calling themselves "The Grand Dragon of Trump Klan #124" undersigned the leaflets.[2] The flyers threatened Harris supporters with punishment if presidential candidate former President Trump wins the election, through severe tax audits and violence. These incidents are the first of their kind in the San Marcos municipality as Election Day approaches.[3]
Significance: The flyer incidents almost certainly indicate acts of voter intimidation aimed at discouraging voting and political participation during the election. This voter intimidation tactic very likely uses symbols, language, and titles associated with the KKK to generate fear among the San Marcos voting population. The invocation of socio-economic repercussions and implicit historical racist violence will very likely create a hostile environment of insecurity, especially among minority communities such as Hispanic and Black voters in the area. This environment has a roughly even chance of leading to lower voter turnout and disenfranchisement due to threats to personal safety, with voters fearing that showing up to vote will likely result in physical harm.
The incident will likely trigger similar copycat incidents, including actions by other hate groups active in Texas such as Patriot Front. Some anonymous threat actors will use the KKK name and its iconography as a mechanism to send threatening and ominous messages, likely exploiting public anxiety over the recent threats to maximize their impact. These copycats will likely pursue more localized grievances and hate, likely to target specific religious and ethnic minority communities in their local neighborhoods. Hate groups and anonymous threat actors will very likely target local poll officers, volunteers, and electoral officials with these flyers, given these groups very likely intend to disrupt election operations. This has a roughly even chance of eroding trust in electoral activities and disproportionately impacting the voting pattern.
Recommendations
The Counterterrorism Group (CTG) recommends that law enforcement and federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), investigate domestic extremist groups and lone actors behind the flyer incidents. Authorities should increase monitoring and surveillance of hate activities on social media to detect and deter similar future incidents.
Law enforcement in San Marcos should develop procedures for responding to incidents of voter intimidation, and clearly communicate these mechanisms to local residents.
Election officials should be vigilant of the recent threat incidents for their safety. They should guide the voters with resources on voting rights and protection against intimidation and harassment.
Local communities should engage with law enforcement and public officials to raise awareness of growing extremist hate activities and to proactively recognize and respond to such threats.
Election candidates and public officials should condemn threats of political violence, and other attempts to intimidate voters or otherwise suppress peaceful public participation in the election.
If there is any additional and or critical information please contact us at The Counterterrorism Group (CTG) by Telephone 202-643-2848 or email info@counterterrorismgroup.com
[1] Samuel Pearson, via Google Maps.
[2] San Marcos police investigating threatening flyers from 'Trump Klan', Austin American-Statesman, October 2024, https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/elections/local/2024/10/28/san-marcos-police-investigating-threatening-flyers-trump-klan-kamala-harris-signs/75892850007/
[3] Ibid