DA Krasner warns any who would interfere in Philly elections: ‘Don’t’

Ask us: As Election Day draws near, what questions do you have?

In 2020, two men with guns arrived in Philadelphia with plans to interfere with the vote-counting process that was underway at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. They traveled from Virginia in a vehicle sporting stickers promoting a QAnon conspiracy theory.

Anyone with similar ideas to attack or interfere with this year’s election will be met with handcuffs, said Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner.

“We have handcuffs, we have jail cells, and we have juries who will be here,” he said in a Wednesday news conference.

“Sometimes with extremists, it’s necessary to knock on their foreheads early, and that is what we’re doing now,” Krasner said. “We’re making sure you have all the information you need so you do not get yourself into a pair of handcuffs. Because believe me, if you try to interfere with, or erase the votes of Philadelphians, that’s where you’re going to be.”

Krasner’s warning comes as concerns of violence are growing in the days leading up to the midterms.

City Commissioner Omar Sabir called next week’s vote the “World Series” of elections, and promised that officials will closely monitor the process for any interference.

“This is the most important election of my lifetime and rest assured, Philadelphians, it will be safe for you to vote the same as it’s always been,” Sabir said. “Philadelphia is the birthplace of democracy, and I will be damned if democracy dies here in Philadelphia on my watch.”

The DA’s office is working with multiple partners to protect the election, including Philadelphia police, the FBI, and state partners, to make sure no one interferes with voters as they cast their ballots or those tabulating results.