TEHRAN- Surveys by U.S. media show a large majority of bipartisan Americans are scared about the increasing threat of politically motivated violence in the country as local and federal law enforcement officials were ramping up security efforts to protect the Tuesday midterms election process as well as protection for election staff.

The officials say that in some cases, they are making preparations for the possible breakout of violence over the coming days. American voters are telling the U.S. media they believe violence, unrest, or even civil war is on way.

According to a Washington Post-ABC News poll, nearly nine out of ten Americans (which is 88 percent of the U.S. population) have expressed their concern that divisions among rival political camps have reached a point where there’s an increased risk of politically motivated violence in the United States. Six in Ten Americans say they are “very concerned” about the risk of violence breaking out.

Reflecting the bipartisan concern, American media have reported that out of the two parties that control Congress more Americans blame the Republican Party for the risk of violence but the difference is not wide at all. That is 31 percent vs. the 25 percent who blame the Democratic Party more for the possible incitement of violence. Another 32 percent blame both parties equally. Most Democrats and Republicans blame the rival party.

Six in Ten Americans say they are “very concerned” about the risk of violence breaking out.It is the first time that the U.S. November midterms have stirred such an intense feeling of unease and fear among both the American population and officials, which has put the country on the brink.

There is a popular saying in Iraq attributed to the country’s highest commander, Abu Mehdi al-Muhandis, who was assassinated at the direct orders of ex-President Donald Trump in Baghdad on January 3, 2020, alongside Iran’s anti-terror icon Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani. During the battle against Daesh, al-Muhandis was asked about the U.S.’s destabilizing role, to which he replied “America will collapse at the hands of Trump”.

Since then, developments have shown that the risk of political violence within the U.S. have continued during the tenure of President Joe Biden who has struggled to reduce the threat.

After the midterms, Trump is widely expected to declare his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election and when you look at the polls, it seems increasingly likely that he maintains the widespread support of the American public, in particular, the extremist factions among his fan base that staged the insurrection on Capitol Hill. The ex-president dropped his heaviest hint to date, that he will make another run for the White House telling a rally he will "very, very, very probably do it again".

In the midterm Congress election, up to 300 candidates have been endorsed by Trump, and the majority of them have expressed support toward his claims that he won the last election, which many Americans and the potential new Congress candidates say results were seriously flawed and that the entire 2020 election was fixed. That has made the atmosphere in the U.S. dark, with a sense of dread about how the future developments will play out. 

If the U.S. is fearful about its future, then so should American allies across the globe.  

Among Trump’s core supporters are QAnon members who are part of a movement that accuses the American establishment or deep state of being run by a gang of pedophiles. A disturbing image, which brought them further belief with the suspicious suicide of Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted child sex offender, who died in mysterious circumstances in jail. The FBI raid on Trump's Florida home infuriated his supporters even further.

However, one of the key concerns of political violence erupting in a country where there are more firearms on the streets than there are citizens, is that many believe the electoral system itself is rigged. Among this growing number of Americans are candidates running in the midterms who stand to gain key positions that will give them power in the American establishment.

With a rigged system that many believe to be in place, the fear among the Democrats is that Republicans will use their new power to twist votes in their favor in the next presidential election in 2024. On this occasion, this could lead to violence instigated by the Democrats which may very well pave the way toward tearing the country apart.

At the end of the day, American households are suffering the most with a host of issues, including rising inflation, unprecedented levels of crime, mass shootings, rising costs and in essence an establishment that is doing very little to ease the multiple crises that Americans are facing.

The Democrat party’s hopes in the midterm election have seen a bitter blow as Biden's public approval rating consistently hits lows of below 50 percent. But history shows that opposition parties do fare better in midterm elections. Polls indicate the Republicans are poised to take control of the U.S. House of Representatives and possibly the Senate as well, which would give them the power to prevent Biden from passing legislation over the next two years.

Studies have shown that Americans are strongly in favor of a third party taking control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate (breaking the two-party system) but critics say any third strong political party will still be under the influence of powerful lobby groups in Washington such as the National Rifle Association or the extremely influential Zionist lobby.

Speaking about the U.S. political system, one voter in a town in New York told the media "It's divided and angry and hostile and corrupt, and it's on the brink of disaster, I think. I think it's incredibly discouraging. People believe what they want to believe and there's no changing minds, and I don't know how we'll ever turn back from it either."

Groups advocating for the rights of women are also furious at the U.S. Supreme Court decision earlier this year to revoke the constitutional right to choose abortion and whether this matter will now end up. Many American women feel powerless and argue that nobody is listening to their concerns and their human rights. It’s another major polarizing issue in the country, with women saying those in charge are taking their rights away.

Last week, the FBI as well as other U.S. administration agencies published a memorandum that warned of the increased likelihood of violence from what it labelled as domestic extremists in the 90 days after the election, according to a copy of the document obtained by U.S. news media outlets.

“Following the 2022 midterm election, perceptions of election-related fraud and dissatisfaction with electoral outcomes likely will result in heightened threats of violence against a broad range of targets — such as ideological opponents and election workers,” the memo said.

The fear of violence is real when you consider the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was attacked at their home by an assailant with a hammer and subsequently hospitalized. The attacker was searching for House Speaker Pelosi herself. That raised alarm among security officials who are facing a rising number of Americans with extra motivation, who are leaning towards violence and finding the methods easily accessible.

President Biden has pleaded with Americans to accept election results and avoid resorting to violence but experts say this may very well indeed fall on deaf ears. 

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