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Ministry of Defense Expands Election Security
New Thessalonica - Yuma: In a spontaneous announcement earlier today, Minister of Defense Trevor Westbrook has stated that Federal Police will be deployed to polling stations across the Republic to ensure voter safety. This news follows the attempt on Governor Aaron Stone's life last month, which Minister Westbrook says 'was a wake up call for the entire nation, and that we were lucky that Governor Stone's luck held out.' He further stated that 'it is Crayter's responsibility to ensure our people remain safe, and that despite our best efforts, we failed Governor Stone. We can only reaffirm our efforts so it doesn't happen again.'
Jennifer Delaney, running mate for Governor Stone, said that 'the news was welcome', and that the hopes the expanded security will deter future attempts. She added, 'I'm aware that this may also be seen as a step towards autocracy, but duty is ingrained into the minds of every one of Crayter's protectors. Their only job is to keep people safe, and they know better than to try and tamper with the democratic process. It wouldn't end well for anybody.' Ms. Delaney said that she looks forward to Sunday's election, and said she feels confident that Crayter will move in the right direction.
The news of this security expansion was not universally approved of, however. Despite affirming hopes that it will provide protection for voters, Candidate Joshua Ellis has lashed back claiming that the expansion will deter many of his supporters from participating. 'I firmly believe that there shouldn't be any obstacles, no matter how small. Protection from harm is nice, but protection from your opponents? What's to stop them from obstructing someone's right to lay down criticism? Words are words, and only the weak-willed let words cause harm,' he said. Ellis has said that he intends to hold a small rally just before polls open, and has said that he 'won't tolerate any obstruction of my peoples' right to speech.'
Polling locations are set to open at 9am Yuma Time, with e-voting channels enabling at the same time. All voting will be closed at midnight.
That is all for now, stay tuned next week for more breaking news and updates from the Independent Worlds most trusted news broadcast!
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