As the most divisive presidential election in recent memory nears its conclusion, some armed militia groups in the U.S. are preparing for the possibility of civil unrest depending on the outcome of the election. At least one paramilitary group, the Oath Keepers, has called on members to monitor voting sites for signs of election fraud.
Armed paramilitary groups first gained prominence in the early 1990s, but their numbers have spiked again in recent years. The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks extremist groups, estimates there were 276 active militias last year, up from 42 in 2008.
In recent years, armed groups have confronted federal authorities in a series of land-use disputes in the western United States. Federal officials fear more clashes could come after seven militants were acquitted on conspiracy charges for occupying a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon.
The Oath Keepers is a prominent anti-government force that sent gun-toting members to the 2014 race riots in Ferguson, Missouri. The Three Percent Security Force militia operates independently, but is affiliated with a national armed movement that calls for members to defend individual rights in the face of what they see as an overreaching federal government.