National

America's cities are bracing for violence as soon as tomorrow.

Driving the news: Landmarks, stores, and restaurants in New York, Washington D.C. and other cities are boarding up their doors in fear that Election Day will bring another blow to their businesses, many of which are already reeling from the pandemic and damage from protests. 

Why it matters: The election’s outcome could lead to civil unrest, no matter who wins. People all over the country are preparing for the worst.

A store with Trump graffiti in Soho on November 2, 2020. 

A store with Trump graffiti in Soho, New York, on Monday. Photo by Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images

Photo by Christina Horsten/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Craftsmen attach wooden panels to shop windows for protection in the upscale Fifth Avenue shopping mile. Photo: Christina Horsten/picture alliance via Getty Images

Photo by Christina Horsten/picture alliance via Getty Images

Craftsmen attach wooden boards to the shop windows of the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square. Photo: Christina Horsten/picture alliance via Getty Images

A person passes by a business boarded up in the Soho area. Soho was one of the areas where most of the looting occurred in June. Photo: Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)

Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

The White House is seen behind fencing and barriers at Black Lives Matter plaza, 3 days before the election. Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Photo by Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Concrete barriers are put in place to stabilize black fencing that surround the U.S. Chamber of Commerce building across from Lafayette Square. Photo: Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post via Getty Images

People walk past a shop being boarded up in precaution to unrest related to the election. Photo: Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Go deeper: A safe, sane way to navigate election night — and beyond

In photos: America on edge amid fears of election violence

The election’s outcome could lead to civil unrest, no matter who wins.

Boarded up windows in D.C. Photo: Liu Jie/Xinhua via Getty Images

Politics

2020 election candidates

2020 election

America&#x27;s cities are bracing for violence as soon as tomorrow.Driving the news: Landmarks, stores, and restaurants in New York, Washington D.C. and other cities are boarding up their doors in fear that Election Day will bring another blow to their businesses, many of which are already reeling from the pandemic and damage from protests.

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.