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    machete-wielding Trump supporter accused of voter intimidation

    Online Niel Posted on

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    When you go to the polls, no one is allowed to approach you, hand you flyers, try to convince you to vote for their candidate or threaten you about your choice.

    They are also not allowed wave their machetes at you while waving a Donald Trump flagas happened Tuesday afternoon at a polling place in Neptune Beach, according to Neptune Beach Police Chief Michael Key Jr.

    Police arrested Caleb James Williams, 18, of Neptune Beach on a charge of aggravated assault on a person 65 or older and a misdemeanor charge of improper display of a firearm or dangerous weapons, according to Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office jail records. Key said he was part of a group of seven men, all 16 and 17-year-olds, who turned up to “protest and antagonize the opposite political side”.

    Key said it had escalated “well beyond free speech” to the point where Williams “slung a machete over their heads in an aggressive and threatening posture” at two women, aged 71 and 54, frightening them . The women called the police.

    “Voting in our country is one of the most sacred and protected rights we have,” Key said in the a news conference on Tuesday. “Ensuring everyone’s right to vote is crucial and will not be hindered in Neptune Beach or Duval County.”

    Anti-Semitic slurs were shouted in South Florida

    Last Thursday, a man was arrested in West Palm Beach for shouting anti-Semitic and racial slurs and obscenities as they rounded the parking lot of an early voting location. Nicholas Farley, 30, faces up to 10 years in prison on two counts of voter intimidation and interference.

    These are extreme examples of voter intimidation. It is a third-degree felony in Florida, punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000, and against federal law.

    Here’s what you need to know when you head to the polls.

    What is voter intimidation?

    Under Florida law, a person may not “directly or indirectly use or threaten to use force, violence, or intimidation or any coercive or intimidating tactics to induce or coerce a person” to:

    • Vote or abstain
    • Vote or abstain from voting for any person or ballot measure
    • Refrain from registering to vote
    • Refrain from acting as a legally authorized election official or vote observer

    It is also illegal to knowingly use false information to challenge a person’s right to vote; attempting to induce someone to vote, register to vote, become an election official or vote observer; or knowingly destroys, mutilates or defaces a voter registration form or election ballot.

    Federal law says that “(anyone) intimidates, threatens, coerces or attempts to intimidate, threaten or coerce any other person for the purpose of interfering with the right of another person to vote or to vote as he may choose or to cause another person to for which to vote or not to vote,” any candidate (for a federal office) shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both.”

    What are some examples of voter intimidation?

    Voter intimidation can take many forms, but the end result is the same: making you anxious, uncomfortable, and worried about casting your vote. Some examples from the nonprofit watchdog group The legal center of the campaign include but are not limited to:

    • Verbal or physical confrontation of voters
    • Physical intimidation: Stand or hover near voters
    • Direct confrontation or questioning of voters or ask voters for ID or proof of citizenship when they are not authorized to do so
    • Handing out flyers that threaten imprisonment or other punitive action against persons who vote
    • Occupying the parking lot of a polling station in such a way that voters are prevented from entering.
    • Vandalism of polling stations
    • Use of police officers to threaten or intimidate voters
    • Threats made by an employer which involves a person’s job, wages or benefits can be threatened based on how they vote

    Each polling place must have a 150-foot “no solicitation zone” where no person, group, or organization can approach you with the intent to influence your vote, distribute campaign documents or materials, conduct surveys (except authorized exit surveys), asking for signatures on petitions or trying to sell you something.

    What do I do if someone uses voter intimidation against me?

    Don’t try to get involved. Move away if possible, ask to be left alone if not and notify someone. You have a variety of options.

    • Call 911
    • Tell an election official at the site
    • Notify any law enforcement personnel present at the polling station
    • Report it to statea state attorney, you the local electoral officeor call the Florida Voter Helpline at 1-866-308-6739
    • contact the local FBI office.

    What is allowed at the polling station?

    Election Day officials are also prohibited from influencing someone’s vote. Election workers, election inspectors and other employees are prohibited from:

    • Wear campaign buttons, shirts, hats or any politically oriented items
    • Discuss any candidate, political party or related topics with other staff members
    • Have any visible written campaign or related material

    Photography of any kind, including surveillance cameras, is prohibited, although voters may take photos of ballots while in the voting booth.

    Who Can Enter Florida Polling Stations?

    It’s just the following people allowed to enter polling places in Florida:

    • The person there to vote
    • A person in that voter’s care, such as a child or an elderly person
    • A person who takes care of the voter or helps him to vote, in the case of an elderly voter or one who does not read English
    • The county supervisor of elections or their deputy
    • Polling observers approved by the Supervisor of Elections
    • Election observers appointed by the State Department
    • Authorized law enforcement officers or emergency service personnel

    Spouses, parents, guardians and others cannot accompany you to a polling booth unless they are in your care or you are in their care as described above.

    If the polling station is in a location that the public uses to get to businesses or homes, there may be other people walking around the area, but election officials are required to ensure that they do not interfere with the voting process.

    What are poll watchers?

    Poll watchers are people appointed to watch the voting process to ensure security and watch for signs of vote fraud. They must be authorized by the Supervisor of Elections and must display a provided identification badge.

    Polling observers cannot interact with voters or approach voting booths and cannot prevent the “orderly conduct” of elections. Any questions should be directed to election staff. The following may have one observer in each polling station or early voting area:

    • A political party or candidate
    • A political committee formed for the express purpose of supporting the passage or defeat of an issue on the ballot

    Poll watchers cannot be candidates or law enforcement officers.

    Are guns allowed at polling places in Florida?

    Not. According to Florida lawno person may openly carry or carry a concealed weapon in a polling station.

    The only exception, according to the statewould be a law enforcement officer who has been authorized to vote while on duty and is required to carry a weapon while on duty.

    (This story has been updated with new information.)

    David Bauerlin, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union, contributed to this story.

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