All articles tagged with #voter intimidation
Bomb threats linked to Russian sources targeted polling places in Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Arizona, leading to extended voting hours in some areas. No bombs were found, but the threats aimed to disrupt voting in key swing states. The FBI warns of foreign attempts to undermine U.S. election confidence.
Conservative operatives Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman have agreed to pay up to $1.25 million in a settlement with New York state over a 2020 robocall scheme aimed at dissuading Black people from voting. The robocalls, which falsely warned of arrest, debt collection, and forced vaccination if people voted by mail, targeted predominantly Black neighborhoods in several states. The settlement also requires the operatives to notify the attorney general's office before any lobbying or political campaigning in New York and submit future election-related communications for review. Attorney General Letitia James emphasized the importance of protecting the right to vote and stated that the pair orchestrated a disinformation campaign to intimidate Black voters.
Republican operatives Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman have agreed to pay $1.25 million in a settlement after being found liable for launching a robocall campaign targeting Black voters in an attempt to discourage voting by mail during the 2020 U.S. election. The calls made false and threatening claims about mail-in voting, leading to a lawsuit by the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation. The operatives had previously pleaded guilty to telecommunications fraud in Ohio and were fined by the FCC for unlawful robocalls.
Despite facing baseless attacks and threats, election workers in Fulton County, Ga., are still eager to serve, with some motivated by the abuse endured by two Black women falsely accused of election fraud in 2020. A survey found that more than half of election officials fear threats and intimidation will affect their ability to recruit for the 2024 election, but they are adapting by providing de-escalation training and mental health resources. Despite the challenges, Fulton County has filled all Election Day positions and is continuing to hire for early voting and reserve staff, with many individuals expressing a strong sense of duty and passion for participating in the electoral process.
San Marcos, Texas, has agreed to pay $175,000 to former state Sen. Wendy Davis and three other individuals after a 2020 incident in which a caravan of Trump supporters allegedly harassed a Biden campaign bus. The plaintiffs accused San Marcos law enforcement of ignoring their requests for a police escort and failing to protect them from voter intimidation. As part of the settlement, San Marcos police officers and staff will receive training on responding to political violence and voter intimidation, and the city must issue a public statement. The lawsuit alleged that law enforcement violated the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 by not taking appropriate action to prevent the Trump supporters from intimidating voters.
Civil rights activists, including the Tallahassee NAACP and attorney Ben Crump, are calling for the dismissal of felony voter fraud charges against Marsha Ervin, a 69-year-old Black woman in Florida. Ervin, who served a prison sentence for a felony conviction and was released in 2018, allegedly voted while still on probation in the 2020 general and 2022 primary elections. Her attorneys argue that confusion around changes in state law regarding voting rights for people with past felony convictions contributed to the situation. Activists claim that the arrest could have a chilling effect on other voters and criticize the confusing system intentionally put in place.