Machete-waving Trump supporter accused of intimidating voters

When you go to vote, no one is allowed to approach you, hand out flyers, persuade you to vote for their candidate, or threaten you about your choice.

They are not allowed either Donald Trump waves a machete at you while waving his flagAs was the case at a polling place in Neptune Beach on Tuesday afternoon, according to Neptune Beach Police Chief Michael Key Jr.

Police arrested Caleb James Williams, 18, of Neptune Beach, on charges of aggravated assault on a person 65 years of age or older and misdemeanor charges of improper display of a firearm or dangerous weapon, according to Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office jail records. Key said he was part of a group of seven men, all teenagers aged 16 and 17, who came to “protest and anger the opposing political side.”

Key said this went “far beyond freedom of expression” and that Williams intimidated two women, aged 71 and 54, by “waving a machete over his head in an aggressive and threatening stance”. The women called the police.

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

Anti-Semitic slurs shouted in South Florida

A man was arrested in West Palm Beach last Thursday. Shouting anti-Semitic and racist slurs and obscenities Wandering around the parking lot of the early voting area. Nicholas Farley, 30, faces up to 10 years in prison on two charges of voter intimidation and interference.

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

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

What is voter intimidation?

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

Vote or refrain from voting
Vote or refrain from voting for a specific person or ballot measure
Avoid registering to vote
Avoid acting as a legally authorized election official or poll observer

It is also illegal to knowingly use false information to impugn a person’s right to vote; attempting to encourage someone to vote, register to vote, become an election official, or become a poll watcher; or knowingly destroying, mutilating or falsifying a voter registration form or election ballot.

Federal law says “(Whoever) intimidates, threatens, coerces or attempts to intimidate, threaten or coerce another person with the purpose of interfering with or causing another person’s right to vote or to vote according to his/her choice, “any candidate (for federal office) shall be fined or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both, under this title.”

What are some examples of voter suppression?

Voter intimidation can take many forms, but the end result is the same: making you uneasy, uneasy, and anxious about voting. Some examples from a nonprofit watchdog group Campaign Legal Center includes but is not limited to:

Verbal or physical confrontation with voters
Physical intimidation: Standing or wandering near voters
Directly confronting or questioning voters or where they are not authorized to ask voters for proof of identity or citizenship.
Distributing flyers Threatening imprisonment or other criminal action against people who vote
Occupying a polling place parking lot in a way that prevents voters from entering.
Vandalism polling places
Use of police officers threatening or intimidating voters
Threats made by the employer Implying that a person’s job, salary, or benefits could be threatened depending on how they vote

Each polling place must have a 150-metre “no-solicit zone” where no person, group or organization can approach you to influence your vote, distribute leaflets or campaign materials, conduct polls (except permitted exit polls). Asking for signatures on petitions or trying to sell you anything.

What should I do if someone is trying to intimidate voters against me?

Don’t try to interact. If possible, walk away, if not, ask to be left alone and notify someone. You have various options.

call 911
Tell an election official on site
Notify law enforcement personnel at the polling place
Report this to: situationa state attorney, your local election officeor call the Florida Voter Hotline at 1-866-308-6739.
Contact us local FBI office.

What is allowed at the polling place?

Election Day officials are also prohibited from influencing anyone’s vote. Poll workers, election inspectors, and other personnel are prohibited from:

Wearing campaign buttons, shirts, hats, or any politically oriented items
Discussing any candidate, political party or related issues with other employees
Have any written campaigns or related materials visible

Photography of any kind, including security cameras, is prohibited, but voters can take photos of their ballots while in the voting booth.

Who can enter polling places in Florida?

Only the following people They were allowed into polling places in Florida:

The person who will vote is there
A person in the voter’s care, such as a child or elderly person
In the case of an elderly voter or a voter who does not read English, the person who cares for the voter or helps him or her vote
District Election Chief or his deputy
Poll observers approved by the Chief Election Officer
Election observers appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Authorized law enforcement officers or emergency personnel

Spouses, parents, guardians, and others cannot accompany you into the voting booth unless they are under your or your supervision as described above.

If the voting room is in an area that people use to get to their workplaces or homes, other people may pass through the area, but election officials must ensure that they do not interfere with the voting process.

What are poll watchers?

poll watchers They are the people tasked with overseeing the voting process to ensure security and watch for signs of voter fraud. They must be authorized by the Electoral Officer and present an issued identification card.

Poll watchers cannot interact with voters or approach voting booths and cannot interfere with the “orderly conduct” of the election. Any questions should be directed to election staff. A poll watcher may be present at each polling room or early voting area of:

Political party or candidate
A political committee formed for the purpose of advocating the adoption or defeat of an issue in a vote.

Poll watchers cannot be candidates or law enforcement officers.

Are guns allowed at polling places in Florida?

NO. under Florida lawNo one may openly carry a gun or carry a concealed weapon into a polling place.

The only exception is by stateIt will be the law enforcement officer who has the authority to vote and must carry a weapon while on duty.

(This story has been updated with new information.)

David Bauerlin of the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville contributed to this story.