'Not gonna happen': D.C. Attorney General warns of voter intimidation



WASHINGTON (ABC7) — In the first Presidential debate in September and on the campaign trail, President Donald Trump has called on his supporters to be "poll watchers" at voting locations.

"I'm urging my supporters to go into the polls and watch very carefully, because that's what has to happen" Mr. Trump said during the debate.

The statement has leaders in the D.M.V. region like Washington, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine attempting to set the record straight.

"That is illegal, it is not appropriate and it is not going to happen," says Racine.

DC Attorney General Karl Racine (ABC7)

That is illegal, it is not appropriate and it is not going to happen.

Maryland Board of Elections Vice Chair Patrick Hogan also sought to reassure voters during a recent meeting.

READ ALSO: ABC7 On Your Side Voter Hotline: Tell us about issues at the polls or with ballots

"We have a history of good elections, civil elections and I think that will continue, but these are unique times," said Hogan.

While election monitors are legal in the D.M.V. region, "that process requires an application from an individual, qualifications and strict limits," Racine tells Seven On Your Side.

Otherwise, the activity can fall under voter intimidation which is illegal.

RELATED: Know your rights: What to do if you face trouble at the polls here in the D.M.V. region

MIAMI, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 21: Voters fill out their ballots as they vote at the Stephen P. Clark Government Center polling station on October 21, 2020 in Miami, Florida. The state of Florida saw a record-breaking first day of early voting with over 3.1 million votes cast. The early voting ends on Nov. 1. Voters are casting their ballots for presidential candidates President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The Virginia and D.C. Attorney's General have both recently released statements outlining what is and is not permissible at the polls.

Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring recently said in a CNN interview that "voter intimidation is never acceptable and its not going to be tolerated in Virginia."

Racine adds "it is unlawful to threaten, intimidate or coerce district residents who chose to vote by mail or in person, and now more than ever we urge district residents to be vigilant and report any type of unauthorized poll monitoring or voter intimidation to the office of the Attorney General."

Election and law enforcement officials in the District, Maryland and Virginia all have hotlines and online resources for you to report any suspected voter intimidation.

"The bottom line is D.C. residents should feel secure and have confidence that their vote will count no matter who they vote for," says Racine.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Racial Reality Re: Buffalo

Image
  So NPR did a piece this morning on the “Replacement Theory” that we started to really hear about around Charlottesville. And since I’m in bed sick today I have time to share how this rhetoric has had a very real impact on my life. In a *very different workplace, I had a colleague who religiously watched programming that espoused and platformed this theory. And regularly after the shows would end, they would come out and pick a, “debate” with me. Mind you these discussions weren’t about work. And eventually they went from being overall social-political to all racially focused in some way. And this wouldn’t happen to anyone else. Just me the lone POC manager, in front of our colleagues. It didn’t take long for me to feel specifically targeted and antagonized because of my race. It got bad enough that others also could see the pattern. It got to the point where I demanded leadership and HR intervene. But it continued. Keep in mind this person was educated, seemingly level headed, oft
Read more

Now Is The Time

Image
  This year was supposed to D.C.'s 40th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parade. ABC7 covers the event every year, and in lieu of being able to do so this year because of COVID-19 limitations, we instead put together an hour-long special dedicated to Dr. King's legacy that aired at 4 p.m. Monday on ABC7 News. I had the honor of producing the program. Watch here. 
Read more

A public health crisis: forum seeks to reframe gun violence in DC

Image
  2020 is DC's deadliest year in 15 years, with 194 homicides reported so far. 11 of those homicide victims have been under 18-years-old, the youngest being 1-year-old Carmelo Duncan who was laid to rest Tuesday after being shot and killed on December 4th. Monday a forum was held bringing together community activist and health care professionals to discuss a relatively new theory, that gun violence should be treated as a public health emergency. More at WJLA.  
Read more