What counts as voter intimidation?

By
Amber Phillips
Oct. 30, 2020 at 9:33 a.m. CDT

It’s illegal to intimidate voters in America. But what counts as voter intimidation? It’s sometimes a know-it-when-you-see-it situation, which makes it complicated to enforce.

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Hold rallies outside a polling location: Even one that may make some voters feel uncomfortable, as long as you’re outside the legal buffer zone, which is usually 100 to 150 feet. But just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it won’t get a tsk-tsk from election officials. More than 300 supporters of President Trump gathering at a poll site on early voting day in California caused election officials there to publicly warn that voter intimidation wouldn’t be allowed.

Bring a gun to the polls: Only six states and D.C. ban guns at all polling locations, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Another four say you can bring a gun, but you can’t conceal your weapon; it has to be out in the open. In most states, traditional polling locations like schools are government property, and there are laws about bringing guns onto school property.

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Be loud and annoying while in line to vote, or drive by and be loud and annoying: Here are some examples from The Washington Post’s Joshua Partlow of behavior election officials may disapprove of but don’t necessarily have the means to police:
In Craven County, N.C., an election worker reported that a Trump supporter was “loudly exclaiming political statements” and played a Trump rally loudly on her phone within earshot of others lining up to vote.

More:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/10/30/voter-intimidation/