Voter Intimidation

Voter intimidation is illegal under both federal law and Texas state law. Examples of voter intimidation include:

Direct confrontation of prospective voters;
Falsely presenting oneself as an elections official;
The use of insulting, offensive, or threatening language;
Spreading false information about voter requirements;
Blocking entry to a polling place;
Attempting to act as an observer without prior appointment;
Door to door canvassing efforts that intimidate voters; and
The use or threat of physical force.
Guns and other weapons, except for those belonging to peace officers, are prohibited on the premises of polling places. Therefore, the presence of any firearm in any polling place should be treated as intimidation.

Any actions that have the effect of intimidating voters are illegal, regardless of intent.

Identifying when a county fails to protect voters:

A county may fail to protect voters when it knows private parties are intimidating voters but fails to take action to stop the intimidation
Counties can also fail to protect voters from intimidation when, for example, officials know about a conspiracy to intimidate voters and could stop it, but choose not to
Failing to protect voters is a violation of federal law

FOR ANYONE IN THE FIELD: If you feel unsafe at any time, leave the location immediately

TAKE AS MANY NOTES AS SAFELY POSSIBLE:

What exactly happened?
What County and Polling Location are involved?
Where did it happen in relation to the polling location?
Who was involved?
What, if any, was the response from Election Workers or Law Enforcement?
Do voters look like, or otherwise express, that they were/are intimidated?
Will any of the voters who witnessed the behavior provide you with contact information?
When safe, call the 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) Election Protection Hotline and provide the information you collected so they can figure out what steps to take to try and remedy the situation.