Voting on Election Day in Florida: What You Need to Know
Here’s what you need to know if you plan to vote on Election Day in Florida.
When you go to vote, no one should approach you, hand you flyers, try to convince you to vote for their candidate, or threaten you with your choice.
They’re not allowed to do that either wave machetes at you while waving a Donald Trump flagas happened Tuesday afternoon at a polling place in Neptune Beach, according to Police Chief Michael Key Jr. from Neptune Beach.
Police arrested Caleb James Williams, 18, of Neptune Beach on charges of aggravated assault on a person 65 years of age or older and 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 16- and 17-year-old youths, who showed up to “protest and oppose the opposing political side.”
Key said it “escalated well beyond freedom of speech” to the point that Williams “waved a machete above his head in an aggressive, threatening posture” at two women, aged 71 and 54, frightening them. 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 hindered in Neptune Beach or Duval County.”
Anti-Semitic insults shouted in South Florida
Last Thursday, a man was arrested in West Palm Beach for… shouting anti-Semitic and racist comments and obscenities as he circled the parking lot of an early voting site. Nicholas Farley, 30, faces up to 10 years in prison on two charges related to voter intimidation and interference.
These are extreme examples of voter intimidation. It is a third-degree felony in Florida, 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 you go to the polls.
What is voter intimidation?
Under Florida law, a person may not “use or threaten, directly or indirectly, force, violence, or intimidation or any tactic of coercion or intimidation to induce or coerce any individual” to:
- Vote or abstain from voting
- Vote or abstain from voting for a specific person or voting measure
- Abstain from registering to vote
- Refrain from acting as a legally authorized election official or poll watcher
It is also illegal to knowingly use false information to question someone’s right to vote; trying to convince someone to vote, register to vote, become an election official, or become a poll worker; or knowingly destroying, mutilating or defacing any voter registration form or election ballot.
Federal law says that “whoever intimidates, threatens, coerces or attempts to intimidate, threaten or coerce another person for the purpose of interfering with that other person’s right to vote or to vote of his or her choice, or for causing any other person whether to vote or not, any candidate (for federal office) shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for a term not exceeding one year, or both.
What are some examples of voter intimidation?
Voter intimidation can take many forms, but the end result is the same: making you uncomfortable, uncomfortable, and anxious about casting your vote. Some examples from the nonprofit watchdog group Legal Center Campaign include but are not limited to:
- Verbal or physical confrontation of voters
- Physical Harassment: Stand or hover near voters
- Direct confrontation or questioning of voters or asking voters for identification or proof of citizenship when they are not authorized to do so
- Distributing flyers who threaten with prison or other punitive measures against voters
- Occupying the parking lot of a polling station in such a way that voters could be prevented from entering.
- Vandalism of polling stations
- Use of police officers to threaten or intimidate voters
- Threats made by an employer This implies that a person’s job, wages or benefits could be at risk depending on how he or she votes
Each polling station must have a 50 meter ‘no invitation zone’ in which no person, group or organization may approach you with the intention of influencing your vote, distributing handouts or campaign materials, conducting polls (except for authorized exit polls) , asking for petition signatures or trying to sell you something.
What should I do if someone uses voter intimidation against me?
Try not to get involved. Leave if possible, ask to be left alone if not, and tell someone. You have several options.
- Call 911
- Tell an election official on site
- Notify all law enforcement personnel present at the polling place
- Report it to the standsa state attorney, your local election officeor call the Florida Voter Assistance Hotline at 1-866-308-6739
- Please contact the local FBI office.
What is allowed at the polling station?
Election day officials are also not allowed to influence anyone’s vote. Poll workers, election inspectors and other personnel are prohibited from:
- Wearing campaign buttons, shirts, hats or other politically oriented items
- Discussing a candidate, political party or related topics with other staff members
- Provide a visible written campaign or related material
Any form of photography, including security cameras, is prohibited, although voters are allowed to take photos of their ballot at the polling booth.
Who can go to the polls in Florida?
Only the following people are allowed to enter polling places in Florida:
- The person there to vote
- A person in that voter’s care, such as a child or an elderly person
- A person who cares for the voter or helps him vote, in the case of an elderly voter or someone who does not read English
- The provincial supervisor of elections or their designee
- Poll watchers approved by the Supervisor of Elections
- Election observers appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Authorized law enforcement or emergency services personnel
Spouses, parents, guardians and other people are not allowed to accompany you to a voting booth unless you are in your care or you are in their care, as described above.
If the polling place is in a location that the public uses to get to businesses or homes, other people may be walking through the area, but election officials are required to ensure they do not interfere with the voting process.
What are pollsters?
Poll watchers These are people who must monitor the voting process to ensure security and watch for signs of voter fraud. They must be authorized for this purpose by the Elections Supervisor and have an accompanying identification badge.
Poll workers are not allowed to interact with voters, approach polling booths or interfere with the “orderly conduct” of an election. Any questions should be directed to election staff. The following persons may have one poll worker at each polling station or early voting area:
- A political party or candidate
- A political committee formed for the express purpose of advocating a ballot issue
Poll watchers cannot be candidates or law enforcement officers.
Are guns allowed in polling places in Florida?
No. Under Florida lawno one may openly enter a polling station or carry a concealed weapon.
The only exception, according to the statewould be a law enforcement officer who is allowed to vote while on duty and who is required to carry a weapon while on duty.
(This story has been updated with new information.)
David Bauerlin, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union, contributed to this story.