Republicans have gone beyond intimidating voters at drop boxes and have started going door to door to harass those who might vote for Democrats.
Reuters reported on an incident in California:
The canvassers in California’s Shasta County in September wore reflective orange vests and official-looking badges that read “Voter Taskforce.” Four residents said they mistook them for government officials.
But the door knockers didn’t explain where to vote or promote a candidate, the usual work of canvassers ahead of a big election.
Instead, they grilled residents on their voting history and who lived in their homes, probing questions that might have violated state laws on intimidation and harassment, according to the county’s chief election official.
These sorts of incidents have happened in 19 states, where Trump supporters have taken the tradition of door-to-door canvassing to get out the vote and turned it into a harassment and intimidation technique designed to both discourage from voting, and if they do vote, challenging their ballots.
In Michigan, Trump supporters plan to use the data that they gathered while harassing and intimidating voters to challenge votes.
Trump and his supporters are using the traditional tools of democracy to attack democracy itself.
The United States hasn’t since this level of voter intimidation since the Civil Rights era.
If anyone comes to your door claiming to be from a voter task force, ask them for identification, take a picture of it with your phone, close the door, and then report the person for voter intimidation and harassment.
Republicans are breaking the law and won’t stop until they are arrested.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
