Bullies at the Ballot Box - Demos
Bullies at the Ballot Box - Demos
Bullies at the Ballot Box - Demos
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tampering with a voter’s ballot, providing inducements<br />
to voters, cre<strong>at</strong>ing a breach of <strong>the</strong> peace, preventing<br />
one’s employees from voting, or o<strong>the</strong>rwise interfering<br />
or <strong>at</strong>tempting to interfere with any voter inside a<br />
polling place. 362<br />
nevaDa<br />
Nevada law prohibits <strong>the</strong> use or thre<strong>at</strong> of use of<br />
“force, intimid<strong>at</strong>ion, coercion, violence, restrain or<br />
undue influence” in connection with any election. 363<br />
And as described above, it is unlawful for members<br />
of <strong>the</strong> general public to photograph or record people<br />
who are in <strong>the</strong> process of voting. 364 It is a felony under<br />
Nevada law to interfere with <strong>the</strong> conduct of an election<br />
or o<strong>the</strong>rwise remove, receive, or display any ballot<br />
th<strong>at</strong> has been prepared by a voter before <strong>the</strong> polls are<br />
closed. 365<br />
new hamPshire<br />
New Hampshire law makes it unlawful to “use or<br />
thre<strong>at</strong>en force, violence, or any tactic of coercion<br />
or intimid<strong>at</strong>ion to knowingly induce or compel any<br />
o<strong>the</strong>r person to vote or refrain from voting, vote or<br />
refrain from voting for any particular candid<strong>at</strong>e or<br />
ballot measure, or refrain from registering to vote.” 366<br />
New Hampshire also makes it a misdemeanor for<br />
individuals to knowingly interfere or <strong>at</strong>tempt to<br />
interfere with a voter in <strong>the</strong> space within <strong>the</strong> guardrail.<br />
This prohibition includes any effort to induce a voter<br />
to show how he marks or has marked his ballot before<br />
he or she has voted. 367<br />
north Carolina<br />
North Carolina law is strong. First, it makes it illegal<br />
for any person to interfere with or <strong>at</strong>tempt to interfere<br />
with any voter when inside <strong>the</strong> voting enclosure or<br />
when marking his ballots. 368 One possible shortcoming<br />
with this law is th<strong>at</strong> it relies on narrow definitions<br />
of “voting place” and “voting enclosure.” 369 North<br />
Carolina law does, however, specify th<strong>at</strong> each county<br />
board of elections must specify a “buffer zone” around<br />
<strong>the</strong> polling place where it is prohibited to hinder or<br />
harass voters and where no electioneering activities<br />
may occur. 370 The buffer zone may not be more than<br />
50 feet or less than 25 feet from <strong>the</strong> entrance of <strong>the</strong><br />
trouBle in<br />
north Carolina:<br />
The Need for Enforcement<br />
Examples of voter intimid<strong>at</strong>ion in North Carolina<br />
illustr<strong>at</strong>e <strong>the</strong> importance of <strong>the</strong>se strong st<strong>at</strong>utes. For<br />
example, in 2008 supporters of Barack Obama were<br />
heckled and harassed <strong>at</strong> an early voting center in<br />
Fayetteville, North Carolina by a group of protesters as<br />
<strong>the</strong>y went in to vote. 375 O<strong>the</strong>rs report th<strong>at</strong> protesters from<br />
both sides escal<strong>at</strong>ed this m<strong>at</strong>ter into a shouting m<strong>at</strong>ch,<br />
although <strong>the</strong>re were no reports of physical violence. 376<br />
One journalist noted th<strong>at</strong> nearly all of <strong>the</strong> early voters<br />
were black and th<strong>at</strong> nearly all of <strong>the</strong> protesters were<br />
white. 377 Harassment of this sort must be addressed,<br />
as it is likely to intimid<strong>at</strong>e and possibly disenfranchise<br />
voters. North Carolina law enforcement has <strong>the</strong> tools<br />
to stop this voter intimid<strong>at</strong>ion, but <strong>the</strong>y must be used to<br />
protect voters. n<br />
polling place. 371 This is a commendable st<strong>at</strong>ute and one<br />
th<strong>at</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r st<strong>at</strong>es should consider adopting. Fur<strong>the</strong>r,<br />
North Carolina requires <strong>the</strong> chief judge and judges of<br />
election to “enforce peace and good order in and about<br />
<strong>the</strong> place of registr<strong>at</strong>ion and voting,” including keeping<br />
“open and unobstructed <strong>the</strong> place <strong>at</strong> which voters or<br />
persons seeking to register or vote have access to <strong>the</strong><br />
place of registr<strong>at</strong>ion and voting.” 372 North Carolina<br />
officials interpret “in and about” very broadly. 373<br />
These officials are charged with “prevent[ing] and<br />
stop[ping] improper practices and <strong>at</strong>tempts to obstruct,<br />
intimid<strong>at</strong>e, or interfere with any person in registering<br />
or voting.” 374<br />
ohio<br />
Ohio law makes it illegal for any person to “<strong>at</strong>tempt<br />
by intimid<strong>at</strong>ion, coercion, or o<strong>the</strong>r unlawful means to<br />
induce such deleg<strong>at</strong>e or elector to register or refrain<br />
from registering or to vote or refrain from voting <strong>at</strong><br />
a primary, convention, or election for a particular<br />
person, question, or issue.” 378 It is also prohibited<br />
under Ohio law to remove or deface property th<strong>at</strong><br />
September 2012 | <strong>Bullies</strong> <strong>at</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Ballot</strong> <strong>Box</strong> • 29