Election supervisors in Leon and Monroe counties contacted the FBI after separate reports of federal agents near early-voting sites, according to WFSU. One report involved Border Patrol vehicles at a Leon County library; the other concerned a reported stop near a Key Largo voting location.
What officials reported
In Leon County, two U.S. Customs and Border Patrol vehicles were seen at the Northeast Branch Library, which Supervisor of Elections Mark Earley described as the county’s busiest early-voting location. The vehicles remained for about 10 minutes, according to WTXL. Earley filed a formal FBI complaint. His office received no calls from voters about the sighting, and he described the incident as unfortunate, according to CBS Miami. He urged voters with concerns to contact their county elections supervisor.
In Monroe County, Supervisor of Elections Sherri Hodies opened an investigation after reports of masked federal agents stopping a vehicle near a Key Largo voting location. Keys Weekly, citing video and Hodies’ statement, reported that agents spoke with a man who had been pulled from his vehicle at the south entrance of the government center. The outlet said it was not known whether the man was going there to vote.
Rules and prior assurances
Florida Statutes Section 102.031 allows law-enforcement officers into a polling room or early-voting area during voting hours only with permission from the clerk or a majority of the inspectors. It bars voter solicitation inside polling places and within 150 feet of their entrances and early-voting sites. The statute also authorizes election officials to take reasonable steps to maintain order, including having disruptive people removed, and requires the sheriff to deputize an officer for each polling place and early-voting site while it is open.
Before the reports, federal officials had assured election supervisors that immigration enforcement would not take place at polling locations, according to the Miami Herald. Brevard County Supervisor of Elections Tim Bobanic said officials had repeatedly been told there were no plans for such activity in Florida. The Herald also reported that the Florida Department of State and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond to its requests for comment.
Thomas Kennedy, a spokesperson for the Florida Immigrant Coalition, told the Herald that he had expected agents might appear at polling places despite hoping they would not. He said their presence was unnecessary and could be perceived as an effort to intimidate voters.
Wider election concerns
A WRAL fact-check reported immigration agents at or near polling sites during primaries in Simi Valley, California; Syracuse, New York; and Bexar County, Texas. The Department of Homeland Security has said ICE is not planning operations targeting polling locations; DHS Assistant Secretary for Election Integrity Heather Honey said there would be no ICE presence at polling locations during the midterm elections, according to NPR.
Federal election officials and local administrators have been preparing for the possibility of agents appearing at polling places, while poll chaplains have encouraged voting and taken part in training on immigrant rights, the Associated Press reported. At a July panel, Central Florida election supervisors discussed voter concerns about ICE at the polls and said turnout in the state’s August primary can range from 17% to 24%, according to Central Florida Public Media.
Voter protections
The U.S. Department of Justice’s voter-intimidation guide says federal law prohibits intimidation, threats and coercion throughout the voting process, including during registration, ballot-casting and vote-counting.
