World News – United States – Nevada AG asks observers: obey the law

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford answers questions from Las Vegas Sun political reporter John Sadler during an interview at Ford’s office at the Grant Sawyer Building Monday, Nov 25, 2019

President Donald Trump sounded the alarm during the first presidential debate on September 29 when he told his supporters to « go to the polls and watch very carefully »

The statement, along with Trump’s repeated baseless claims of electoral fraud, sparked serious backlash in Nevada and across the country from Democrats, many of whom accused Trump of pushing for intimidation of voters in an election that is expected to be close in many states

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford has been one of the main voices criticizing Trump’s remarks

« We don’t need to go back to Jim Crow South to understand what those words meant, » said Ford, saying he was concerned about « the verbiage that I heard, the rhetoric that I heard from the president « 

Trump campaign spokeswoman Thea McDonald criticized what she called the media’s ‘gasping obsession’ with Trump campaign poll watchers and said recruiting observers was a tactic typical country

« Poll observers are essential to ensure the fairness of any election, and President Trump’s volunteer observers will be trained to ensure that all rules are applied equally, that all valid ballots are counted and that any breach of Democratic rules is overturned, ”said McDonald in a report « And if faults are called, the Trump campaign will go to court to enforce laws, as rightfully drafted by state legislatures, to protect the right to vote of every voter »

Ford agreed that poll watchers had their place on election day, but said Trump « wasn’t talking about watching polls He was talking about voter intimidation »

« There are ways you can become a legitimate poll observer, » Ford told the Washington Post « It requires certain attestations, and you are not allowed to intimidate or engage with those who vote »

Trump’s statement during the nightly debate prompted a warning from Ford « FYI, voter intimidation is illegal in Nevada, » Ford said on Twitter « Believe me when I say it, do it , and you will be sued « 

Voter intimidation is illegal under state and federal laws, and Ford has said anyone who bullying voters is « committing a Category E crime »

Category E crimes carry a minimum sentence of one year and a maximum sentence of four years in prison

In a statement, Jennifer Russell, a spokeswoman for the Nevada Secretary of State’s office, said examples of voter intimidation included physically blocking a polling station so that a voter would not cannot vote; questioning voters at the polls about their political choices, their citizenship status or their criminal record; and use threatening language around a polling station

Ford said he heard of people during early voting coughing at others or yelling at other voters, although he said his office did not pursue anyone in general, he said says, if an election official is involved, situations tend to calm down

He has heard of cases where people have had to call the police, which normally ends in a warning, he said

« It’s appropriate, » said Ford. « Sometimes people don’t know they’re crossing the line, so you want to give them a warning »

Merely observing an election, according to the law, is fine, although it comes with caveats Russell said election observers must wear an identification tag and sign a recognition form that they will respect the observation rules

Observers are not allowed to speak to voters and must direct their questions to an election official. If they break the rules, they will be asked to leave

« Transparency is key to a fair election, » Russell said in a statement. « As a result, Nevada election officials welcome public observation of all aspects of the voting process »

Observers – and any « member of the general public » – according to state statutes are not allowed to photograph or record the physical act of voting. Reservations are included in the law to allow journalists to make their work

Although election observers must exist in the background, polling officers are permitted to assist voters if they have difficulty voting, per the Nevada Voter Bill of Rights

Kulin said, however, that these workers should not discuss candidates or their political positions with voters. They are there, essentially, to make sure voters can vote, not to push them one way or the other. in another, he said

Voters may see an election when they go to the polls However, campaigning within 100 feet of a polling location is illegal Outside of that 100-foot barrier, however, campaigning is legal as long as there is no voter intimidation

Ford said voters should contact a team leader at the voting site if they suspect or see voter intimidation and that the leader will know what to do in the situation Voters who complain about voter intimidation at polling stations can also contact the Secretary of State’s office (775-684-5708, [email protected]) or the Clark County Elections Office (702-455-8683, [email protected])

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