Trump `army' of poll watchers could frighten voters, election officials warn
Deep in the Democratic strong hold of Fairfax County, Virginia, about 50 of President Donald Trump' s supporters gathered, wrapping themselves in American flags and waving Trump 2020 banners as they chan ted :“Four more years! Four more years!”
It was Sept .19, and the county had just begun early voting. The Republican volunteers stood on the side walk outside of t he concrete Fairfax County government center building. Steps away, voters waited to cast their ballot while lined upon blue social distancing markers.
As the crowd grew — along with the chants — county elections officials began whisking the voters into the building, despite concerns of spreadi ng COVID- 19. County officials explained later that several voters felt threatened by the crowd, and requested escorts in and out of the polling place, even though the Trump volunteers had not violated any election laws.
“We were actually trying to encourage people to vote,” said Sean Rastatter, 23, a software engineer and Fairfax County Republican who helped organize the event aimed at increasing GOP turnout. “The point of it was to remind people that early voting was taking place, since it had started a few days earlier. There wasn't anything close to voter intimidation.”
President Donald Trump's growing call for an “army” of supporters to “monitor” voting has raised concerns during an already vitriolic presidential election campaign about voter in timid ation and suppression of minority groups.
Voting rights activists and government officials said they worry Trump's supporters wills care away Democratic voters fearful of con front ation with his supporters, including voters from Hispanic, Black, Asian and Indigenous communities who have been disproportionately hurt by the pandemic, ongoing police violence, immigration enforcement and growing rates of hate crimes under the Trump administration.
“The rhetoric itself is suppress ive ,” said Colorado Secretary of State Jen a Griswold, a Democrat. “All of t hat taken together is aimed to suppress turnout. As elections officials, we have to clearly state that voter suppression is systemic racism.”
Trump calls for an `army'
In repeated tweets, speeches and paid advertisements, Trump and hi s campaign have called f or an “army” of poll watchers to monitor contested election areas. “Fight for President Trump,” reads one ad on Twitter, directing supporters to the website “ArmyForTrump.com.”
Trump has repeatedly called the ongoing election“corrupt ,” which some election experts said is aimed at reducing confidence in the overall results and dissuading some voters from even bothering to cast a ballot. That favors Trump because his core supporters, who are older, white Americans, are the most consistent voters regardless of circumstance. And those voters are also the least likely to have to wait in long lines to cast a ballot.
Trump tweeted Friday that a mistake by an elections board in Ohio in sending out ballots to the wrong voters was further evidence of a“rigged election.”