The office of Attorney General Mark R. Herring has produced a short training video for law enforcement and elections officials that walks through his recent opinion on protections against voter intimidation and harassment that exist in both state and federal law.
The video also highlights the tools available to various elections and law enforcement officials for addressing potentially unlawful conduct.
“I want to make sure that every Virginian feels safe and comfortable when they come to the polls to vote, whether they choose to vote early or on Election Day. I also wanted to make it clear that voter intimidation and harassment are unacceptable and will not be tolerated in Virginia,” said Herring, whose office has sent the training video to the Virginia Sheriffs’ Association, the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, the Virginia Association of Commonwealth’s Attorneys, the Voter Registrars Association of Virginia, and the Virginia Electoral Board Association.
Herring issued an advisory opinion on Sept. 24 outlining protections in both state and federal law against voter intimidation and harassment in response to “reports of activity near polling places that led some voters to fear for their safety while waiting to cast their vote, or led them to believe that they would be harmed for supporting a particular candidate.”
“This election cycle has presented us with numerous challenges, many of which have stemmed from the dangerous rhetoric coming from President Trump. I hope that all of this guidance has given law enforcement and elections officials a clear understanding of the tools they have at their disposal should any voter harassment or intimidation occur over the next few days,” Herring said.
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