Forward Justice and the Protect Our Vote NC Coalition Release Data on Statewide Voter Intimidation Calls During Early Voting
Raleigh, N.C.- North Carolina, as well as most states in the South, has a riddled history of voter intimidation and oppression. As we move into more than a decade without federal voting rights protections, the Protect Our Vote NC coalition has been working throughout this election cycle to protect voters at the polls, fight mis/disinformation, and ensure voters have the resources they need to successfully cast their ballots. Members of the Protect Our Vote NC Coalition have been staffing the nonpartisan voter protection hotline (888-OUR-VOTE) in partnership with Democracy NC, Southern Coalition for Social Justice, and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law to respond to complaints of voter intimidation during this election cycle.
During the 2024 early voting period, more than 200 reports have come into the hotline about voter intimidation. A team of attorneys and advocates working with Forward Justice have already directly responded to over 130 of those reports from voters and volunteers throughout the state of North Carolina. Of the 100 counties in our state, 37 counties have already reported incidents of voter intimidation. Acts of intimidation varied county-by-county and ranged from minor instances of intimidation, such as telling voters that the lines are very long after they declined to take a partisan slate card, to more severe cases of intimidation, such as poll workers telling voters how to vote on the constitutional amendment, anti-Latino and anti-immigrant sentiments being expressed by electioneers and poll workers, destruction of property, and threats of physical violence.
The coalition successfully advocated for resolutions in over 100 of these incidents including: writing advocacy letters, following up with voters directly, making calls to local county boards of Elections and the North Carolina State Board of Elections, and connecting with organizations with poll presence on the ground at the impacted sites, to help resolve issues and remove as many barriers to voting as possible during this critically important election.
Below are some of the major themes we have seen so far during early voting:
- Photo Voter ID: This is the first presidential election in North Carolina where photo voter ID is required. Over 200 calls have come in to the 888-OUR-VOTE hotline regarding photo voter ID questions or issues voting at the poll with the photo voter ID requirement. This includes numerous reports of poll workers telling people they aren’t able to cast a ballot without producing an accepted ID, and declining to offer the ID Exception Form as required by law. We have also received reports of poll workers not accepting IDs which must be accepted under the statute, such as a Veterans ID card.
- Reports of Intimidating Signs in Spanish: We received numerous complaints of signs produced in Spanish by NCEIT and the Only Citizens Vote coalitions, across eleven counties. The signs warn voters in Spanish that if they aren’t a citizen, they cannot vote – and that it is a crime, and they could be deported. We also received numerous reports of these signs through partners, as well as reports that someone has been placing “Migrants for Harris” or “Illegal Immigrants for Harris” signs along roadways. The Only Citizens Vote signs were removed by the SBOE, but we are still advocating as a coalition for removal of the NCEIT signs. Here is a link to our Oct. 22nd and Nov. 1st advocacy letters to the SBOE; and here is a link to the cease and desist letter sent to NCEIT. Here is the statement released from NCSBE affirming that all U.S. citizens living in North Carolina are eligible to vote.
- Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric: In addition to the incidents described above, we received numerous reports of electioneers and poll workers expressing anti-immigrant and anti-Latino sentiments to voters. This included a poll worker in Iredell County who made multiple derogatory comments to a Latina voter about her name and questioned where she was born and what her ethnicity is. This also includes multiple reports from Wake County of GOP poll greeters who were aggressively electioneering while making comments about how the Constitutional Amendment is needed to keep immigrants out, including aiming these comments at South Asian voters. This also includes a news report out of Union County of a voter of Arab descent being asked if they knew the constitution.
- Aggressive Electioneering: We have received a number of reports of electioneers who are handing out slate cards and candidate information in a way that intimidates voters. This includes handing out fliers while making derogatory comments about transgender individuals and immigrants. It also includes individuals who have threatened voters who don’t want to take the fliers they are distributing, such as a woman in Buncombe County who was met with threats of physical violence after she said no to a slate card.
- Hostile Voting Environments: We have reviewed reports statewide of escalating tensions outside of polling sites, which have resulted in environments that voters find intimidating. This includes reports of sign slashing, verbal altercations, threats of physical violence, and comments with racist and anti-immigrant sentiments that are being directed at voters. It also includes the presence of incredibly large candidate signs that violate the law (like those that were seen at the Cabarrus CBOE that were ultimately removed by the city), and vehicles with large flags, signs and even cardboard cutouts which voters find to be intimidating.
- Poll Worker Misconduct: We have received a number of reports of poll worker misconduct. In addition to the voter ID issues described above, this includes reports that poll workers were having spouses vote together in the same booth. We have also received reports of poll workers giving their opinion to voters on how they should vote on certain contests or issues on their ballot; and reports of poll workers questioning Black and brown voters, particularly those they perceive to be immigrants.
Forward Justice, Democracy North Carolina and the entire Protect Our Vote NC Coalition is here to respond to any of these types of voter intimidation through the nonpartisan election protection hotline, 1-888-OUR-VOTE (1-888-687-8683).
Individuals who have been directly impacted by the criminal justice system who have questions about their eligibility to vote, or who need any other assistance on Election Day, can call 1-877-880-VOTE (1-877-880-8683).
Voters who need assistance in another language may call one of the hotlines below:
- 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682) – Spanish language hotline
- 888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683) – Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Bengali, Hindi, Urdu and Tagalog hotline
- 844-YALLA-US (844-925-5287) – Arabic language hotline
- American Sign Language video call number: 301-818-VOTE (301-818-8683)
Numbers and Data on calls to the 888-OUR-VOTE hotline (From 10/17 - 11/3)
- Total calls to the 888-OUR-VOTE hotline: 3,748
- Calls related to voter intimidation: 213+
- Calls related to Voter ID: 293
- Voter intimidation calls escalated for follow up: 100 (from the hotline) 30 (from community sources)
Top Counties Impacted:
- Alamance
- Cabarrus
- Durham
- Guilford
- Forsyth
- Mecklenburg
- Wake
Types of Incidents reported:
- Aggressive Electioneering
- Poll Worker Misconduct
- Hostile Voting Environment
- Threats of Violence
- Intimidation of Latinx Voters
- Anti-Immigrant Voter Intimidation
- Suggesting Spouses Vote Together
- Destruction of Property
- Justice-Involved Voter Issue
Additional Resources: