Officials in North Carolina are investigating reports of suspected voter intimidation.
Election officials with the North Carolina State Board of Elections said 16 incidents of voter intimidation have been reported since the start of early in-person voting, according to reports from ABC News.
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Alleged incidents were reported in several counties including Wake, Mecklenburg, Columbus, and Wayne, the board said.
Incidents included voters and election workers being yelled at, one-stop workers being photographed or recorded, and poll watchers being too close to voters, according to the board.
There also was a report of a poll worker being followed from a voting site to an election office and then to their home, the board told WBTV Charlotte.
Karen Brinson Bell, the executive director of the NCSBE, said situations that could be seen as voter intimidation or “something that interferes with the voter’s ability to cast their ballot” could be turned over to the Department of Justice.
“We want people to be able to cast their ballot without fear of intimidation or interference,” Brinson Bell said during a news conference. “We ask that people recognize that these are bipartisan officials who have been trained to do the job of a precinct official, and they are going to ensure that the voters are able to cast their ballots.”
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There have been several reports of voter intimidation this election cycle. An Arizona judge recently granted a temporary restraining order against Clean Elections USA following claims that group members were harassing voters at ballot drop boxes.
The 14-day order will last through Election Day and prevents group members from being within 75 feet of a ballot drop box. The order also prohibits members from wearing visible body armor and openly carrying weapons within 250 feet of a drop box location.
