A caravan of President Donald Trump supporters confirmed up outdoors a polling website in Fairfax County, Virginia, over the weekend as a whole bunch lined up for early in-person voting.
Democrats say the group was attempting to scare off voters on the Fairfax County Authorities Heart on Saturday.
“The first factor for voter intimidation, for my part, was driving across the car parking zone … with bikes, large autos and flags, honking their horns and yelling,” stated Bryan Graham, chair of the Fairfax County Democratic Celebration.
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The Fairfax GOP says Democrats are embellishing the scenario.
“At no level do I believe it was meant to, nor did it, intimidate voters.” stated Sean Rastatter with the Fairfax County GOP.
The group of Trump supporters began in Manassas with a rally.
“Who’s prepared for one more 4 years of President Donald J. Trump?” a person with a mic requested the group, which responded with cheers.
They then drove to the one early in-person voting location at present open in Fairfax County.
“We wished to take it to the car parking zone and let individuals know that President Trump is a good candidate for them to vote for,” Rastatter stated.
Fairfax Commonwealth’s Legal professional Steve Descano says his workplace will prosecute voter intimidation instances.
By regulation, voters may rally at polling locations so long as they keep a minimum of 40 toes from the doorway and do not block any pathways.
“At no level was the sidewalk blocked. People have been allowed to vote. I, personally, do not suppose there was any purpose to really feel intimidated,” Rastatter stated.
News4 obtained a replica of a police report filed on Saturday. The responding officer within the report says, “there was not precise blocking of the doorways or precise stopping of any voter from coming into the constructing and there have been a number of pathways that have been unobstructed to get into the constructing.”
On Monday, outdoors the federal government middle, former governor Terry McAuliffe stated he heard Trump supporters have been shouting at voters.
“No want for calling individuals names, utilizing obscenities in opposition to people. Come on, there isn’t any place for that. Develop up,” McAuliffe stated.
Proper earlier than News4 talked with McAuliffe, our crews noticed a direct end result from Saturday’s incident.
The occasion was arrange within the roundabout, however county officers moved information crews throughout the road so that they weren’t close to the traces of individuals voting.
County officers say they will not enable any future occasions in that space when voters are close by.
Fairfax County says within the first two days of early in-person voting, it tallied 315 % extra ballots than it did in 2016.
