The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a warning on Friday to election officials in Miami-Dade and Broward about individuals who may be impersonating federal election monitors at early voting sites in South Florida, just four days before the general elections on Tuesday, November 3rd.
The alert comes on the last weekend of early voting—closing this Sunday at 7:00 p.m. in the 28 centers set up in Miami-Dade—and has a direct practical use for Cuban-American voters: knowing how to identify a legitimate monitor and what to do if someone tries to intimidate them.
According to WSVN 7News, the Miami-Dade Elections Supervisor, Alina García, confirmed receiving the federal notice and clarified that so far no impostors have been detected in the county. "Everything is going very well in Miami-Dade," García stated, although she added, "We received a report that, in other places, people had been impersonating the DOJ, and they would never do that."
Broward received the same communication and also does not report any incidents.
The DOJ spokesperson, Kiersten Pels, was emphatic: "We do not have monitors deployed on the ground at this time," confirming that those who identify as such during early voting are not affiliated with the agency.
What can and cannot a real federal monitor do?
García clearly explained the role of the DOJ's legitimate monitors: they can only observe from outside the security area of the polling place, they are not allowed to enter the voting location, they cannot request documents from voters or interrogate them, and they must carry official identification available for display at all times.
"What they are coming to verify is that we use both Spanish and English, because that is part of federal law, and that there is no discrimination, things like that, but they observe from a distance. We have been informed that this is one of the counties they will come to, but probably people won't even see them," explained the supervisor.
The DOJ plans to deploy monitors in Miami-Dade only on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, not during early voting.
The federal warning does not arise in a vacuum. In early October, a man was arrested at the Kendall campus of Miami Dade College while Brazilian citizens were exercising their right to vote: Danilo Alves Silva, 46 years old, had disguised himself in attire that mimicked the uniform of an ICE agent — purchased on Amazon, as he stated — and was charged with voter intimidation, attempted bribery, and unlawful use of a police badge. "That person ended up being arrested. One should never impersonate a police officer," García recalled.
In addition, on October 20, Border Patrol agents appeared near early voting centers in Leon and Monroe counties, prompting formal complaints to the FBI by the election supervisors of both counties.
A report from Harvard's Shorenstein Center released this Friday revealed that 32.9% of the 164 surveyed voters in Miami-Dade reported at least one electoral issue, and 15.2% indicated they experienced intimidation or harassment, more than double the national average of 7.7%.
What to do if someone intimidates you at a polling place
If a person inside or near a polling station identifies themselves as a monitor or federal agent and tries to interfere with the process, voters can report it to the DOJ by calling 1-800-253-3931 or the FBI at 1-800-225-5324 (also at tips.fbi.gov). Impersonating a federal official can result in up to three years of imprisonment under federal law.
Early voting in Miami-Dade is available this Saturday and Sunday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the 28 county centers.
Related videos:
Filed under: