U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agents spotted outside a Tallahassee polling location as early voting began in Florida last week raised concerns about voter intimidation. But officials say it turns out the agents were just hoping to vote.
Local Elections Supervisor Mark Earley says when he received reports about agents outside one of the county’s busiest polling locations, he quickly contacted the FBI. Earley says it’s against the law for armed federal officers to be in or around polling locations, and he says the incident came on the heels of a reported traffic stop by border protection agents near a South Florida polling site. Earley says he understands these instances are concerning to many voters, but he says he wants to assure the community that voting is safe.
"With the emotional level in our country, just the appearance makes people jump to conclusions," Earley says. "I wish everybody would take a breath, look at what's really happening. It's safe to go out to the polls."
Earley says he encourages everyone to get out and vote, and that's what the agents stopped in Tallahassee were trying to do. U.S. Customs and Border Protection says the agents were on their way out of the state when they stopped at the polling site wondering if they could vote. When they realized they couldn’t because they don't live in Leon County, they left. Earley says he believes this was an isolated incident.
“I think hopefully now that we’ve learned more about this that this should allay some of those fears," Early says.
Early voting continues in Leon County through Nov. 1. Mail ballots must be received at the elections office by 7 p.m. on Election Day.
