As Pennsylvania voters head to the polls for the upcoming election, state officials are reminding residents that voter intimidation and interference are serious crimes. These actions can carry significant penalties, including up to two years in prison for voter intimidation and up to five years for depriving someone of their right to vote.
Both state and federal laws strictly prohibit any form of intimidation, threats or coercion throughout the voting process. This includes activities ranging from disrupting voter registration to interfering with ballot casting and counting.
“Any activity that threatens, harasses or intimidates voters outside the polling place, inside the polling place, at secure ballot receptacles, at mailboxes or at county election offices is illegal,” according to the Pennsylvania state website.
Intimidation and interference can take various forms, including physical threats, blocking access to polling locations, using threatening language or brandishing weapons, disrupting or following voters and spreading false information about voting procedures.
Vandalism of polling places, equipment and mailboxes, as well as photographing or recording voters in an effort to intimidate them, are also illegal acts. Additionally, impersonating election officials or interfering with voters’ right to a secret ballot are considered serious offenses.
Pennsylvania officials urge anyone who witnesses or experiences voter intimidation to report it immediately to their county election office, their county District Attorney and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General.
Voters can report acts of intimidation to the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling 1-877-VOTESPA (1-877-868-3772).
The voter advocacy group Pennsylvania Stands Up says it plans to deploy “guardians…trained in how to de-escalate situations and address harassment, voter intimidation and disenfranchisement” to polling places around the state “to push back against voter intimidation and racial profiling, help voters navigate ID checks and help them cast a provisional ballot as a last resort.”
Pennsylvania is considered a crucial battleground state in the upcoming presidential election, and with polls showing a statistically tied race between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump, both candidates and their supporters have been working around the clock to sway any voters that are still undecided. In Bucks County, on-demand mail-in voting was extended through Friday, Nov. 1, by court order after the Trump campaign alleged that some voters who were forced to stand in long lines were disenfranchised by an earlier deadline.
Polls Tuesday will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Pennsylvania. To check voter registration status, find a polling location and for other information about the election, visit Vote.pa.