Reports of ICE agents seen June 2 in the parking lot of a Simi Valley polling location have raised concerns among Ventura County election experts and a nonprofit that advocates for government transparency.
Tim Allison, an adjunct political science professor at CSU Channel Islands, said he had not previously heard of similar incidents in Ventura County.
Elections should be free from intimidation, Allison said, citing laws dating back to the Civil War that restrict the presence of armed federal agents at polling places.
Intimidation of voters or election officials is illegal under both federal and state law, Allison said. “If there is any kind of voter intimidation, then the Ventura County district attorney can hold that person accountable, whether they hold a federal badge or not,” he said.
Such a situation could create conflict between agencies, he added, but the law is clear.
Ventura County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Joey Buttitta and Sgt. Richard “Rick” Morton of the Simi Valley Police Department said that, as of June 5, nothing related to the Simi Valley polling location incident had been brought to their attention.
It remains unclear whether the incident was intended to intimidate voters. “We have a vehicle parked outside in the presence of a polling location,” Allison said. “There is no indication that armed agents went inside or talked to any voters.”
He said the agents may simply have been “doing their job” by watching out for illegal immigrants, but noted the timing and location raise questions.
Allison said the incident could be a “one-off” or a “warning signal.” Polling sites are “a singularly bad place” for immigration enforcement because those entering are presumed to have the legal right to vote, he said. “There’s just no reason for ICE agents to be at polling places,” he added.
People should remain vigilant and report such activity, said Southern California-based Dan Vicuña, senior policy director for voting and fair representation at nonprofit Common Cause.
Local police are sometimes present near polling places during elections, the presence of federal agents is rare, Vicuña said.
Deploying federal agents near polling sites could deter certain communities from voting, Vicuña said. “We want to make sure people understand they do have the right to vote,” he said.
Although federal law bans the deployment of armed federal personnel at polling locations, Vicuña said that has not prevented similar actions in the past. He said he has heard of a comparable incident at a polling site in Texas in recent weeks, though such cases are not widespread.
“We’re primarily concerned because of the way the administration has alluded to this possibility” of voter intimidation by sending armed federal agents, he said.
On May 12, President Donald Trump was asked if he would send ICE officers or National Guard members to polling locations during the November elections. He responded that he would do “anything necessary to make sure we have honest elections,” according to a video on the C-SPAN website.
A “whiff of intimidation” by ICE or other federal law enforcement at polling sites would likely prompt legal action, Vicuña said.
Incidents can be reported to groups such as Common Cause, Election Protection or local election officials, Allison said, though such activity could also occur nearby without posing a risk of intimidation.
Herb Gooch, a professor emeritus of political science at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, said the presence of ICE agents may not intimidate all voters, but could affect some.
“Whether it was intended or not, it just sends a little chill down one’s back,” he said. “Elections should be free and clean.”
Wes Woods II covers West County for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at wesley.woodsii@vcstar.com, 805-437-0262 or @JournoWes.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: ICE presence near Simi polling site raises voter intimidation concerns
Reporting by Wes Woods II, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
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By Wes Woods II, Ventura County Star | USA TODAY Network
