Politics
Video of apparent armed agents near Monroe County polling place prompts voter concerns
Monroe County elections supervisor Sherri Hodies says her office is investigating after video showed what appeared to be armed federal agents outside an early voting site. She is trying to determine whether the scene was a traffic stop or an intentional presence near the polling place.
A video showing what appear to be armed federal agents outside an early voting site in Monroe County has alarmed voters and prompted an inquiry by the county’s elections supervisor.
Supervisor of Elections Sherri Hodies said voters contacted her office after seeing the footage. Her staff is working to establish whether the scene was a traffic stop that happened to occur near the polling place or whether the agents’ presence there was intentional.
“I’m not happy about it,” Hodies said. She described being stunned by the calls, adding that frightened voters had contacted her with shaking voices and asked what was happening.
The video does not, by itself, establish the agents’ identities or why they were outside the voting location. U.S. Customs and Border Protection had not responded to a request for comment by the time the report was published late Tuesday, Oct. 20.
The circumstances matter because a visible law-enforcement presence near a polling place can unsettle voters, even when officials have not established that it was connected to voting. Hodies said her office is looking into the incident; no further details about the site, the people shown or any interaction with voters were provided.