Justice Department will monitor Portage County elections for intimidation

Citing concerns about intimidation, the U.S. Justice Department will send staff to Portage County to monitor for violations of voting rights laws, the agency said Tuesday.

The announcement follows messages from Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski to supporters on his Facebook pages encouraging them to “write down all the addresses of the people who had [Kamala Harris] signs in their yards!” 

Zuchowski said his post was “a little misinterpreted,” but his supporters used his comments section to share names and photos of neighbors with Harris signs. In response, the Portage County NAACP convened an emergency meeting where hundreds of residents expressed fears that the sheriff’s comments might discourage voters.

The county’s bipartisan Board of Elections voted 3-1 to remove Portage County sheriff’s deputies from providing Election Day security to “make sure that every voter in Portage County feels safe casting their ballot for any candidate they choose.”

Zuchowski has not responded to multiple requests for comment from The Portager.

“Voters in Portage County have raised concerns about intimidation resulting from the surveillance and the collection of personal information regarding voters, as well as threats concerning the electoral process,” the department said in a press release.

The Department of Justice said its Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section enforces federal laws protecting the right to vote, including the Voting Rights Act, National Voter Registration Act, Help America Vote Act, Civil Rights Acts and Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.

“The department regularly deploys its staff to monitor for compliance with federal civil rights laws in elections in communities all across the country,” the department said. “Attempted or actual intimidation, threats or coercion directed toward any person for voting and related activities or urging or aiding others in voting is prohibited by Section 11(b) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.”

The department said voters could report voter intimidation or possible violations of voting rights laws to the Civil Rights Division’s internet reporting portal at www.civilrights.justice.gov or by calling 1-800-253-3931.