When I went to vote, I took the first handout that was offered without thinking or looking at it. The person that offered it didn’t say anything. Then someone else tried to give me a handout, and they said they were with the Democratic Party. I said, no thanks, I don’t need it, I’m just going in and voting for everyone with a D after their name.
So, now I’m in line and I look down at what I’m holding, which was the Republican handout. So I guess I faked out everyone else in line.
Reverse intimidation.
Seldom have I read a less wrong thing on this board.
Can you intimidate intimidators? Is that anything like greeting Wal-Mart greeters with more enthusiasm than they greet you? (No! Let me get you a cart!). 
Indeed-One can reject intimidation and be willing to totally ignore a direct threat to one’s life and/or liberty that is standing right in front of you. It’s not like voter intimidation has ever actually turned violent, right?
If the local politicos implicitly and/or explicitly support the initial intimidation, then the only intimidation that will be recognized is yours.
You’re probably right. But perhaps you could just play loud classical music to discourage them, as a local strip mall does.
I shouldn’t make light of this, I guess.
This is my answer as well.
I drove by our polling place today, no armed idiots and I didn’t see anything that made me thing the DOJ was visiting. Hopefully everything will stay nice and boring.
Made a second trip to the polls today after learning a friend wasn’t going to vote. I called him some names, he told me he’d vote if I’d take him and then we’d stop at my place for a beer.
Turns out his wife isn’t allowing beer in the house. So he had two at mine, and maybe I broke a law (paying for a vote?).
No intimidation this morning or afternoon.
Now texting friends and relatives making sure all have voted.
IIRC California went to all vote by mail in 2020 due to the pandemic. But before that we were already moving towards vote by mail. Some counties, including Sacramento, had already gone to all vote by mail before 2020. There are still “vote centers” for those who want to return their ballot in person, or weren’t registered before the ballots were sent out (same day registration is allowed here), but everyone who’s registered to vote gets a ballot mailed to them before the election now.
If there’s not a law against this sort of thing, there ought to be. Why aren’t these yahoos being arrested?
Perhaps because in those areas a lot of the governments elected officials from one political party like what the yahoos are doing?
In Arizona, people who are armed or wearing body armor have to be 250’ feet from ballot boxes. That’s pretty far.
The order also prohibits members of the groups or agents working on their behalf from carrying firearms or wearing body armor within 250 feet (76 meters) of a drop box.
I’ve read of some cases of intimidation being reported to the federal authorities, but I haven’t read of any actual arrests.
If they have rifles, it needs to be more like 500 meters = 1500 feet, not 250 feet. And no staking out the approaches to the boxes either.
In terms of intimidation (as in, “that guy is armed, I’m scared”), 250’ is pretty far. Here’s an example of what that looks like.
I don’t think you’d be able to tell what a person is wearing at that distance.
You’re also not going to be able to hear anything they say, unless they’re using a bullhorn.
It seems pretty reasonable to me, assuming that it gets enforced of course.
No arrests but there was this:
Well, it is hardly Washington buying votes in Virginia…
You must have me on ‘Ignore’
Florida says no DOJ election monitors not allowed inside polling places, citing “counterproductive and could potentially undermine confidence in the election.” A different newsfeed I saw said they didn’t want intimidation.
I guess they were worried that the presence of the DOJ might intimidate their intimidators.