WUFT News News and Public Media for North Central Florida from the University of Florida in Gainesville
Update: The FBI is investigating the emails.
Original story: The Alachua County Supervisor of Elections office says registered voters are facing voter intimidation by an email claiming to be from the Proud Boys.
The email is being sent to registered Democrats in Alachua County insinuating that retaliation will be inflicted upon people who do not vote for President Donald Trump.
The message suggests that the sender has gained access to “the entire voting infrastructure” and is using the obtained data to pick out registered Democrats. The sender tells the reader to switch their party affiliation to Republican in order to show compliance toward the sender’s demands.
The Alachua County Supervisor of Elections has issued a press release stating they are aware of the multiple instances of voter intimidation. The release also states that local, state and federal levels of law enforcement, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security, are working in conjunction with the county to face the threat.
The elections office says it will refer any and all forms of voter intimidation to state and federal law enforcement.
For more information, contact the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections at 352-374-5252.
Early voting in many Florida counties began on October 19 and runs until October 31.
