PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. – A Putnam County woman told News4Jax she feels intimidated after receiving two postcards in her mailbox that contained a handwritten message.
The message reads:
“Thank you for previously voting! Who you vote for is secret, but whether you vote is public information on Tues. Nov. 3, local organizations may follow up with you on your voting record. Thank you for voting!"
“The first thing I was like well it seems like voter intimidation than anything else, then I hope nobody else does show up to my door because that would be a big mistake, you know, to talk to me about who I voted for, whether or not I voted,” said Debra Rodriguez, an Interlachen resident.
One postcard was stamped from New York. Rodriguez said the red ink that was used on the second postcard to write “Tues. Nov. 3,” is what stood out.
“It seems like they’re trying to sway it one way or the other by writing the dates in red ink when everything else is written in black ink,” Rodriguez said.
She said it didn’t change her mind -- she already planned on going to the polls Friday.
Southern Law Poverty Law Center hosted a virtual panel to talk voter intimidation and suppression. Nancy Abudu, the center’s deputy legal director for voting rights, said the nonprofit organization is pushing for progressive policies.
“We need to really think seriously about implementing same-day voter registration, automatic voter registration, automatic opportunities for ‘no-excuse’ absentee voting, a requirement that all states allow for a period of early voting,” said Abudu.
The FBI Jacksonville Division is encouraging the community to remain vigilant and immediately report any suspicious election-related activity to tips.fbi.gov.
SPLC is encouraging voters to call the Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE if they see intimidation at the polls or face difficulties casting ballots.
It also created a fact sheet: