JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Neptune Beach Police Chief Michael Key ensured voters would continue to be safe after a teen pulled out a machete to intimidate voters.
Now, the Duval County Supervisor of Elections is also echoing those sentiments.
Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland said he is working with law enforcement to ensure voting locations are secure.
“We’re continuing the process. We think everything will run smoothly, but we’re prepared for whatever comes our way,” Holland said.
Thousands of votes have already been cast in Duval County during early voting, and for the most part, it’s gone smoothly.
But at the Beaches Branch Library on Tuesday, a group of eight teenagers rode up to a group of people holding political signs and started antagonizing them, according to Key. Caleb Williams, 18, aggressively raised a machete at two women and now faces voter intimidation and aggravated assault charges.
Holland called the incident concerning and said there would be heightened security.
“We‘ll do that but in a way that you don’t see it because, again, there‘s a lot of people who feel that uniformed police officers somehow will discourage people from coming,” Holland said. “So, we’ll have a presence with JSO and others to watch out for these.”
News4JAX reached out to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to learn more about how the department is working to keep precincts safe.
“We are aware of the incident that occurred in the neighboring jurisdiction. As planned, we will continue to monitor areas of potential concern and will respond to reported issues or complaints at local polling places. We would ask that anyone having concerns or needing police service while at one of these sites, call 904-630-0500 or 911 if it is an emergency,” JSO said.
Law Attorney Chris Hand and former chief of staff for the city of Jacksonville said people shouldn’t interpret the Neptune Beach incident as something that could be repeated, but also said vigilance is key.
“They should be watchful, and in the sense that they ever feel threatened or intimidated, report that to the supervisor staff, talk to law enforcement if need be,” Hand said. “We certainly hope there won’t be others as this election season goes forward because it is so crucial that all of us have the right to exercise that fundamental role of citizenship voting.”
Mayor Donna Deegan also issued a statement about the incident.
“The right to vote is a sacred one. It is never acceptable for any voter to feel unsafe while exercising this fundamental right. Threats of violence and verbal harassment do not belong anywhere in our society and especially not at the polls. Let’s remember that we’re all Americans regardless of our political beliefs,” Deegan said.