MESSAGING GUIDANCE:

VOTER INTIMIDATION

This guide is intended to help leaders communicate in the face of voter intimidation. For messaging guidance for additional scenarios, see our Scenario-Based Messaging Guidance: Full Series.

Intimidating voters throughout any stage of the election cycle is illegal in all 50 states.^[1] When it does occur, it is mostly likely to happen in the lead-up to and throughout early voting and Election Day, and can take many forms. As the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy & Protection (ICAP) outlines, voter intimidation may include:

• Violent behavior inside or outside the polling site
• Confronting voters while wearing military-style or official-looking uniforms
• Brandishing firearms or the intimidating display of firearms
• Following voters to, from, or within the polling place
• Verbal threats of violence
• Spreading false information about voter fraud, voting requirements, or related  criminal penalties
• Aggressively approaching voters’ vehicles or writing down voters’ license plate numbers
• Harassing voters, including aggressively questioning them about their qualifications to vote

COMMUNICATION GOALS:

Protecting people’s democratic right to vote safely and securely.  Restoring feelings of voter safety. Setting clear norms that reject using violence and intimidation to impact elections and the democratic process. Protecting the right to protest within constitutional limits, outside of electioneering zones, without intimidating voters.

COMMUNICATION RISKS:

Amplifying instances of voter intimidation can inadvertently play into its goals, creating a sense of fear around showing up to vote. Even if an incident is addressed directly (e.g., someone with a gun is removed from a polling location), it can still have a chilling and intimidating impact.

DOs:

1. Take stock of the situation. Determine what is and is not known. Consider whether the situation merits a communications response via your platform or whether responding might inadvertently play into the goals of bad actors—in this case, further intimidating voters.

2. Respect and connect. Acknowledge the impact that voter intimidation has had on targeted communities, and engage them in solutions. Keep in mind that voter intimidation can be frightening to people beyond the targeted group. Work closely with leaders from across communities to develop a response that will strengthen both real and perceived safety.  

• Build relationships early with leaders from communities that have historically been targeted with voter intimidation and/or election violence so that if an incident arises, you are able to connect with and support them in real time.
• Elevate messages from those leaders that help provide a sense of agency and support, and follow their lead in learning about what it will take to restore a sense of safety for their community.
• If you are a leader of an impacted community, consider which local leaders you can engage, either directly or indirectly through trusted contacts, to coordinate a response that validates your community’s experience, creates safety and security for community members, and reinforces democratic norms.
  

3. Be specific and precise about incidents that have happened, to avoid any sense that danger is more widespread, normalized, or inevitable than it is, while refraining from overly vivid or fear-inducing descriptions or imagery. Be clear about the specific violations of law that did occur, while being mindful not to make legal claims without evidence and/or consultation with voting rights attorneys (see don’t, below).

4. Share what is being done to address the issue—by you and by others—both to ensure safety and to promote accountability. Keep the lines of communication open and share regular updates. Focus on the response as the main story, rather than the intimidation itself.

• As a proactive measure, familiarize with the contingency plans that local election officials have to address any issues that arise.

5. Work with other leaders to ensure an effective, coordinated response, and consistent messaging. This can involve leaders within and across sectors, such as government, faith, and business leaders. For example: 

• Work with trusted messengers, including other influential leaders in your community, to create messages that, while tailored to each audience, reinforce shared positive norms. This is an opportunity to demonstrate that across different groups and communities, people are supporting each other and standing against violence.
• Government leaders can coordinate between departments (including law enforcement and attorneys) to ensure clear and consistent messaging,  appropriate action that doesn’t heighten a sense of fear, and accountability.
• Consider whether you are in a position to serve as a liaison between government leaders and communities who may feel less safe engaging directly (e.g., for some communities law enforcement presence may create a sense of fear; they may prefer to have local faith leaders involved).
• Work with the media to help them report in ways that avoid inadvertently deepening the risks outlined above. For additional media-specific guidance for reporting on risks of violence, see here.

6. Reiterate positive norms about the democratic process and your commitment to ensuring every single eligible voter in your community can safely and securely cast a ballot. Explain what you and others are doing to ensure that is the case.

7. Emphasize voter agency, and why participation matters—not just for individuals but also for the community, the city, and the country. If the story has spread, speak out about the consequences of voter intimidation and discrimination. Those intimidating voters seek to use fear and violence to chill public engagement and shape the democratic process. Emphasizing voter agency in the face of intimidation undermines those goals.  

• To avoid the chilling effect of voter intimidation within and beyond the community being targeted, describe everything the community is doing to ensure everyone can freely and safely cast their vote throughout the election.
• Show joy and defiance in the face of violence, making it clear that communities are coming together and refusing to be intimidated.

DON’Ts:

1. Don’t dismiss or ignore the reality of the situation for targeted communities. You can avoid making voter intimidation seem more widespread than it is without downplaying voter intimidation that has happened; again, precision is key in this respect.

2. Don’t repeat speculative, alarmist, or defeatist language that could serve to spread further fear and intimidation. This includes direct quotes from anyone seeking to intimidate.

3. Don’t talk about voter intimidation without talking about how it’s being addressed. This can increase a sense of fear and insecurity, and further intimidate voters.  

4. Don’t use vague or sensationalist language in describing voter intimidation, which can make instances seem more widespread or expected than they are. When incidents are isolated and resolved quickly, frame them that way. Consider where and how information about an incident has spread, and tailor communication accordingly. Overall, communication should work to ensure instances of voter intimidation do not have their desired chilling effect.

5. Don’t address immediate security issues without addressing their larger impact. Incidents of harassment, threats, intimidation, or violence directed at voters not only pose an immediate security threat to those present, but can also create a chilling effect on voters across the community as stories about such incidents spread.

• Rather than only addressing immediate tactical security threats, work with communities to understand how they are feeling and what needs to be done to ensure safety (including who they need to see and hear from). Ensure that your response is sensitive to these needs.
• For example, for some members of your community, the presence of law enforcement or other security forces may actually increase a sense of fear; work with these communities to identify alternate and supplementary plans and communicate with sensitivity.

6. Don’t make legal claims without evidence and/or consultation with voting rights attorneys. Making legal claims that are later disputed can undercut efforts to address voter intimidation, as well as your credibility in flagging voter intimidation.

Example:

Below we provide a template for applying the above principles to communicating about voter intimidation. Note: This example is designed to be a jumping off point. Messaging should always be tailored to specific events, contexts, and audiences.

[Appeal to your audience. Affirm values and a positive commitment]: As [moms, workers, veterans, faith leaders, etc.], we stand firmly in our democratic values. The right to vote is central to our values as a nation.

[Insert specific commitment]: We are committed to making sure every eligible voter in our community is able to vote freely and safely. We are working closely with community leaders to maintain a safe and secure environment at every polling station and ballot box in [county]. [Add specific examples of actions taken.]

[Describe the incident and center responses]: Attempts to intimidate voters are unlawful and will not be tolerated. At present, [insert the responder, e.g., local officials] have responded to an incident which took place at [specific time] on [specific day]. [Describe incident; use clear and simple language; do not over-dramatize—e.g., [specific number] of individuals arrived at [specific location], and [took specific action].] In response, [describe specific official actions that have been taken—including any response from local officials, efforts from community leaders working together to ensure that the community is able to vote safely, faith leaders mobilizing to the polls, people engaging in joyful action and refusing to be intimidated].

[Quote/elevate any statements from other community leaders, especially the community targeted]:  We are glad to join with the many community leaders, including [list any other organizations or leaders—e.g., the local business community or faith community—who have made statements or taken actions] in their commitment to our democratic process here in [community/county/city/state]. [Share statements that have been made.]

[Reaffirm the right to vote, your commitment to it, and share what people can do if they have questions or issues]: Again, the right to vote is central to our democracy. If you experience any issues, or if you have any questions about voting, [insert information as relevant - e.g., call 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)].

→ Additional Resources on Voter Intimidation:

• 866-OUR-VOTE (free hotline run by a national, non-partisan election protection coalition)
• Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection fact sheets on protecting against voter intimidation and guidance for election officials and law enforcement to prevent and address voter intimidation at the polls; 50 state fact sheets on laws related to unauthorized private militia groups; Everytown Law report on preventing and responding to illegal armed voter intimidation and election interference.