Voter Intimidation in Beaumont, Texas

General elections have started and as most voters have reported it going smoothly some communities can’t say the same. Throughout history, people have fought to ensure everyone’s right to vote and to do it without any risk. On Nov. 8, 2022, in Beaumont, Texas, African American voters reported intimidation while trying to go through this process.

Early voting in Texas brought in a lot of people as well as African Americans. Black voters were said to be harassed and that white poll workers attempted to intimidate them while trying to vote. This prompted a federal lawsuit filed by the Beaumont Chapter of the NAACP and Jessica Daye. “White poll workers throughout early voting repeatedly asked in aggressive tones only Black voters and not White voters to recite, out loud within the earshot of other voters, poll workers, and poll watchers, their addresses, even when the voter was already checked in by a poll worker,” the suit claims.

It was also included that some Black voters and their assistants were followed by whites, they would stand about two feet behind them when they were casting their ballots. It is also said white workers would ask African Americans aggressively to repeat information that had already been verified. When comparing this treatment to how the white attendees were treated it is said to be different as workers weren’t aggressive to them but rather would assist and help them themselves. They were not repeatedly asked to verify the information and weren’t harassed.

The ruling

Jessica Daye would also report an incident of seeing a white worker being aggressive to an elder Black voter. This leads her to take part in the trial. She described how she witnessed a white worker be aggressive with a Black elder. After already being checked in to vote the worker would tell her to recite her address out loud. Micheal Cooper, the President of the Beaumont Chapter of the NAACP would also weigh in. He would say “The federal judge said that’s too much when you ask out loud, that’s voter intimidation,” after the lawsuit.

After the hearing, the court put out an order to Jefferson County. The order would say “federal District Judge Michael J. Truncale prohibited Jefferson County election workers from scrutinizing the identities of Black voters and, along with poll watchers, from shadowing them at voting stations.” – Texas Tribune. On the flip side, the court did deny the request of calling the actions unconstitutional.

Also, they stated they did not think their actions were in violation of the 14th and 15th Amendments. The court did, however, order the county clerk to notify all of the workers at the ballots of his ruling. The order said workers weren’t allowed to request or order the recital of address information, they weren’t allowed to stand close enough to see a voters ballot. They are also not allowed to refuse or turn away any voters who may ask for assistance.

Moving forward

Overall, the city of Beaumont hopes to get through general voting more smoothly. The city says it should be encouraging and welcoming. They recognize the situation is unfortunate and shouldn’t happen. They say to fix it uncomfortable conversations have to be held. The city believes it can create change by being persistent and encouraging voters to continue to place their ballots.

By Cynthia Thomas

Sources:

12 News Now: NAACP alleges harassment and discrimination against Black voters in Beaumont

Texas Tribune: Federal judge tells Beaumont election officials not to harass or discriminate against Black voters

Beaumont Enterprise: Federal judge makes emergency ruling on Beaumont voting case

Top and Featured Image courtesy of Marcia Cirillo‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License