Poll workers have taken to X, formerly known as Twitter, to criticize JD Vance’s praise of the alleged abusive behavior against poll workers over the weekend.
In a since-deleted post on X, a user who goes by Mark Greene shared a story purportedly from Reddit that said a New Jersey woman verbally abused a poll worker who asked her to take her Donald Trump merchandise off while at the polling station, as it is illegal to wear any campaign memorabilia or insignia within 100 feet of a polling location in the state, according to its government website.
“She calls one poll worker a d***head and rips her shirt off. She told another poll worker to ‘suck her c***’ and this is the reason she votes Trump,” the since-deleted post read, according to screenshots that continue to circulate, and reporting by the HuffPost.
Responding to the story, Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Vance posted on X, “What a patriot.”
Nell Redmond/Associated Press
Newsweek reached out to Vance’s communications team for comment via email.
Various X users who say they are poll workers have since criticized Vance’s praise of the alleged abusive behavior, and suggested it could encourage further harassment.
One user, Lauren Ashley Bishop, wrote, “As a poll worker, I find your comment reprehensible. We have rules. and laws. If you are not interested in people following those, you shouldn’t be running to be a part of the government. See yourself out to Russia. We won’t miss your type.”
Another X user, Josh Larky, wrote, “As a poll worker, we are trained to keep all political gear out of the polling areas In Texas, no political gear can be within 100 feet of a polling place JD Vance is encouraging the harassment of poll workers for simply doing their jobs.”
Dante Atkins, another poll worker, wrote, “As a poll worker, I have been harassed and threatened by Trumpers wearing Trump gear simply for enforcing the law. The fact that Vance is encouraging harassment and threats of poll workers is disgusting. Ugly sh*t by ugly people, and I hate them.”
A survey conducted by the Brennan Center for Justice earlier this year found that 38 percent of poll workers said they have experienced threats, harassment, or abuse while doing their job, and 54 percent were concerned about the safety of their co-workers and staff.
Some polling locations have had difficulty hiring staff ahead of the upcoming election due to fears of violence, according to the Financial Times.
There were approximately 774,000 poll workers who worked during the 2020 election, according to Pew Research Center.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 21 states prohibit voters from wearing campaign insignia or other clothing near polling stations when voting is taking place, and 38 states and Washington D.C. do not allow people to bring campaign materials, signs, banners, or literature.
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