During the 2020 election, the non-partisan Election Protection coalition received 267 reports of voter intimidation in Texas. Notably, a large portion of these reports were about armed citizens or organized demonstrators close to polling locations. For instance, on the second day of Early Voting, a concerned voter in Tarrant County reported that she saw another voter in line with a gun and heard him say, “I’m going to need it if this vote goes wrong.” When the concerned voter informed the election official, they laughed and took no further action. On the same day, another voter in Bexar County reported that three big trucks with Trump campaign flags and posters, and people standing in the back of the truck bed, were driving around the neighborhood surrounding a polling place, making several passes in front of the polling place going at very slow speeds. The voter reported that the caravan made people standing in line, who were primarily Latinx and Black, feel very uncomfortable.
On October 29, 2020, a parade of cars and military-style trucks gathered in the parking lot of a Fort Bend polling location as part of the MAGA Drag the Interstate event. Well over 100 people gathered outside of the polling location with loudspeakers, bullhorns, and a coffin.
Incidents of voter intimidation only intensified on Election Day. In Hidalgo County, we received a report of two men with visible firearms walking around a polling location and speaking with voters—despite clear signs that stated no firearms were allowed at the polling location. In Tarrant County, our volunteers witnessed a group of men with bulletproof vests and rifles gathered across the street from a polling location who could be seen by voters. In Montgomery County, several voters and volunteers reported that a caravan of approximately 25 vehicles with Trump flags and loudspeakers drove to multiple polling locations and gathered in various polling locations’ parking lots. Demonstrators played loud music, shouted pro-Trump messages, and, at times, blocked access to polling locations. At least one witness reported seeing a demonstrator with a gun. Likewise, in Harris County a large group of demonstrators gathered outside a polling location and used loudspeakers and bullhorns to yell pro-Trump messages and profanity. Across the state in El Paso, a volunteer reported that a border patrol truck had been parked next to a polling location for several hours and that a border patrol agent had been seen inside the truck. Throughout the state, we received reports from numerous voters and volunteers about increased law enforcement presence at polling locations, which can itself be intimidating to voters.
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