Alachua County Supervisor of Elections investigating threatening emails to voters

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

Kim Barton, Alachua County Supervisor of Elections, sent out a statement today that her office is aware of multiple instances of voter intimidation via email: “We are in contact with and working in conjunction with our law enforcement partners at the local, state and federal level, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Homeland Security. The Florida Department of State’s Division of Elections has been notified as well.

“If any individual engages in any form of voter intimidation, our office will refer the case to state and federal law enforcement. We are committed to providing a safe and secure voting process for all voters.”

The emails purport to be from “Proud Boys,” but headers have an Estonian IP address, indicating that the email address may be spoofed. The subject line says “Vote for Trump or else!”

“We are in possession of all your information,” the email reads. “You are currently registered as a Democrat, and we know this because we have gained access into the entire voting infrastructure. You will vote for Trump on Election Day or we will come after you. Change your party affiliation to Republican to let us know you received our message and will comply. We will know which candidate you voted for. I would take this seriously if I were you. Good luck.”