Florida: Two Poll Watchers Fired at Broward County Voting Station

Clerks gets ready to receive voters inside a polling station in Christmas, Florida, on Nov
GREGG NEWTON/AFP/Getty Images

As election-day voting began to ramp up in the crucial swing state of Florida, two precinct clerks at Herb Skolknick Community Center in Broward County’s Pompano Beach were fired over a reported altercation.

Police were called after there were reports of voter intimidation by two poll watchers, one Republican and one Democrat. The situation escalated to a dispute between one Democrat clerk and one Republican clerk, David Booth, from the twenty-third and twenty-fourth precincts.

The precinct’s Supervisor of Elections, Dr. Brenda Snipes, fired the two clerks on the spot after learning of the situation.

Booth told NBC 6 Miami that “he was one of the two clerks fired and told to leave the property.” According to the local outlet’s description of Booth’s account, “there were allegations poll watchers were overstepping their boundaries inside the polling location and involved in voter intimidation.”

Two more clerks have been brought in to replace the two that were terminated and voting is continuing smoothly.

Florida, with its 29 electoral votes, is a must-win state for both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, and the polls have stayed tight between them right up to Election Day. The RealClearPolitics average of Florida polls currently shows Trump with a .2% lead, well within the margin of error for virtually all polls.

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