Trump Rally Or Voter Intimidation? Wayne Officials Add Insight

WAYNE, NJ — A sea of President Donald Trump campaign flags were waving as classic rock blared through the speakers set up outside the Wayne Township municipal building on a dreary Sunday afternoon.

In-person, the mood among supporters of the president was jovial, but some residents questioned whether this rally was an attempt at voter suppression, given its proximity to the township's ballot drop box.

The mayor's office received a few calls voicing concerns in the days prior to the event, which was publicized on Facebook, according to a representative from the Mayor's Office, and tips reported through ProPublica's Electionland project.

Lined along Valley Road were numerous demonstrators, police estimate as many as 300 people at the peak of the demonstration.

Those demonstrators also happened to spill over, in part, onto the grounds of the municipal building, where one of the township’s two ballot drop boxes are located.

But Detective Cpt. Daniel Daly said police coned off an area for demonstrators to stand, and throughout the rally monitored that they didn't stray from the space provided.

The Mayor’s Office and police said steps were taken to ensure that, although the demonstrators were gathered near the drop box, no one was stopping residents from casting their ballots. In fact, Daly said, "numerous people stopped, deposited their ballots and left without incident."

Police said the monument near Valley Road where the attendees first organized is 242 feet from the ballot drop box in front of town hall. The sidewalk where the majority of attendees stood is 293 feet from the drop box, Daly added.

Further, the Mayor’s Office said when Rep. Mikie Sherrill was allowed to host a drop box rally in the township — at the same drop box — in October, the office received similar calls.

Officials spoke with the Board of Elections, they said, and were told that guidelines are different for demonstrations held near ballot drop boxes than for those held near certified polling places, meaning that in both instances, demonstrators were rightfully allowed to gather.

“The box was clearly not in the path of either rally,” a representative said on a Monday phone call. “There wasn’t an issue either time.”

The Board of Elections did not return a request for comment on Monday.

The Sunday rally was part of a larger network of Pro-Trump events across the state, including a rally in Fair Lawn, and a planned traffic slowdown, which shut down a portion of the Garden State Parkway.

Though the Proud Boys, labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, were present in Fair Lawn, Daly said he is unaware of any members that were present in Wayne.

This story was produced with the help of tips reported through ProPublica's Electionland project. If you experience or witness a problem voting, please let us know.

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