DAYTON — New video shows Homeland Security agents going into a Dayton high school to investigate alleged voter fraud.
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Dayton Public Schools leaders called the presence of federal investigators unusual, in their view.
Several other groups have spoken out and said it’s unusual for Homeland Security to be involved in an election fraud investigation.
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Video obtained by News Center 7 shows the Homeland Security Investigative team walking into Ponitz Career Technology High School and heading straight for the office on Feb. 2.
As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, the video had no audio, but introductions were made, and school employees appeared to ask them to wait.
As previously reported by News Center 7, the agents were investigating a claim made by a former student regarding the district’s voter registration drive.
“They interviewed a former student, and that the student said to them that they were told or forced to fill out the form and told who to vote for,” Dayton Public Schools Superintendent Dr. David Lawrence said.
Collin Marozzi is advocacy director for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Ohio.
“My first thought is that it is incredibly strange,” Collin Marozzi said.
He doesn’t understand why the former student’s allegations would lead to a visit from Homeland Security.
“It also seemed just very small potatoes, frankly, for the federal government to be investigating, you know, really a hearsay situation,” Marozzi said.
The video shows the three agents waiting a few minutes and having to show ID and credentials at the desk.
Lawrence said he made it to school quickly after being called.
The video then shows the agents going through a door to an office for a meeting.
“We don’t tell anyone who to vote for, we don’t bring candidates in, but we do have folks who come in and say, ‘Hey, it’s really important to vote in this democracy,’” Lawrence said.
Lawrence said the meeting lasted for 15 minutes.
The ACLU believes President Trump’s recent suggestions of potentially federalizing elections make this more noteworthy.
“It certainly raises alarm bells. This is not a Republican or Democratic issue; this is a government overreach,” Marozzi said.
Lawrence believes the district answered all the questions they were handed, but doesn’t know the current status of the investigation.
News Center 7 has reached out to Homeland Security for more information on the case.
We will continue to follow this story.
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