Federal authorities have arrested a Georgia poll worker for allegedly mailing a letter that threatened other poll workers with rape, a "beatdown," and a bomb threat. Nicholas Wimbish, 25, from Milledgeville, Georgia, reportedly got into a heated argument with a voter while working at the Jones County Elections Office in Gray, Georgia, on October 16.
Prosecutors claim that the registered Republican spent the remainder of the evening researching what personal information about him might be publicly available online. The next day, the Georgia College and State University graduate allegedly sent a letter to the Jones County Elections Superintendent, using the alias "Jones County Voter," threating to bomb the poll station.
Chilling Threat
The letter was written to make it appear as though it came from the voter, accusing Wimbish of " 'give[n] me hell', 'conspiring votes' and 'distracting voters from concentrating'." It also contained threats, saying that Wimbish and others "should look over their shoulder... I know where they go... I know where they all live because I found home voting addresses for all them."
The letter further claimed that "young men will get beatdown if they challenge me" and "will get the treason punishment by firing squad if they fight back, according to the Department of Justice.
Additionally, it threatened to "rage rape" the "ladies" and warned them to "watch every move they make and look over their shoulder."
The letter ended with a handwritten message: "PS boom toy in early vote place, cigar burning, be safe."
Wimbish has since been charged with sending a bomb threat, providing false information about a bomb threat, mailing a threatening letter, and making false statements to the FBI. If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of 25 years in federal prison.
Just Out of Anger
The accused was one of five students working at a Georgia polling site. A May article noted that "Wimbish, from Milledgeville, managed a precinct at the Jones County Senior Center with senior Emily Lanham of Augusta, Georgia."
He had recently completed a master's degree in public administration and held a bachelor's degree in political science, with a minor in rhetoric. According to the article's profile, Wimbish had aspirations to either teach or oversee elections in the future.
"It's been great to explore a potential career path in this field. I never realized the true meaning of this work and that it's something I could make a career out of, until I met Professor Claire Sanders.
"Working any election in any capacity—whether for an internship or not—is a crowning moment. The sense of achievement, being a part of democracy-in-action, is rewarding," he said.
A few days after his arrest, Wimbish shared a brief CNN clip featuring Gabriel Sterling, the COO of the Georgia Secretary of State's Office, speaking to voters.
"The (candidate) you hate winning, it might happen."
"Please respect your community's election officials and all election officials, as well as their safety.
"Do know despite people's weird theories, election workers have a passion and duty to execute an election fairly, are doing the people's work without fraud, deceit, and interference of any kind. After the election, hopefully the outcome can be widely peacefully accepted and the political rhetoric can be toned down," he captioned the November 1 post.
The case is currently being investigated by the FBI Atlanta Field Office.
