Genesee County Clerk John Gleason has been charged with intimidating a witness and willful neglect of duty.

Officials in Michigan are reminding residents it’s a crime to threaten or intimidate people over their right to vote, even ahead of what’s expected to be a very contentious election. “You know what we have is a very contentious election coming up,” U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider said. “It is a federal crime to interfere with somebody’s right to vote.”Schneider spoke with the Local 4 Defenders just 36 days before the presidential election. “When people are angry, they take to Facebook.”He said officials are looking for those cases so they can bring people to justice. Arguing over politics is an American tradition and protected by the First Amendment, but threatening people to keep them from voting is a crime, Schneider said.