Lunatic Election Day Clash Caught On Camera

Voters fill out ballots at polling booths in a busy voting room — Photo: Joseph Sohm / Shutterstock

Police say a 70-year-old New Hampshire man struck a Turning Point Action volunteer outside a polling place, and the video evidence moved the case fast.

Story Snapshot

Police charged Stephen Redic with simple assault and disorderly conduct after an Election Day clash.
Investigators cited video that appears to show a backhand to the volunteer’s face outside a Laconia school.
The incident unfolded at the Ward 5 polling site at Woodland Heights Elementary School.
Authorities say the victim gave a clear, quick account that helped identify Redic.

What Police Say Happened Outside Ward 5

Laconia police responded to a report of an assault at Woodland Heights Elementary School on Election Day afternoon. Officers met a Turning Point Action representative who said an older man argued with him and then struck him in the face. Police later identified the man as 70-year-old Stephen Redic and charged him with simple assault and disorderly conduct. Investigators said they secured video that appears to show the backhanded strike during the confrontation outside the polling area.

Officials said the clash began as an argument near a Turning Point Action booth positioned outside the entrance. The exchange grew heated. The video, which spread online, appears to show an older man shouting before making contact with the volunteer’s face. Police said the victim gave a prompt statement and described the contact in detail. That account, paired with the video, guided the quick identification and arrest decision, according to local coverage of the case.

Charges, Process, and What Comes Next

Simple assault in New Hampshire covers knowingly or recklessly causing unprivileged contact. Disorderly conduct applies when someone causes a scene that risks public alarm or disrupts a lawful gathering. Police say both fit the facts here, given the strike and the Election Day setting, where voters and workers must be able to proceed without fear or chaos. Redic faces those charges as allegations. A court process will decide guilt, penalties, or any diversion outcome under state law.

Election-related arrests draw close attention because they touch the right to vote and to speak. Police must keep order while staying neutral on politics. That balance is not abstract here. Officers moved after a report, took statements, located video, and acted on defined offenses. That is the job. American conservative values line up with this approach. Free speech is broad, but it ends where a fist—or a backhand—meets someone’s face. Civil debate is welcome. Violence is not, and the law should answer it.

Why This Small Case Lands In A Bigger Pattern

This local clash lands within a wider rise in heated behavior around elections. Surveys by the Brennan Center reported that about 38 percent of local election officials have faced threats, harassment, or abuse in recent cycles. Many now plan safety steps to protect staff, volunteers, and facilities. That does not make this case a data point in a neat chart. It does underline why clear rules, swift police response, and firm consequences matter at polling places.

Police arrested 70-year-old Stephen Redic after he allegedly slapped an 18-year-old Turning Point volunteer at a New Hampshire polling site.

Redic faces misdemeanor simple assault and disorderly conduct charges and is scheduled to be arraigned December 10.…

— Jacquie Stroupe (@StroupeJacquie) November 4, 2026

Courts and policymakers have long treated the space around voting as special. The law protects access, bans intimidation, and expects calm. Research also shows that who stands near the polls and how they act shapes public trust in fairness. That means every adult near an entrance carries extra duty. Argue hard on ideas. Keep your hands to yourself. When people fail that test, swift enforcement helps reset the line for everyone else that day and the next.

Common Sense Rules For Election Day Civility

Campaigners and cause groups have a right to speak on public ground within local rules. Voters have a right to enter and vote without pressure. Police have a duty to keep that balance steady. The Laconia case shows how fast it can fall apart when temper beats judgment. The facts as charged are simple and strong enough on their own: a heated argument, a video-taped strike, and a prompt arrest. That is the line. Cross it, and the law should meet you there.