Stone County, in southwest Missouri, has a population of about 32,000

The Missouri NAACP has called for a federal investigation after a replica hangman’s noose was seen on display near voting booths in Stone County, Mo.

Missouri NAACP President Rod Chapel said the U.S. Department of Justice should investigate, saying the noose has been historically used to discourage Black people from voting over the threat of lynchings.

“If this does not amount to voter intimidation, I don’t know what does; there is a noose where people vote,” Chapel told the Associated Press. “For centuries, the hangman’s noose has acted as a harsh reminder of pervasive mob-style executions of African-Americans.”

A Justice Department spokeswoman said the agency as a practice doesn’t confirm or deny whether investigations have been launched.

On Friday, Missouri Democrats condemned the display, calling it “clear intimidation” of Black voters. They released a photo showing two voting booths in a room with a noose hanging in a corner cabinet next to what appear to be old photos.Stone County Clerk Cindy Elmore said the display was put up several years ago outside the election office in the county building in downtown Galena. It was covered up Friday morning, she said.

Clem Smith, acting chair of the Missouri Democratic Party, said the symbol’s purpose was “to stoke the fires of racial prejudice and strike fear in the hearts of people of color.”

“It is a painful reminder of the murders and lynchings of Black Americans,” Smith said.

Stone County, in southwest Missouri, has a population of about 32,000. The county was the site of Missouri’s last legal hanging, in 1937, when Roscoe Jackson was executed for the murder of salesman Paul Bozarth.