Free Republic

Journalist Arrested After Photographing Voting Lines POSTED: 6:10 AM EST November 1, 2004 UPDATED: 12:47 PM EST November 1, 2004 WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- A freelance journalist taking pictures of voters waiting outside the Palm Beach County elections headquarters was arrested after ignoring a deputy's orders to stop, sheriff's officials said. James S. Henry, of Sag Harbor, N.Y., (pictured, left) was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest without violence. Sheriff's Deputy Al Cinque tried to stop Henry as he shot pictures of about 600 people standing in line to vote Sunday afternoon. Henry began running away, but Cinque...

[DNC logo} IMPORTANT LEGAL NOTICE To all Republican Party Election Day poll watchers: Your name has been filed to serve as a poll watcher on Election Day, on behalf of the Republican Party or a Republican candidate. The Democratic Party recognizes the legal rights of poll watchers, under Florida Election Law, to perform their lawful duties. We want to make sure that all poll watchers recognize the importance of their role in this process and understand the repercussions for abusing that role. As a poll watcher, you have the ability to protect one of the most sacred rights of our...

Parties train hundreds of challengers to monitor polls on Nov. 2 10/26/2004, 5:53 p.m. ET By DAVID EGGERT The Associated Press LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Eric Doster, a top GOP lawyer, stood in a windowless hotel conference room and opened with a statement intended not only for about 60 Republican faithful but also the handful of Democrats who'd come to his training session. "This program," he said, "is not in any way, shape or form an effort to intimidate voters." Doster spoke for an hour about a provision of Michigan's election law that could prove crucial if either political party...

Bilingual poll workers eyed for DFW area Associated Press FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) Tarrant County election officials are recruiting bilingual poll workers to handle the anticipated large turnout among newly minted U.S. citizens. The county plans to place a bilingual clerk at each of the 400 voting sites for the Nov. 2 election to help voters understand the mechanics of casting a ballot. "We think we are going to have a large turnout. We just want to be able to provide assistance to whoever needs it," said Gayle Hamilton, Tarrant Countys assistant elections administrator, in Sundays Fort Worth Star-Telegram. English...

It has been years since the bad old days when Southern blacks were given "literacy tests," and voting rights activists were beaten and killed. But blacks, Hispanics and Indians are still regularly discouraged from voting, often under the guise of "ballot integrity" programs that are supposed to be aimed at deterring fraud at the polls. Minority vote suppression tears at the fabric of American democracy. It persists, however, for a simple reason: in close elections, when some minority groups are strongly identified with a single party, it can be the difference between winning and losing. In 2002, the Indian vote...

Harvard Students Plan to Watch Over Polling Places in November Mar 16, 2004 By Jay Lindsay/ Associated Press Writer BOSTON (AP) - A group founded by Harvard law students announced plans Tuesday to send observers to 49 states this November to help ensure voters in the fall election are not improperly turned away from the polls. The group, called Just Democracy, plans to dispatch at least 1,000 students from across the country to polls in every state with a law school, which includes all but Alaska. Student leaders want to help ease the bureaucratic mistakes or ignorance of the law...

<p>Republican vote challengers will be present at 18 precincts in predominantly black areas in Jefferson County today after a judge yesterday refused to block the local Republican Party's plan to station them there.</p> <p>Jefferson Circuit Judge Thomas Wine said he couldn't grant a restraining order based only on the fear that someone's right to vote would be abridged.</p>

<p>Republican poll challengers will be allowed to observe predominantly black precincts in Tuesday's election after a judge turned down a request to block them.</p> <p>State law allows political parties to place vote challengers at precincts to question a voter's eligibility if they suspect the voter is ineligible. They aren't allowed to confront the voter directly.</p>

Nov 3, 2003 Judge Refuses to Ban Republicans' Poll Challengers From Black Neighborhoods By Bruce Schreiner Associated Press Writer LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Republican poll challengers will be allowed to observe predominantly black precincts in Tuesday's election after a judge turned down a request to block them. State law allows political parties to place vote challengers at precincts to question a voter's eligibility if they suspect the voter is ineligible. They aren't allowed to confront the voter directly. The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky claimed the vote watchers could intimidate minority voters or slow the voting process in the...

<p>Democrats prepare post-vote challenges By Sam Stanton and Gary Delsohn -- Bee Staff Writers Published 2:15 a.m. PDT Wednesday, October 1, 2003 Setting the stage for a post-election legal challenge to the recall vote, Democrats are set to launch a national fund-raising campaign today to help pay for any legal action needed if Tuesday's election on Gov. Gray Davis' future is close. Seeking to avoid what they called "another Florida-style fiasco," the state party and a national Democratic group called Democrats for America's Future said they hope to raise $100,000 to place poll watchers around the state Tuesday and to help with post-election legal challenges that may come up.</p>

Much to my surprise, there were sanctioned poll watchers at my polling place in South Jersey this year. As we are in a Democrat district, I see this as very good news indeed. This is the first time I've ever seen them there. The old ladies running the show were very annoyed with them and made it obvious that they weren't wanted. Anyone else notice this? Could be a good sign.

Inside the Beltway John McCaslin Political tidbits and other shenanigans from around the nation's capital.     Flocking to Florida      We told you last week that an international democratic delegation that usually monitors political elections in Third World countries has arrived to observe the ballot-challenged masses in sunny Florida.     Now Rep. Mark Foley, Florida Republican, has handed us a letter from House Administration Committee Chairman Bob Ney, Ohio Republican, outlining his committee's efforts to observe "certain problematic precincts" in Florida on Election Day tomorrow.     Two months ago, as this column reported, Mr. Foley requested that Mr. Ney dispatch a bipartisan team to the Sunshine State. The...

<p>Michigan Republicans plan to station several hundred spotters at heavily Democratic voting precincts Tuesday to challenge voters they suspect are improperly or not registered.</p> <p>State Democrats say the plan is aimed at intimidating minority voters in Detroit and a few other cities, and to reduce the number of votes for Democratic candidates.</p>