Poll watcher intimidation? Would that the DNC were so scrupulous about legalities when people showed up to vote.
Posted on 11/01/2004 10:56:48 AM PST by livius
[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 democracy. Regardless of party affiliation, we can all agree that no citizen should be deprived of their right to vote without good cause. Whatever the outcome on Election Day, the challenge process must not be abused as a means of harrassing or intimidating voters, or of obstructing the ability of lawfully qualified and registered citizens tovote safely, efficiently and conveniently.
You should be aware that, under Florida law, a poll watcher must explain in writing and under oath the basis of a challenge. This affirmation requires that the poll watcher have personal knowledge of the facts upon which the challenge is based.
Florida law provides that a challenger is to be removed from the polling place if his or her activities slow down the voting process or intimidate voters. Indeed, it is a crime under Florida law to be in a polling place to "intimidate, threaten or coerce or attempt to intimidate, threaten, or coerce, any other person for thepurpose of interfering with the right of such person to vote." (Fla. Stat. Sec. 104,0515(3)). Therefore, should a challenger knowingly make a false challenge, that person could be subject to criminal prosecution.
Please be advised that the National Democratic Party and the Florida Democratic Party will insist on strict enforcement of that law. You have now been provided notice of the law, and thus, please govern yourself accordingly.
(Italics and bold in original)
I believe they sent those here in Ohio too...last night I had a GOP rep call me to see if I had received one.
Ping to some people who were interested in poll watcher topics earlier. Please ping others, especially anybody you know who is a poll watcher.
I will be pollwatching. You are only suppose to talk to the Poll Clerk who has been doing this for years, years, years. If you have a complaint about something just bring it to the poll clerk's attention, you cannot challenge anyone directely anyway.
What's the problem? Were people planning to issue baseless challenges? Or challenges based on perceived color of the voter? (Remember is was stuff like that that drove Rice's father over the GOP when the Dems did it.)
Why are people surprised .. the law only applies to repubs .. and the dem's standard mode of operation is INTIMIDATION.
Poll watcher intimidation? Would that the DNC were so scrupulous about legalities when people showed up to vote.
It's called intimidation. I guess it's ok for them to try to intimidate poll watchers with threats of legal action. Well, guess what DemWIPES ... we've got lawyers too.
Well, I'm a poll watcher tomorrow and I couldn't agree more.
Good cause certainly includes:
I will note that if the democrats weren't famous for having dead people vote, having voter registration activists register "Mickey Mouse", "Mary Poppins", and the like, having voter registration rolls hundreds of thousands over the actual populations of the given counties, etc., then these watching wouldn't be necessary.
So, if it weren't for all of these situations, I'm fairly sure that we wouldn't have to do this. Unfortunately because of that, we do.
How is reminding you of the law a threat? It is crass certainly, but would you expect anything else from the DNC?
And, I should echo FREEPER TurtleSink's comments. Procedurally, it is correct that no poll watcher will challenge the voter in any way. The proper procedure is to alert the precinct captain/clerk as to possible discrepancies.
Hey Rats - 4Q.
Stunning? Yes. Surprising? No.
Most hard-working people wouldn't have the money to afford a lawyer.
The demoCREEPs are hoping that they 1) intimidate them from going altogether or 2) intimidate them from doing anything when they are there (i.e., rightfully challenging an inapproriate vote, such as not being a registered voter).
It's crass. But, it is intimidation too. It's, perhaps, a subtle threat, but it's a threat no less.
Any and all 'legal' letters generated by the zealots in the Kerry campaign should be ignored. At this point they are desparate and will say and do anything. They will send out mass mailings of threatening letters. They didn't choose the unqualified John Edwards for nothing. They have a strange belief that they can litigate their way into the white house, despite the wishes of the voters.
This reminds me of the terrorists when they scream, "It's a Holy site" in order to protect weapons caches and God knows what else.
Translation: You may look (with your blindfolds on), but don't mumble a word, question anything you do see, get anywhere near voting booths, or question all the extra ballots that are being wheelbarrow dumped into the voting boxes.
Send this on to John Gibson Fox News and any others you can think of!!
It's a 'nuanced' threat.
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