10,000 (DEMOCRAT) lawyers stand by for US poll wrangles

The Sunday Telegraph ^ | November 3, 2002 | Julian Coman

[MadIvan]

American voters are bracing themselves for yet another round of appeals, delays, disputes and legal battles after Tuesday's Congressional elections.

The Democrats have lined up 10,000 lawyers to monitor the elections, a sign of the confusion they expect, writes Julian Coman in Washington.

Despite the chaos caused by "hanging chads" during the 2000 presidential elections in Florida, 28 states will still be using punchcard ballot papers this weekend.

Most blame lack of funds for their failure to update voting technology that led to debates over whether a chad that had not been properly punched through should constitute a valid vote. There are also fears that others have failed to install new technology in time, or omitted to train poll workers in how to run the new machines.

Across the United States, teams of lawyers employed by both parties are preparing for "Florida repeats" in contests as close as the presidential election that took President George W Bush to the White House.

In Montgomery County, Maryland, new touch-screen voting machines baffled both poll workers and voters during a September 10 primary contest.

Technical hitches then led to the declaration of the result being delayed until 2am. Computer modems have now been installed to speed up the processing of results while Montgomery's County Board of Elections has given more than 4,000 hired poll workers daily training sessions with the new equipment.

"I hope it will be OK, but you never know," said one poll-worker. "For most of us and most of the voters, it's a new experience."

Florida has abandoned the punchcard ballot system, only to find that its polling stations are in danger of being overwhelmed by lengthening queues as voters struggle to come to terms with touch-screen technology and unwieldy on-screen ballot papers.

The unfortunate voters of Broward County, Florida, are to be confronted with 39 on-screen resolutions on which to vote, including 10 state constitutional amendments. Subjects range from the size of school classrooms to the appropriate accommodation for pregnant pigs.

The most important amendment - to enshrine the death penalty in Florida's constitution - is 549 words long. Officials predict that many of the state's elderly voters will require at least 25 minutes in front of the new screens.

Elsewhere, accusations of corruption and intimidation are already being made. In South Dakota, where a close-fought senate race could decide the balance of political power in Washington, the FBI is investigating alleged voter registration fraud and bogus absentee ballots in the state's Indian reservations.

In Minnesota, the validity of absentee ballots cast in favour of the Democrat Paul Wellstone, who died a week ago in an air crash, is already being debated. Marc Elias, a legal adviser to the Democratic senatorial campaign committee, said that Democrats are placing teams of lawyers "in virtually every county in every state where there is a competitive Senate race".

Alex Vogel, Mr Elias's Republican counterpart, said that the evenly balanced race meant that "post-election disputes are more likely than they would otherwise be".

Under new rules, states are to be given $3.86 billion (£2.5 billion) to update voting technology and implement stringent new standards. Those registering to vote will be required to provide a driver's licence or social security number, in order to prevent fraud. Clear criteria for a legal vote, are also to be agreed by all states.

For the time being however, the old rules still apply, and the familiar wrangling is about to begin.

[MadIvan]

I haven't read this in American papers, so I can only presume you haven't been told about how the Democrats are going to try and steal this election in this matter. We've been told now, so I'm telling you.

Regards, Ivan

[MadIvan]

Bump!

[SevenDaysInMay]

They're massing for a full court press.

[TLBSHOW]

I posted it a few times a while back here it was. Problem was I put it in humor when I should of had it as fact.

DNC 10/28/2002 MEMO We have a problem. We are not ready for this election. The idiots we have convinced to vote democrat are so stupid they can't figure out how to cast the vote. They see butterflies and new computers and they are clueless.

What will we do?

Contact us ASP as we will have to hit into high gear with plan B.

To ask for recounts where ever we lose and or challenge the whole thing in court right to the supreme court if needed. Because we are going to lose big time this year. The Republicans will win against us in a LANDSLIDE. If we don't do something.

Our democrat voters are so stupid that we would have to hold their hand and do the vote for them. Just to get it right. So I am sending this memo out now so we can be ready.

Plan B. YES I know we will have to try and steal it again. Maybe someday there will come a time when we won't have to but in the last 50 years and every election in the tradition of RATS we have had to steal em all. Thanks for reading this and contact me right away.

Signed Terry the Pirate head Rat



The rats are planning to steal and challenge this 2002 election in Florida and California if they lose they will ask for recounts with all sorts of stories about democrat voters being so stupid they did not know it was a Republican they voted for and ending with the Supreme Court having to decide the outcome.

My Thought:

VOTE THE RATS BACK TO THE STONE-AGE

[MadIvan]

They're massing for a full court press.

Literally, yes.

Regards, Ivan

[July 4th]

Supreme Court justice Frankfurter decried the involvement of the courts in the "political thicket." This is the reason why. Judges deciding elections is not good for democratic legitimacy.

[CPT Clay]

They don't have enough$$$ for 10,000 lawyers. Ha ha ha

[InvisibleChurch]

They don't have enough$$$ for 10,000 lawyers. Ha ha ha

agreed... i bet that some hang around, get bored and go back to the office... why should they give the dnc any time when the dnc has no $$$?

[dalereed]

"... why should they give the dnc any time when the dnc has no $$$?"

The DNC writes all the laws that allow the scum to rape the public!

[boomop1]

They will find willing accomplices to manufacture lies to cause disruption.

[InvisibleChurch]

yeah, you're right. it's just disgusting and makes me sick to the stomach that there are so many ways people will use to take advantage of others...i guess they want theirs' here on earth... Judgement Day WILL come

[MangoCrazy]

They don't need money. These are Trial Lawyers that learn enough election law in weekend short courses to raise hell.
They are not doing for anything but their own slef serving, slime sucking self interest.

[Cicero]

Hmm. 10,000 lawyers. Let's assume that they get paid $300 an hour for their work, which isn't out of line for these days. That means that these lawyers will cost the DNC:

$3 million dollars an hour.

They'll need to do some heavy eating at the public trough to pay for that.

[goodnesswins]

I don't think it's just the lawyers that are the problem....it's the willing press who will listen to the lies and believe them, then publish them as truth that we have as accomplices. Americans, by and large, list lawyers among the least admired (least liked). (HOPING voters catch on....hoping, hoping, hoping.)

[YaYa123]

"Supreme Court justice Frankfurter decried the involvement of the courts in the "political thicket." This is the reason why. Judges deciding elections is not good for democratic legitimacy."

Correctomundo!! That's why democrats shouldn't ask to have
"judges deciding elections. Democrats should accept election results, without running to "the political thicket" when they lose and want relief.

It goes without saying that democrats shouldn't be defrauding elections either, but hey, whatchagonna do? Democrats don't follow the rule of law, why would they take the good advice of Judge Frankfurter?

[webber]

Thanks for the info MadIvan. It looks like we'll have to subscribe to British Newspapers to get the truth about America. How ironic. America was founded because we wanted to hold on to "The Truth" and therefore left England. Now we're going back to England so that we can get the truth about America.

[6ppc]

$3.86 billion (£2.5 billion)

Hey Ivan...thought you blokes called a billion "thousand million". We are well aware of the rats plan to steal as many elections as they can...expecting total chaos here in the banana republic.

[Let's Roll]

They'll have some volunteers but not 10,000 and I've heard that the pubs have some lawyers too. Or if it comes to that, the pubs can out spend the dims.

[spanky_mcfarland]

Why does this have to be about how much money either party has...our founding fathers would puke their guts out if they saw how modern elections are linked to party funding.

SHOULDN'T THIS BE ALL ABOUT THE VOTES AND NOTHING ELSE?...PLENTY OF ANTI-DEMOCRACY POSTING ON THIS THREAD!

[The Raven]

>>Democrats are placing teams of lawyers "in virtually every county in every state where there is a competitive Senate race".


God help us