DOJ sends voting rights monitors, observers to 23 states

[NYC Liberal]

Source: CNN

The Justice Department Friday announced that it is dispatching more than 780 federal observers and monitors to 23 states to watch for potential problems which would violate voting rights protected by federal law.

The Justice Department said it was sending observers to 51 jurisdictions in those states to help enforce federal voting rights laws which protect ballot access.

The government listed the locations where officials are being dispatched-including Ohio, Alabama and Texas– but did not specify reasons. However, experts familiar with the process say the list appears to reflect concern about the minority language requirements of voting materials. Experts said most of the monitors are arranged by the Office of Personnel Management, but about 60 of those being sent are lawyers from the Justice Department civil rights division in Washington.

Read more: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/11/02/justice-department-to-deploy-election-observers/?cid=sf_twitter

[AtomicKitten]

1. They should be armed. This is gonna be a donnybrook.

[Bill USA]

9. that plus live video transmissions to keep a record of what the GOPers will be doing

recommended!

[NoOtherMedicineNovel]

21. Love your idea of video monitoring.

Hope they listen to you and record everything.

[NoOtherMedicineNovel]

22. Wonder why they're not monitoring my state -- Florida.

We're a close swing state.

[NYC Liberal]

27. They are

In addition Justice Department lawyers are being sent to Mobile County, Alabama; Pima County, Arizona; The city of Denver and Arapahoe County, Colorado; Duval, Hendry, Hillsborough, Lee, Miami-Dade, Orange and Osceola counties in Florida.

[ProudProgressiveNow]

34. DOJ has been in AZ since forever....

always something up around here....

[NoOtherMedicineNovel]

39. Thank you so much for that info. Lee County was frighteningly prejudiced when I was growing

up here. That's why I left to go far far away to raise my family, pursue career as medico-legal nurse consultant and writer. Ran for state house. Pinellas County, Florida. Close race, but I was waaaay too liberal.

Told I couldn't run for office because I was a nurse.

Once, as I walked down the stage stairs after a long and hopefully convincing speech, my opponent/incumbent said loud and clear into the microphone, "Doesn't my opponent have nice legs?" And the audience thought it was funny. Humiliating, degrading, and oh so acceptable by the crowd. All I could think of was to repeat to myself, "Stay poised," as I smiled and took my seat.

Many years later, family sickness brought me back to Lee County -- only to find it's still back in the 60's. Horribly so. To show you how optimistic I am (or crazy), I accepted the position of campaign manager for the first ever woman/black in the history of Lee County to run for mayor -- against a Rmoney type. Of course, we didn't win, but i learned much.

I'm still optimistic, however, that the tide may be changing under Obama's second term if we can get a majority in Congress.

Love Obama! Love DU.

[fascisthunter]

46. maybe... the weirdo fascists are definitely trying to steal this

[still_one]

2. Is 780 enough?

[SoapBox]

7. Ain't that the truth!

[12AngryBorneoWildmen]

13. 7800 would be more comforting and in swingier locales.

[flamingdem]

3. Good news.

Next week should be interesting.

[Blue Owl]

4. How about a 24-hour federal escort for Karl Rove on Nov. 6?

Just what the fuck does that shitsack actually do behind the scenes? I'd like to know.

[Dont call me Shirley]

8. All manner of evil deeds.

[barbtries]

10. so weird you would say that.

i began thinking that he should have a 24/7 tail about 3 weeks or so ago.

[hootinholler]

12. You can hold someone without charges for 24 hours

Just pick him up.

[silvershadow]

44. Actually an awesome idea...wonder if they have anything on him that they could detain him and occupy

his time that day? lol

[Duval]

5. Great! Makes me feel better. n/t

[Solly Mack]

6. k/r

[uwbadgerdem]

11. We need observers here in Wisconsin!

They (the state Repuke party) have already been caught training their "observers" in effective vote supression techniques. Someone else has already said this on DU, but my formerly progressive home state has become damned near a rogue state!

[alp227]

41. +1. Activists need to raise awareness about Romney's poll watching gang!

Of course, because THOSE GUYS will help the Right Candidate, the poll watchers are no big deal to the right wingers...remember all the screaming and howling over the single New Black Panthers incident last year?

[rightsideout]

51. Exactly

That is where the vote flipping happened. I guess the DOJ isn't seriously taking the report by the NSA Analyst.

Maybe they are looking at something different. But I thought WI should be one of the states. I'm surprised.

[uwbadgerdem]

52. maybe less likely here now that BO is +6 to +8 in recent polls?

Other than that, I don't know why they wouldn't send people here.

[Chorophyll]

14. I'm glad. Seriously. nt

[badgolfer]

15. Vote challengers

Start arresting some of people and they will think twice about doing this crap.

[loudsue]

16. That's what I say! Start arresting people caught gerrymandering.

They are terrorists and should be treated like it.

[Botany]

17. I am a happy boy!

[alp227]

42. But you are choking Stephanie Miller!

SHE CAN'T BREATHE!!!!

PS: progressive talk has returned to Columbus on WVKO 1580.

[patrice]

18. WOW! This includes counties in KS, NB, & CO, but not MO or OK from my 5 state region. nt

[Tx4obama]

19. Volunteers For Voter Suppression Group Installed As Election Officials In Ohio

Volunteers For Voter Suppression Group Installed As Election Officials In Ohio

Conservative poll observers are gearing up for Election Day, when they will watch for possible instances of voter fraud and challenge voters they find suspicious. As ThinkProgress reported, many of these volunteers have been fed false or misleading information about voting rights by the Romney campaign and independent Tea Party groups like True the Vote. True the Vote encourages its poll watchers to “build relationships with election administrators” because “they control the access to the vote.”

But one True the Vote affiliate, the Ohio Voter Integrity Project, is taking their election interference one step further. Ohio VIP has recruited and dispatched poll workers who will not be merely observing, but directly involved in the voting process in a crucial swing state. Hamilton County elections director Tim Burke told the Columbus Dispatch that VIP poll workers will represent the Republican Party:

We know that the Voter Integrity Project has recruited and through the (Hamilton) County Republican Party has placed some poll workers. I have discussed this with my Republican counterpart.

I accept the fact that he understands that the VIP pollworkers are working for the Board of Elections on Election Day and are subject to the board’s instructions, not the VIP instruction. Obviously both sides are going to have observers as well as poll workers. I, and others will spend the day responding to trouble calls.

-snip-

Full article here: http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/11/02/1133181/volunteers-for-voter-suppression-group-installed-as-election-officials-in-ohio/

[Botany]

32. Do not worry about those people ...... they are not "Election Officials" but ....

Poll monitors.


"They" will be taken care of and "they" will not lack for "company." Besides they are not
allowed to be involved in the voting process and that is the law ..... period. If they try to
bother or challenge a voter they will be asked to stop it or leave the poll ASAP. If they
bother a voter for a second time we have the people and the juice to get them removed
from the polls.

Trust me "they" will not lack for "friends" to keep them company on election day. We have
already i.d.ed them and where they will be working and they will not be able to do shit.

Besides True the Vote, is a Texas organization and only registered Ohio voters are eligible to
be inside and monitor the vote ....... very few of "them" will see the inside of any the polling
stations and within a 100' of the front door "they" will not be allowed.

[bvar22]

20. WOW.

First time I've ever said this:
Good Job, AG Holder.

It does take some of the punch out of it when one realizes he has finally gotten up off his ass
to protect his job.

[badgolfer]

24. Holder

It is like he has been hiding; afraid of Issa I guess.

[ywcachieve]

53. I hope you are just joking.

[progressoid]

30. Agreed.

Let's hope he follow through with any violations.

[Blanks]

38. Win lose or draw. If laws are broken; folks need to be prosecuted. eom

[alp227]

43. But I thought the AG is always replaced every term,

even under a re elected president?

[joshcryer]

59. There are exceptions, Janet Reno is one example.

But generally it is true that they don't serve more than one term.

[BumRushDaShow]

23. They are sending some to Philly.

Good. I wouldn't be surprised if teabaggers try to start something and then cry about "Black Panthers" after them or other such nonsense.

[msanthrope]

28. Oh--we ought to have a pool that day--when will "Black Panther Guy" show up at the polls!!!

The Freepers go apeshit every single election over this guy--why doesn't Eric Holder investigate, prosecute, call out the National Guard for voter supression!!!!!

Why???

Because it's the same whacko every election. Everybody in his ward and district knows him. Every election he dresses how white people think a Black Panther looks like, calls Fox News, and walks to the polls. He gets on the News, his picture gets taken, and sooner or later, the ward leader calls the cops who cruise by and he goes home to lunch.

Every election.

And when you talk to voters in his district, and ask if anyone was intimidated, you get the same answer from everyone--'Maurice calls himself King Samir now, but he's still the same asshole he ever was.' And no one was actually intimidated, because the people voting there aren't the fools on Free Republic.

[Pamelajaynn]

25. Florida voting now

In line to vote! So glad they r sending monitors for those Repukes!!

[DeSwiss]

26. It might be helpful if they also......

...listed the potential crimes, their penalties such as the length of sentence and the highest level of fines that could be imposed for those with the temerity to violate voting rights laws.

- It would definitely give these cowards pause......

K&R







''Passionate hatred can give meaning and purpose to an empty life.'' ~Eric Hoffer

[Gothmog]

29. Harris County gets DOJ attorneys

Last edited Fri Nov 2, 2012, 06:41 PM - Edit history (1)

I saw that the only Texas counties covered are Dallas, Fort Bend and Jefferson and was worried about Harris County Fort Bend is covered due to a cease and desist order from 2006 when the County refused to have Spanish speaking poll workers. I looked again and it seems that Harris County is getting DOJ attorneys. That is good.

[CoffeeCat]

48. Interesting...

...about Texas, because Repubs in that state threatened to arrest UN election observers with arrest if they entered s polling place.

Sounds like our own country figured that they would observe themselves.

Pretty sad state of affairs when our Own government has to protect Anerican voters from democracy stealing Republican pigs.

[momrois]

56. Did you see this?

If I were that guy, I think I'd make a stink!

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/video?id=8870364

[MynameisBlarney]

31. About damn time!

I hope they bust the shit out some teabaggers.

[PatrynXX]

33. I'm sure true the vote

didn't help

[lobodons]

35. Better assign one to Kathy Nicklaus in Wisconsin

Better assign one to watch over Kathy Nicklaus in Wisconsin. And whatever it takes DO NOT let her take her laptop computer home with her!!

[silvershadow]

45. God, you mean she still has her job? How? nt

[LoisB]

36. Such a sad statement of what our country has become. Maybe next time, Republicans won't be so

blatant about their voter suppression. It feels as if we're rehashing the 19th and 20th centuries.

[klook]

37. I like this.

Sure hope teahadists don't try to start any shit.

[CoffeeCat]

49. And why the fuck...

Are partisan tea partiers fucking around with our elections and planning to intentionally misinform and intimidate voters???

I don't get this AT ALL!

What would Republicans say if representatives from Occupy and Moveon decided to poll watch and were trained to be authoritative and look for fraud at the polls?

They'd go ape shit.

How did it come to this? WTF are tea partiers doing in an official capacity at polling places??? I can't wait until one of them tries to talk to me or intimidate me. I'll walk in with my iPhone recording and any baloney will be turned over to every media outlet within 50 miles.

This is disgusting!

[klook]

50. Damn straight - I want to see this shit stopped cold

and nothing would make me happier than a few hundred teabaggers crying in their jail cells the day after President Obama wins re-election, despite these idiots' attempts to deny voting rights.

[goclark]

40. Better late then never

They need to start by going after Rmoney and his child that has put big money into one of the " Voting Machine "Companies.

When is that going to be an issue or will they let it slide -- if the Democrats had done some stuff like that it would be FRONT PAGE!

[SunSeeker]

47. K&R

[mnhtnbb]

54. Wow. We're on the list for Wake (Raleigh) County and Alamance County in NC.

[lindysalsagal]

55. Now, THAT makes me feel better.

We'll see if the tea baggers can stand up to the Justice Dept. I seriously doubt it. They're morons and cowards.

[Le Taz Hot]

57. Good goddess!

Did Holder finally wake up?

[Gregorian]

58. It's a new day! This sounds like progress.

[RussBLib]

60. now, if they could only monitor the electronic vote tabulations

I don't put anything past the Republicans.

If Romney steals this election, Democrats have to coalesce behind "fixing" the unverifiable voting machines. Let's go back to paper ballots, which can still be manipulated somewhat of course, but not wholescale like the electronic machines. I do not understand why Al Gore and John Kerry, especially, have not demanded verifiable voting machines. Your run-of-the-mill Republicans should also be behind the idea of verifying the machines ballots, because Democrats might just "own" those machines someday in the future. I don't want Democrats stealing it either.

RussBLib