It's mid-October in an even-numbered year, so it must be voter suppression season. The GOP is in sanctimonious a lather about "voter fraud." ACORN! Registrations filled out for Mickey Mouse! Of course, the Repugs know that ACORN's efforts will not result in voter fraud. In fact, as this article explains, voter fraud is exceedingly rare and this is all really a concerted effort to keep people from voting.
This GOP effort also happened in 2006 as the DOJ unleashed the FBI to investigate voter fraud in the weeks leading to the election, despite DOJ policy to avoid such work right before an election, and which TPM reminds us led to the US Attorneys Scandal in the first place. In fact, they have a post today quoting fired US Attorney David Iglesias say this is a "scare tactic" by the White House.
But, the shifty FBI investigations are just a piece. Slate today describes other efforts including: bouncing 200,000 new voters from the Ohio rolls, an effort in Montana to bounce 6,000 American Indian and student voters from the rolls, fliers in Philly claiming that cops will hang out at polling stations to arrest people with outstanding tickets and/or warrants, and the Wisconsin GOP trying to recruit goons to "watch the polls" (i.e., intimidate voters) in minority districts in Milwaukee.
This happened in 2000, 2004, and 2006 (and probably 2002), and will probably keep the race tighter than we'd like. In fact, the atmosphere is so charged this year that I really think we'll be reading reports of voting stations on November 4. I think the remaining 18 days of this thing are going to be ugly.
6 comments:
Is there any way that a non-resident, non-attorney can volunteer in, say, Gary, Indiana or Milwaukee on election day to help at a polling place?
I'm guessing no. Any idea?
I think the more important question is who do we know who could intimidate intimidators? My guess is that you can only stop one GOP goon by throwing your latte. After that, I think my only other option would be to flee.
at the least, i'm sure you can volunteer to hand out campaign materials. i filled out the form on my.barackobama.com to volunteer in IN on election day, said i was an attorney, etc. haven't heard back. i think you just show up and they'll put us to work.
please, we'll just sic bridget on the meanies.
anyway, dave, thanks for posting this. you gotta figure that the better barack's numbers are the more the Repugs are gonna play dirty.
Because I'm so darn charming they just won't be able to find it in themselves to be menacing?
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