NYTimes: Help the Republicans steal another election and earn $100.

Do recruits have to provide their own white hoods or can they pick them up at the polls?

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/23/politics/campaign/23vote.html?ex=1256184000&en=649b5c012f3d326b&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland

Republican Party officials in Ohio took formal steps yesterday to place thousands of recruits inside polling places on Election Day to challenge the qualifications of voters they suspect are not eligible to cast ballots.

Party officials say their effort is necessary to guard against fraud arising from aggressive moves by the Democrats to register tens of thousands of new voters in Ohio, seen as one of the most pivotal battlegrounds in the Nov. 2 elections.

Election officials in other swing states, from Arizona to Wisconsin and Florida, say they are bracing for similar efforts by Republicans to challenge new voters at polling places, reflecting months of disputes over voting procedures and the anticipation of an election as close as the one in 2000.

Ohio election officials said they had never seen so large a drive to prepare for Election Day challenges. They said they were scrambling yesterday to be ready for disruptions in the voting process as well as alarm and complaints among voters. Some officials said they worried that the challenges could discourage or even frighten others waiting to vote.

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Even Republicans know that there isn't really massive fraud. Having 3,600 volunteers must be to hold up the lines in already crowded polling places.

They really do hate democracy.

I am genuinely afraid that voting places will become as dangerous as they are/were in some 3d world countries. Will we Dems need bullet-proof vests at the polling places?

Bushco has brought this country down to a place lower than I ever thought it could go.

"Bushco has brought this country down to a place lower than I ever thought it could go."

How true. You reminded me of how I felt in early 2000 - optimistic and looking forward to prosperity. How quickly that changed to fear for the future. I don't fear terrorism nearly as much as I fear the * crowd and his brownshirts. In a way those brownshirts are the most dangerous because they are your neighbors, willing to send you to concentration camps, beat you up, or kill you. They wait impatiently. They are a frightening reality. The only thing they wait for is permission to act without fear of punishment.

They did warn us that terrorists would try to disrupt the elections.

Reppublicans poll watchers in every precinct.

I am part of the Democratic team that plans on countering the GOP's efforts here. I am working in Lorian County just west of Cyahoga and we have hundereds of people working now through the election. I will be going out here shortly to start the days work.
If you are able to volunteer and help us out we need more people.

low hanging baggy pants

Isn't validating a voter the responsibility of the poll workers? In North Carolina the presence of these people would be illegal.

What right does anyone other than a poll worker have to challenge the validity of my voter registration, and why do these thugs keep getting away with doing this?

This is Goddess40's mom. I am a poll worker in Wisconsin. The only thing someone has to do to challenge a voter is say, "I challenge that voter." No proof or reason is needed. Then we poll workers have to have the voter fill out a special ballot. This all takes time and slows the voting process. Of course, this is the aim of the Republicans.

When i was a kid, a close reletive of mine was a precinct captain in a suburb bordering chicago. One election the rethugs had "poll watchers" dressed like FBI agents and holding notebooks at polling places to try to intimidate African American voters. A couple of phone calls later, large men from the steamfitters local were in the parking lot admiring the "poll watchers'" cars, writing down their licence plate numbers, standing directly behind them, staring them down from accross the room. The "poll watchers" soon left.

This response may still work in some areas, but it's not what I'm advocating. We need to pay 150 bucks to hire people to "unchallenge" every registration the repuke challenge, as agressively as laws allow. If we don't, we are gioving votes away to thugs. Having worked numerous election where rethugs have used voter intimidation tactics, I'm sorry to say , sadly, that I don't think that as a rule our party operatives have it in them to stand up to these tactics.

Gonna be a rough time in Rockridge...