"Interestingly, it's all in the polling places in Hispanic and African-American areas."

DOJ Probing TX Tea Partiers For Voter Intimidation
Ryan J. Reilly | October 19, 2010, 10:34PM



Poll watchers in Harris County, Texas -- where a Tea Party group launched an aggressive anti-voter fraud effort -- were accused of "hovering over" voters, "getting into election workers' faces" and blocking or disrupting lines of voters who were waiting to cast their ballots as early voting got underway yesterday.

Now, TPMMuckraker has learned, the Justice Department has interviewed witnesses about the alleged intimidation and is gathering information about the so-called anti-voter fraud effort.

"We are currently gathering information regarding this matter," Justice Department spokeswoman Xochitl Hinojosa said in a statement confirming the Civil Rights Division's involvement.

Harris County, the biggest county in the state, is where a Tea Party group called the King Street Patriots launched an anti-voter fraud initiative called "True the Vote," which recruited poll watchers and amped up fears over groups like the community organizing group ACORN.

Chad Dunn, a lawyer who is representing the Texas Democratic Party, told TPMMuckraker a number of witnesses have been interviewed by Civil Rights Division lawyers already. "We've gotten a number of reports -- quite a few out of the Houston area -- that poll watchers, King Street Patriot training poll watchers, are following a voter after they've checked them out and stand right behind them," Dunn said. There's at least a dozen reports that they could confirm with witnesses, he said. "Interestingly, it's all in the polling places in Hispanic and African-American areas," he added.

more...

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/10/the_texas_democratic_party_expanded.php?ref=fpblg

I got an email from our precinct captain (Brazoria Cty, just south of Houston) and this is what he says -

"According to the Chronicle, poll watchers are allegedly attempting to
intimidate voters in record numbers – especially in minority areas. I
can’t imagine who they could be, can you? If you go to vote and anyone
bothers you be sure to demand their name and to see their identity; then
get right up in their face and tell them “I am a United States citizen, I
will not be intimidated by you or anyone else when I am exercising my
right to vote. So back off!” And, if you happen to say it loud enough so
that everyone in the room hears it, maybe they’ll stop.

We face people who think that this is a theocracy and that God is a
Republican who must be protected by the people of this country so that
“we” can root out all those non-Christians that are annoying us. The
picture I’ve attached to this email should be enough to get everyone to
vote.

We have to vote. The people who put up the billboard are correct. We do
need to save (the United States of) America. We need to save our civil
rights; we need to save our Social Security; we need to save our health
care legislation; we need to save our schools; we need to save our
freedom of religion. And, we need to save those things from the very
people who erected that sign.

Beg your friends and relatives to do the same."


This is the billboard he is referencing:
http://www.brazoriagop.com/resources/_wsb_463x214_Billboard+Small.jpg

If Democrats would finally wise up and advocate for vote by mail in their state they may just get the largest Democratic Turn out in history... Why should anyone have to worry about being intimidated for voting? Do it from your home in comfort.