GOP To Iowans: Your Neighbors Will Know If You Don’t Vote Republican

[TomCADem]

Source: Think Progress

The GOP is trying to convince Iowa voters on Facebook that their neighbors will know if they voted Republican.

Screenshots of Facebook ads, promoted by the official Facebook page of the Republican National Committee feature an ominous message: “NOTICE: All Voting Is Public.” The ad tell voters that “In a few months, Iowa will release the list of individual who voted in this election.” Most troublingly, the ad includes an arial view of a neighborhood with checkmarks indicating that “These People Voted GOP.”

It is true that voter participation in elections in public information. But how a someone voted, including what party they voted for, is not. The secret ballot has long been considered a hallmark of American democracy.

* * *

The Facebook ads at issue go beyond traditional “vote shaming” by strongly implying that their ballot will not be secret. Two Facebook users who posted screenshots of the ad on social media confirmed to ThinkProgress that they had seen the ads on their Facebook newsfeed.

Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/election/2014/10/31/3587414/iowa-republican-facebook-ads/

---

I guess you couple these tactics with employers threatening to fire employees who vote Democratic, and we can welcome the return of facism.

[donnasgirl]

1. this sounds eerily similar

http://nypost.com/2014/10/30/democrats-threaten-voters-to-get-to-the-polls/

[Fred Sanders]

3. Because one wants people to vote and the other, the GOP, wants them not to ,they are eerily similar?

[donnasgirl]

11. I just read the headline again

GOP To Iowans: Your Neighbors Will Know If You (Don’t) Vote Republican, it seems to me the message is the same as the one i recieved from the Democrats in NY which i find highly questionable tactics from both sides.

[tomm2thumbs]

24. here's the image

I think it is clear the GOP is trying to tell voters as a result of 'public records', the press or other interested parties will find out how they voted and let their neighbors know it if they didn't vote Republican.

Pitiful, but then again, that's what the 'P' in GOP stands for today.

'PITIFUL'

[bjobotts]

37. Vote for nothing is a vote for republicans

[JaxMan]

68. It would be interesting to see...

if someone were to go knock on the doors of the houses in the picture and ask them how they really voted...wonder how many did actually...

[tomm2thumbs]

70. that's hilarious -- hope someone who recognizes their home speaks up!

[Rose Siding]

4. Except one is a lie(ballots are secret) and the other

is being condemned by other dems.

So not similar. Eerie.

[former9thward]

8. General election ballots are secret.

Primary ballots are not. It is public whether you voted R or D.

[Ken Burch]

49. Yeah, but it's not public which candidates you voted for in the primary. n/t.

[donnasgirl]

12. I am sorry to say

That this type of garbage needs to stop and i find the tactic sickening.

[Jack Rabbit]

14. First of all, the headline is from the New York Post, a Murdoch-owned paper

The headline is slightly misleading, since one might think that the Democrats are not going to kick anyone's ass but the Republicans will kick everyone's ass once they take control of the Senate. It's the Democrats who are trying to get out the vote in this case, although they ought to fire the marketing genius who thought of using this approach. The headline and the story are written to give the impression that Democrats are threatening people into voting.

The Republicans are actually threatening Iowans into voting for Republicans out of fear. Fear of what, I'm not sure, since there is no way anyone can tell if someone voted for candidate x or candidate y unless he tells someone else.

[donnasgirl]

15. As A New Yorker

And recieved the message, and i can tell you without hesitation most of the Democrats i know are highly pissed off.

[Jack Rabbit]

29. As I said, the wizard who thought this was a good approach for the Democrats

should be fired.

[JaneyVee]

19. Not even close. The second line says "your vote is secret".

[Chemisse]

51. I agree. That is not acceptable.

Thankfully, Dems did not go as far as the Republicans in threatening that the votes would be public:

“Who you vote for is your secret. But whether or not you vote is public record,” the letter says.

[Bradical79]

61. Similar, but different in an important way.

The GOP image takes it the extra step of implying they know who you vote for, intimidating people who are voting to vote for the GOP in addition to calling out those who don't vote. The Democratic message linked to is focused on general turnout since Democrats feel they are in a position of advantage when voter turnout is higher. Yeah, it's a terrible message imo, but I find the Republican image much more insidious. Republicans are masking a "vote Republican or else" message in a general "get to the polls message".

[stillwaiting]

2. They do this in Virginia too. Virginia Beach to be precise.

A family member (who is conservative) told me about her neighbor that got something in the mail (not Facebook) from Americans For Prosperity and that she felt harassed. The mailer used similar neighbor's will know language and attitude. Her neighbor was annoyed and thought it was a liberal outfit (don't ask me why), but she felt she HAD to vote. She felt manipulated.

The family member, who identifies as conservative but refuses to pay attention to political news (she can't even remember if conservative is "left" or "right-wing&quot asked me if I was familiar with this outfit since she knows I pay attention to politics. I told her about AFP and said "Your neighbor was harassed in to feeling like she has to vote. Why would a liberal outfit harass someone who is a conservative and always voted Republican every time they voted in to feeling like they have to vote? Does that make any sense at all?"

She became very quiet, and I'm sure promptly forgot the entire conversation.

[Turbineguy]

5. They must have hired ISIS guys as consultants.

[SoapBox]

6. Filthy lying fuckers.

[Enthusiast]

17. +1 You nailed it.

They have not a shred of ethics.

[Mustellus]

7. Well, before they "true the vote" by changing the totals....

.. they really can find out who their actual supporters are.

[blkmusclmachine]

9. Who can trust the secret blackbox vote "counters"? With proprietary coding? Manufactured by Corporat

that have a 1%'ers agenda? NOT ME!

[world wide wally]

10. Like people are supposed to brag about voting for Joni Earnst?

[INdemo]

13. We need to remind voters, all voters that Hitler used these tactics when he

first came to power and the next phase was to abolish the German parliament and remove any political figure that was in disagreement with his Nazi party. In many cases those political figures were executed by firing squad.
Now you can tell me I'm crazy but if the Republicans take over both houses and give the Koch brothers all the power they need to accomplish their goals, abolish the EPA, ban union membership or any form of organized labor. Minimum wage laws abolished et,etc.

Does anyone think this is a radical assumption.
Well for one their is no longer a Republican party as there was with Ike and Regan era. Tea Party Republicans want to destroy liberals and even within our own party Democrats fear being called a liberal and feel they have to be center of the left or right and when they fear being called a liberal then they must be a Republican.

Go back and check the History of the mid Thirties when Hitler came to power and see the resemblance of todays Republican Tea Party tactics.
How about the voting laws that restricts voters..campare it too.

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

47. +1 ...

... you said it for me!

[PADemD]

55. +1

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it"

George Santayana

[CanonRay]

16. and they vill report you to the authorities!

I know we casually throw the word fascism around, but Jeez...

[Enthusiast]

18. Oh, it's Facism alright.

[supercats]

20. All Republicans Need To Go To Hell!!!

[bulloney]

21. We never really defeated the Nazis in WW II.

We just let them in our country and they've been gradually infiltrating our system to where it is today. Only, they call themselves Republicans and Teabaggers.

[INdemo]

60. That was good

Now if you were in the public spotlight or running for any political office you would have to apologize for that statement but you are correct that brought an early morning LOL

[TRoN33]

22. I imagined like this...

Republicans to Iowans, if you don't vote for Republicans, your neighbor will know and they would go like this

Republicans are truly masters of fear tactics.

[TNNurse]

23. So if

The votes of specific people are identified, can the election be nullified???

[blackspade]

25. I'm sure the DOJ will get right on this....

Why is the GOP never penalized for this type of election fraud?

[ReRe]

26. Guess what?

I don't give a shit WHO knows I'm a Democrat. I'm not ashamed of the fact. I think Republicans are the ones who don't want anyone to know how they vote.

[INdemo]

63. Its getting to the point in my RED State,Red County

and Red Township that a Democrat doesn't dare have a yard sign supporting a Democrat. They get torn up or stolen, or spray painted and people don't speak at the local coffee shop. I do. I bash Republicans like I always do.

[ReRe]

64. Give 'em hell! n/t

[jtuck004]

27. Uh, I bet they know when their psychopathic candidates lose too. <G>

Sorry, struck me funny again, all of them with their mouth open, at the unexpected turn of events.

[47of74]

28. I'm an Iowan and I don't the f--- care if everyone I know knows if I voted D

People who don't like how I vote can go straight to hell. The Iowa GOP can go fuck themselves, I'm not ashamed of having voted Democratic in this or any other election.

My personal message to the Iowa GOP is;

[sharp_stick]

30. This shit, or a variation of it

is pretty bipartisan I'm sorry to say.

http://www.courant.com/politics/elections/hc-voting-record-mailers-1101-20141031-story.html

[SoapBox]

31. Last night on Washington Week with Gwen Ifil...

Someone in the house was watching...all I could do was keep yelling BULLSHIT and turning up the volume on another TV.

It's sooooooo rigged with the "subtle" comments how Dems are going to lose, lose, lose in all areas because we are sooooooooo disgusted with OUR President.

Lies...lies...lies...all built to manipulate.

[vlyons]

32. What do you mean "return of Fascism?"

RW fascism never left us. It's been here all along, willing to punish and harass all those who deviate from RW ideology. Fascism gets its name from the Latin "fasces" meaning "bundle." It was a bound bundle of wooden rods that sometimes included an axe. The fasces were carried by Roman legionnaires as symbols of the Tribunes, or magistrates, power and authority. The rods were for beating people, and the axe was to chop off hands, feet, or heads of those, who broke the law. The RWers are very big into punishing people. As far as I am concerned, the GOP long ago passed over the boundary of "conservatism" and into pure unadulterated evil. They are all a bunch of sociopaths.

[Peacetrain]

33. ATTENTION GOP... I am from Iowa

and I voted DEMOCRATIC!!

[Pantagruelsmember]

34. Get the truth out

The big picture, Obama reality the obstructionist GOP won't admit:

The economy has recovered from the Bush/GOP disastrous incompetence
Obama has been at least as good as Reagan for the economy. In fact, U.S. has now had 63 straight months of job expansion, including 54 consecutive weeks of private sector growth.
Obama’s administration has created more jobs in five years than Bush managed in all eight.
The ebullient stock market reflects BO/Dem leadership.
The Federal Budget Deficit has Shrunk by 2/3 since 2009

The Obama administration is the most honest, scandal free in history. Government Spending has only gone up 1.4 percent under Obama, the lowest spending has increased since Eisenhower, “The Last Actual Republican.” Government spending increased 8.1 percent under Bush, and 8.7 percent under Reagan.
Taxes have only increased on those making $400,000 a year or more, the richest 2 percent of Americans.
For approx. 95 percent of us , taxes have actually gone down.


Bin Laden is dead.There have been no significant foreign attacks on American soil.
U.S. dependence on foreign oil is at a record low due to domestic oil production and higher fuel efficiency standards

The dollar is KING and there has been no appreciable inflation.
The U.S. under BO is the envy of the world.

Obamacare is working. Approximately 10 million Americans who didn’t have health insurance before have it now. Rates haven’t gone up across the board as predicted by GOP critics mainly because healthcare costs are now rising slower than they have at any point since 1960 and in many cases going down. The success of Obamacare has extended the projected solvency of Medicare out to 2030. Seniors have saved $Billions on prescriptions and millions of Americans have received refunds from their health insurance companies thanks to provisions of ACA.

Just the indisputable facts....

*Blogger jeff61b compiled and published many of these stats which I'm passing along and suggest you pass along too.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

57. ^ :)

[Snotcicles]

35. To me that is a good sign. They are seeing their base turning to our side.

And they are trying to intimidate them back in line.

[moreland01]

36. Colorado too

Republicans in Colorado got this threat too from "Americans for Prosperity" a.k.a. the Koch brothers. I work in the election office for my county and we're getting a lot of calls from people angry and/or worried because they got a call from someone telling them their vote hasn't been cast. I look them up in the database and assure them that their ballot was received (assuming it was) and will be counted. I'm so surprised they don't direct their anger at whomever it was that gave them a threatening flyer or phone call. They always assume that the county sent it to them.

[DonCoquixote]

38. They are doing this in Florida too

and in this state, it can get nasty as people can and will get violent.

[whistler162]

39. Well since my neighbor's name is

K. K. Ringle I would assume he will also. Strange man always disappearing around the 24th of December.

[Pakid]

40. Hey Republican I will never vote for you

and I don't care one bit who know that I don't vote for Idiots, liars, or fools and you Republican are all three plus a whole lot more bad things

[turbinetree]

41. MY Vote

Hey, republicans since I have already did my part for this republic and voted, I just want you know that it was not for republicans, and if you have to resort to harassing ones neighbors on which party they vote for and for who, you have just made the yourself into a third rate party and should have charges brought upon you for voter intimidation.
I would like to remind all Iowan's to vote this coming November 4, 2014 and think about all those citizens that gave there all to die to protect this right, because we all have read and heard how "ONE" party is creating voter suppression in 27 states in this republic, and it has not been the democratic party

[Deepunder]

42. Un-American

All voters should take it as it was given a threat. Anyone who would threaten their neighbors on how they might vote is un-American and does not understand what the United States of America stands for. Many people have served this country so we can all have the right to vote our conscious and not be threatened by others who feel they have a right and the duty to force others to vote how they want us too. When I say duty these people will do almost anything even if it meant breaking the law believing there are others like themselves within our government and courts that would protect them and reward them in the future.

These people have little respect for others and no respect for our form of government. What I don’t understand if they dislike it so much what form of a government do they want? I would love someone to provide me with specific ideas and not just say less government and fewer taxes. If that’s the case I say they still want to keep this form of government they just want to make some changes. Based on whats been going on in a number of states at least one group thinks they are better then other Americans when it comes to who they think should be elected. So they are trying to do everything they can do to limit what Americans can vote. That’s why this kind of a threat is an attack on everything this country stands for. Today they try to limit the minority voters tomorrow anyone that declares themselves a member of another party other then the GOP.

We need to stand up to this now or don't be surprised how different our country will look in the future.

[Thav]

43. Damn right they will!

I've had democrat signs in my yard for some time now!

Aside from that, some hard consequences need to happen to ANY group that tries to suppress voting, especially through blatently false information.

[jwirr]

44. Are the registration lists public? What you register really does not make a difference because when

you walk into the voters booth it is confidential.

[Renew Deal]

53. Typically they are public

So are voting histories in terms of which elections were voted in.

[EEO]

45. The GOP is going to unleash the Brownshirts if you don't vote Republican.

[olddad56]

46. wait until the people who vote to please their neighbors realize that the can legally leave Iowa.

[Cha]

48. KICK for now! Thanks Tom!

[Youdontwantthetruth]

50. Sorry to break the news to you but Fascism is alreadly here in America and has been for

quite some time.

[Renew Deal]

52. It wouldn't surprise me if this was possible

I've used two different types of voting systems. In the old system, they recorded the counter number on the machine before each person voted. In the new system, they record the ballot number. If they matched the ballot to the sigh in sheet they can figure if out.

[SmittynMo]

54. This is total bullshit.

There is no way this is going to happen. It's illegal. And what if "they" get it wrong? Even if the accuracy rate was 99%? OMG, if I was listed as a republican, I'd shit. And who do you talk to to get it corrected? Who owns the data, accurate, or inaccurate? Next thing you know, future employers could then access this information and discriminate against your party. Nope. Don't see it happening.

I realize we are in the digital age, but I don't see this ever happening. And if they did, it should be kept confidential. Odds are, the government already has this information.

[Bettie]

56. Eh, I live in Iowa

And anyone who has ever met me would be shocked if I voted Republican!

That's probably why the other PTO moms won't talk to me...or maybe it's because I'm ten years older (minimum) than they are and not 'from here'.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

58. ...

[DFW]

59. For all their falsely trumpeted "anti-communism,"

Today's Republicans are the most ardent Stalinists since their "Uncle Joe" departed this world in 1953.

[Bobcat]

62. Spot On

DFW. They have purged the rational and reasonable Republicans from their ranks. Stalin 2.0.

[AlbertCat]

65. You will be cast OUT!

It's an old fundie religious trick.....

Thus proving (once again) that the GOP is a religious cult.

Besides, why would one be ashamed one voted Dem? The only fear here is that some nutty Conservative might slash your tires or follow your kids to school. Yeah.... vote for them instead!

Maybe we should print up some signs and stickers "Proudly voted for Democrats".

[maddiemom]

66. A few Democratic campaign signs in the front yard should speed things up.

[JaxMan]

67. The "...list of individual..."

You mean there's only one? Sounds like something a Republican would say...

[Shankapotomus]

69. So they are insinuating

voters, in America, will be punished for how they voted? How fucking dare they.

[Arkana]

71. That's creepy as shit.

[hughee99]

72. It's horrifying when republicans do it. I recall on one of the other threads there were some DUers

doing some serious acrobatics to justify what the Dems in NY were doing (something pretty similar).