BREAKING: Reduced number of PR polling sites at the request of the SANDERS campaign....

[brooklynite]

...which didn't have enough volunteers to monitor the vote.

(per NBC interview with DNC member Nancy Ortiz)

[Metric System]

1. It will hurt Hillary's margin of victory.

[writes3000]

2. EXACTLY! I just saw that! Bernie's team asked for FEWER polling places!

They didn't have enough volunteers to watch all of the polling places so the Dem party agreed to reduce the number of polling places FOR BERNIE!

[joshcryer]

3. Wow.

[hrmjustin]

4. I am glad this is coming out.

[MineralMan]

5. Oops...

That's inconvenient...

[Happyhippychick]

6. I was just about to post this

[arely staircase]

7. LOL

Losers

[Andy823]

8. So does this mean

They were trying to "cheat" Hillary out of votes?

[yallerdawg]

9. Now maybe they got sleepy...

and asked if they could count votes in the morning.

'Cause vote-countin' seems to have come to a screechin' halt!

[msongs]

10. vote suppression from a candidate hugely likely to lose big? say it ain't so!! nt

[MattP]

14. Older voters, long lines

And to top it off LBC lets blame Clinton

[brush]

11. Glad this came out too

No arguments can be made that the DNC and Clinton campaign were behind the poll closings.

[MFM008]

12. So much for the FRAUD

They were trying to pin on the Clinton campaign and or the Democratic Party, they didn't have enough people to watch the polls so they requested they be CLOSED.

[Retrograde]

28. Your tinfoil hat isn't tight enough

Everything is Hillary's fault. After all, why believe something just because a member of the DNC (all know Hillary shills and in the pockets of Big, um, Lines?) says so? Surely the sterling intentions of the Sanders supporters are more important than actual ground organization, right? And Puerto Rico shouldn't count anyway cause it's kinda Southernish.

[Garrett78]

52. Retrograde's post was dripping with sarcasm.

[MFM008]

81. Your right

Sorry retrograde. I shouldn't try to eat and type at the same time........

[mcar]

13. Thank you for the truth!

So tired of the "Hillary stole it!!11" silliness.

[DesertRat]

15. Wow

The reported wait lines were 2+ hours. This will reduce Clinton's margin of victory.

[Sancho]

16. Reported on MSNBC - so much for honest Bernie!

Let's see...

-Steals data from Hillary

-Presents to be union members voting for Bernie

-Manipulates the polling stations

-Takes illegal contributions

-Uses campaign funds illegally

Does anyone see a pattern here?

[Andy823]

22. Another damned

Member of the "establishment" pulling a fast one on the voters!

[upaloopa]

51. Claims endorsements that he doesn't have

[msanthrope]

17. My, my. nt

[bravenak]

18. Aint this some shit!!! Damn! Trying to hurt Hillary...

[tarheelsunc]

19. Finally some proof that this contest is RIGGED.

Never have I ever seen a party bend over backwards so many times to accommodate a LOSER.

[BootinUp]

20. Kinda suspicious since this was projected as strong for Clinton. nt

[Number23]

21. Awwww SCCHHNAPPP!!! You done did it now!

So much for that "she's cheating and this is the only way she can win!!11" whine

Hopefully the voters of Puerto Rico will be able to get to the polls and if nothing else, hopefully this will only INCREASE what is already expected to be a colossal ass whipping for Sanders there.

[George II]

23. VOTER SUPPRESSION!!!

[sheshe2]

24. When Bernie called it rigged.

He sure knew what he was talking about.

[Garrett78]

25. Nothing suppresses the vote like a caucus does.

And a closure of polling places (most problematic in urban areas) helps Sanders and hurts Clinton, so the "rigged for Clinton" stuff has always been nonsensical.

[Agschmid]

26. Seriously...

Really...

For real...

[Jitter65]

27. Just wanted to make sure we all know. Straight from the PR election officials. Funding had less

to do with slashing of polling places than the Sanders camp requests to cut the number. Yet, few are raising the issue among the talking heads. But Hillary camp had done this it would be all over the place.
hypocrites...all.

[hrmjustin]

29. I notice some people are keeping quiet now.

[asuhornets]

53. I can hear a mouse piss...Can u?

[hrmjustin]

56. Yep!

[firebrand80]

30. .

[KingFlorez]

31. An interesting development

Goes to show who is really willing to pull stunts like this.

[tammywammy]

32. What?

[MineralMan]

36. Indeed...

So far, nobody's disputing this shocking revelation, either...

[Autumn]

84. The Sanders campaign is disputing this lie

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign issued the following statement Sunday on long lines at polling places in Puerto Rico’s Democratic Party presidential primary election:

“Some Puerto Rico Democratic officials are claiming that the Sanders campaign requested fewer polling places in today’s primary contest. That’s completely false. The opposite is true. In emails with the party, Sanders’ staff asked the party to maintain the 1,500 plus presidential primary locations promised by the Puerto Rico Democratic party in testimony before the DNC in April, when the party was asking to have its caucus changed to a primary. They cannot blame their shoddy running of the primary on our campaign. This is just one example of irregularities going on in Puerto Rico voting today. We are the campaign that has been fighting to increase voter participation.”

https://berniesanders.com/press-release/sanders-campaign-statement-puerto-rico-polling-places/

[DCBob]

33. WTF??

So all the Bernster outrage of Clinton shenanigans the past several days is complete nonsense. As I suspected.

[salinsky]

34. Far out. This primary season just keeps getting weirder ... nt

[Tarc]

35. Lol wtf?

What was the context of their request? I'd love to know why they thought this was possibly a good idea.

[apcalc]

37. I was just about to post this too....

Damn election rigging!!!! Lol

[Beacool]

38. Voter suppression, fraud, the establishment is against my candidate!!!!

[bettyellen]

40. WOW

[procon]

41. Is Sanders is so broke he can't even afford to get enough staffers in place?

From his April numbers he was down to only $5.6 MIL, but he still hasn't released his May FEC amounts yet. Hillary has, but why hasn't Sanders released his donation total? No money?

Local TV also just said he made an unscheduled stop at the Santa Monica Pier so his grandchildren could ride the carousel, but he got in over an hour to meet and greet. He crashed "a charity "Pedal on the Pier" fundraiser, telling people riding on stationary bikes that the U.S. should have "an economy that works for all people, not just the one percent." No money to book a real venue?

[Txbluedog]

48. His campaign got an extension from the FEC until the 15th....

I am guessing so that they wouldn't have to release damaging numbers before voting ends in the primaries

[procon]

50. Thanks, I was trying to locate current info. nt

[Doctor Jack]

42. How I picture the Sanders people right now

[seabeyond]

44. Ya, Lol. Until they regroup then it will be Clinton fault somehow and Sanders is being picked on. Nt

[Tarc]

59. See, this is where I have faith; this sorta thing is the BoBs doing

Not rank-n-file Bernie ppl, who are no doubt as put-off by this as we are.

[lunamagica]

43. Oh, snap! and this from Mr integrity? From the cadidate who says he wants everyone to vote?

The candidate who said that when turnout is high it favors him -though that has been proven wrong at least twice.

Hypocrisy, thy name is Bernard Sanders

[seabeyond]

46. "Hypocrisy, thy name is Bernard Sanders" Most consistent thing I have learned about the man. Nt

[PeaceNikki]

45. .

[lunamagica]

47. On MSNBC the guy reporting from PR said that the long hours were affecting the elderly and people

who needed to get to work...IOW, Hillary supporters. Shame on t

[seabeyond]

49. Once again, Clinton is the one that loses the votes ans Sanders and team false accuses her of

cheating.

Integrity at its finest.

[Sheepshank]

54. Oh wow. I didn't know this

But BSers are claiming this has something to with Hillary. That would make that a huge fucking lie.

This is nothing more that jUst another BS attempt to rally their troops and get them all frothed up, behind a banner of lies

[workinclasszero]

55. RIGGED!! FRAUD!! VOTER SUPPRESSION! !

Done by the people who scream it falsely when they lose.

Its real this time and they did it!

[Feathery Scout]

57. This is some impressive deviousness and dishonesty

I always thought Trump would chew Bernie up and spit him out but it looks like he can go toe-to-toe.

I'm kinda glad to learn this, in a depressing and horrified way.

Because Trump absolutely positively completely cannot become our president.

[Doctor Jack]

58. Where are the Bernie supporters right now?

I have one theory

[seabeyond]

61. Still blaming others saying for a magical reason, Sanders people weren't ok'ed. Sanders dropped

the ball somehow and the only solution he could come up with is not having polls, instead of having others watch the polls so voters could vote.

[MinnesotaRob]

64. I imagine they're trying to find out the facts...

Nothing being reported right now makes sense. The idea that a candidate can jusk ask that 75% of polling locations be eliminated is ludicrous.

[Doctor Jack]

65. Except when you guys were accusing Clinton of doing the same thing earlier

[DebDoo]

60. I'll believe it when there's real proof. One person lying on Hillary's behalf doesn't convince me

[MinnesotaRob]

62. So if you want to close 75% of the polls all you have to do is ask for it?

Who knew voter suppression was so easy! There is nothing about this that makes sense. Even if you think Sanders would ask for this, how anyone can believe that they would honor such a request to close polls in an election from one of the candidates in that very election is beyond me. At the very least there are more questions than answers here.

It is pretty convenient that regardless of what the whole truth is, this will likely be a big headline tomorrow, the day before a huge primary that Clinton is desperate to win. I'm just speculating, but there are much simpler explanations.

[Haveadream]

63. Bernie's busted!

[Gothmog]

66. From my twitter feed

https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/739610752470921216

Per @tonydokoupil, Puerto Rico's Democratic Party is blaming Sanders's campaign for long lines & confusion today:

[nadinbrzezinski]

67. When the Rs steal this in November do not ask me to care

Bernie Sanders’s campaign is accusing Puerto Rico’s Democratic Party officials of fraud in the territory’s presidential primary.

The campaign’s head of Hispanic voter efforts, Betsy Franceschini, told Caribbean Business in an interview that Sanders officials were initially denied access to prisons to help inmates vote.

“Our Bernie Sanders officials were never certified. We had 40 officials we submitted in time for the prisons. Not one of them was certified, while all of theirs [Hillary Clinton’s] went in. Attorney Manny Suárez had to go in order for us to be let in. This is a great fraud,” Franceschini said.


http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/dem-primaries/282228-sanders-campaign-accuses-puerto-rico-dem-officials-of-fraud

Machine politics, and why I do not believe my vote counts by the way.

[Cheese Sandwich]

69. I would have to be a complete idiot to believe the Sanders campaign controls the number

of polling locations in Puerto Rico

[Bjorn Against]

72. Yet another lie from Team Hillary and the DNC

Anyone with more than two brain cells knows that Bernie does not have the power to order Puerto Rico voting locations closed, but the DNC apparently thinks we are idiots who will believe this crap.

If you want to know why we don't trust Clinton and will not vote for her just look at this thread.

I will not vote for a campaign built on lies.

[hrmjustin]

73. Sanders campaign has not denied the report.

[Bjorn Against]

75. Only because they have not responded yet

They will respond when they have time to look at all the facts, they are not idiots like the Clinton supporters who take the first thing they hear and latch on to it like it is the unquestionable truth.

[hrmjustin]

77. I spoke too soon. they have.

[Jitter65]

87. They have denied it? or they responded other wise? nt

[hrmjustin]

88. I don't havd the link but yes they deny they requested less polling places.

[Bluenorthwest]

74. Here's you telling us 'that's Bruce Rappaport not Bernie in those photos':

"If you look at the picture in question...

...and then look at the additional photos in the TIME article, the figure in the first picture has slightly curling hair, which appears to match Rappaport rather than Sanders."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=798868

So why should I believe what you push with calm certainty again?

[brooklynite]

76. THIS OP was reporting what NBC News said...no opinions involved.

If you dispute their reporting, you can count on the Sanders campaign denying it...can't you?

[Bluenorthwest]

79. Did you ever retract that bullshit about the photos? Did any of you? It's smear and go.

I posted something below about what when on last week. The Party was defending the cuts they made in polling places against criticisms from Sanders people. That's a matter of record and it's not the same tune as we are hearing today from the Party in Puerto Rico, is it?
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/281639-sanders-supporters-up-in-arms-over-puerto-rico-polling

[brooklynite]

82. I posted an opinion, nothing more...

...at a time when, for some reason, this was a story of interest. Personally I could care less.

[Bluenorthwest]

83. You craft far too many OP's bashing Bernie to pull off apathy about it, kiddo.

The Democratic Party in Puerto Rico made this decision on May 5th. They defended that from criticism from many sources including the Sanders campaign. Today they claim Bernie is the reason for what they did last month out of their own agency and for which they got bad press.

It's a repeated thing. When I work, it's in public. I do not care for this practice of trashing good people with lies and insinuations. It's destructive to our nation, and it makes Americans avoid politics, which they do in Brooklyn which had what? 12% Democratic turnout this year? Ever ponder why that is? I do.

[Bluenorthwest]

78. May 29th Mr Prats and the Party sang a whole different song....

Sanders supporters up in arms over Puerto Rico polling locations


The commonwealth initially had 1,510 polling locations. But on Friday, it announced instead that there would be 455 for the June 5 primary.

Roberto Prats, president of the Democratic Party on the island, said the 455 locations are four times more than the number of polling locations open in the Republican primary in March, according to Elnuevodia.com.
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/281639-sanders-supporters-up-in-arms-over-puerto-rico-polling

So at the end of May Mr Prats and the Party cut the number of polling places and flouted criticisms of that action from the Sanders team.


That's a matter of record......

[Bluenorthwest]

80. Here's the story from May 5th about the Party cutting the polling places...

Partido Demócrata contará con 1,510 centros de votación para primaria en P. R.
El proceso será el 5 de junio como las primarias locales
El Partido Demócrata en Puerto Rico junto con la Comisión Estatal de Elecciones (CEE) anunciaron que la primaria demócrata en la isla contará con un salón por cada colegio que se abra para las primarias locales el próximo 5 de junio.

Ante esto tendrán unos 1,510 centros de votación. “Al coincidir las fechas de la celebración de la primaria de candidatos a posiciones electivas en Puerto Rico con las primarias Presidenciales Demócratas, tendremos un proceso costo efectivo consistente con la mejor tradición democrática de Puerto Rico ya que se estarían utilizando los mismos colegios electorales que estarán siendo utilizados por la CEE para las primarias del 5 de junio”, señaló Roberto Prats Palerm, presidente del Partido Demócrata en la isla.
http://www.metro.pr/noticias/partido-democrata-contara-con-1-510-centros-de-votacion-para-primaria-en-p-r/pGXpee!WSY3fqINX8QGk/

Even if you can't read the Spanish, you can see the date that it is about cutting polling places and the acting entity is the Democratic Party and it's President there.

[Maru Kitteh]

85. Don't even know what to say. Need time to digest; think about this. n/t

[Bluenorthwest]

86. This decison was made on May 5th by the Democratic Party in Puerto Rico.....

They have spent the entire month defending these cuts from criticisms, mostly from Sanders side. What is being said here today is ludicrous when actual established facts are considered.

[Maru Kitteh]

89. Well it seems fewer polling places

Benefited Sanders.

[workinclasszero]

90. Kick

This important info needs to be seen

[grasswire]

91. A lie

Another thrown chair.

[Segami]

92. Pushing another lie brooklynite?.....

[noiretextatique]

96. seems to be a habit eom

[onehandle]

93. This is the end of his 'influence' on our party. nt

[Triana]

94. NOPE. That is false.

https://berniesanders.com/press-release/sanders-campaign-statement-puerto-rico-polling-places/

PRESS RELEASE
Sanders Campaign Statement on Puerto Rico Polling Places
JUNE 5, 2016
Twitter Facebook Email Link
SAN DIEGO – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign issued the following statement Sunday on long lines at polling places in Puerto Rico’s Democratic Party presidential primary election:

“Some Puerto Rico Democratic officials are claiming that the Sanders campaign requested fewer polling places in today’s primary contest. That’s completely false. The opposite is true. In emails with the party, Sanders’ staff asked the party to maintain the 1,500 plus presidential primary locations promised by the Puerto Rico Democratic party in testimony before the DNC in April, when the party was asking to have its caucus changed to a primary. They cannot blame their shoddy running of the primary on our campaign. This is just one example of irregularities going on in Puerto Rico voting today. We are the campaign that has been fighting to increase voter participation.”

[Bill USA]

95. recommended