Will Homeland Security SEARCH every voter, forcing long discouraging

[AirAmFan]

Election Day waits to cast ballots at selected polling places? Or will only 'suspicious' voters be singled out for scrutiny, deterring only some who 'fit the profile' from continuing to wait on line to vote?

Polling places are not like airline gates, where having laid out significant money for often nonrefundable tickets keeps people waiting on security lines as long as it takes to get through to the plane. When lines are too long, some impatient people will bolt and become nonvoters at the last step of enfranchisement.

In any case, wouldn't "Homeland Ballot Security" tend to discourage some voters from staying the course and casting a ballot?

HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY TOM RIDGE IS MEETING WITH ATTORNEY GENERAL JOHN ASHCROFT and US Election Assistance Commission chair DeForest Soaries to plan the "protection" of polling places from 'terra' this November. Do you trust these folks with your access to the polls? It may be time to start a massive ABSENTEE BALLOT campaign.

How would Homeland Security make sure enough "security" staff are available at all polling places? Wouldn't security snafus tend to happen more often at urban polling places where overcrowding has occurred in the past? Which candidate would tend to gain more than the other from selective overcrowding at the polls? Kerry or Bush?

Have Ashcroft, Ridge, and they thought about these issues?

I don't know about Tom Ridge, but John Ashcroft surely is familiar with the influence of overcrowded polls on vote outcomes. Ashcroft lost his Senate seat in 2000, and his colleague Jim Talent lost the governorship, because of unexpected turnout that created three-hour waits to vote in St. Louis. If only the GOP had been able to close down the polls on ALL of those patient voters, rather than only two-thirds of them!

Soaries has a nefarious background too, as NJ Secy of State--see Bush_Eats_Beef's thread at http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1973367

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From http://www.evote.com/news_section/2000-11/11092000Fraud.asp . November 9, 2000

"Sen. Bond Charges Vote Fraud in St. Louis

ST. LOUIS, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Sen. Christopher Bond, R-Mo., Thursday charged there was widespread vote fraud in St. Louis on election night and asked the U.S. attorney and FBI to investigate. A heavy Democratic turnout in St. Louis led to the ouster of Sen. John Ashcroft, R-Mo., and the election of the late Gov. Mel Carnahan in Missouri's U.S. Senate race. In the governor's race, Democrat Bob Holden was elected over Republican Jim Talent by a narrow margin. A St. Louis judge ordered polls be kept open past their scheduled 7 p.m. closing time but a three-member appellate court panel overturned the ruling 40 minutes later. Bond charges some polls remained open despite the appellate decision. ...

Judge Evelyn Baker Tuesday afternoon ruled ... that St. Louis polling places remain open until 10 p.m. because long lines and lack of voting materials were depriving people of their right to vote. The Missouri Court of Appeals, however, ordered the polls closed at 7:45 p.m. and the Election Board ordered polls closed at 8:15 p.m. Board Chairman Floyd Kimbrough said, however, the last vote was cast about 10 p.m. "Despite the court order, numerous witnesses have stated that voters were registered and permitted to cast ballots late into the evening in direct violation of that court order," Bond wrote. "Furthermore, witnesses have stated that individuals registering voters and encouraging voting were aware of that order and knowingly ignored the court order, thereby committing voter fraud.....

A tearful Ashcroft Wednesday conceded the election and said he would not challenge the outcome despite rumblings from other Republicans that they were considering a challenge. "I reject any legal challenge to this election," Ashcroft said. Gov. Roger Wilson has said he would appoint Carnahan's widow, Jean, to take her husband's place in the U.S. Senate and she said she would accept the two-year appointment to keep her husband's dreams alive. It is the first time a dead man has been elected to the Senate. BEFORE THE CRASH, SOME POLLS SHOWED ASHCROFT LEADING IN THE RACE. Carnahan received a winning margin of 73,557 votes in St. Louis and won by 48,911 votes statewide. In the governor's race between Democrat Bob Holden and Republican Jim Talent, the margins were ... 64,299 {in} St. Louis ... and 21,248 votes statewide."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By the way, I got the idea for this thread from a ThoughtCriminal post at http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1979833

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. We've already seen how 'profiles' are used

in screening voters-look at the 'felon's list' in FL-Hispanics are way underrepresented-but then they tend to vote GOP. Folks, I'd encourage anyone who can to vote absentee or, like we can in AR, early with no reason having to be given. That way, you know you won't be hassled should something happen on Nov. 2.

[AirAmFan]

4. "Where voting is a prvilege, it's mainly the privileged who vote".

Does Arkansas still have "felon disfranchisement"?

Florida is clearly the state that has taken that old adage closest to heart . Do you remember the US Civil Rights Commission report on Florida "voting irregularities" 2000? See http://www.usccr.gov/pubs/vote2000/report/main.htm .

As I understood things four years ago, there were only a dozen or so states that had to keep track of "felon" voter registration, because only those states still practiced "felon disfranchisement". I'll never forget one statistic I read in the CRC report: Florida has ONE-THIRD of all US "disfranchised felons", some 500,000 people! That fact alone means Florida is not a real democracy, IMO.

There's an easy solution: Repeal "felon disfranchisement". No disfranchesed felons, no list required, no mistakes on felon disfranchisee lists. Voting is a RIGHT, not a privilege. But the during the recent "Election Reform" , Prince Jeb decided at the last minute to KEEP "felon disfranchisement". Apparently, it's a very useful political tool for the party of the wealthy.

[colonel odis]

2. they won't search every voter

just those in selected precincts. they'll try to slow things down in heavily black precincts, where a lot of people will be intimidated by a big police presence. and in working class precincts, where people have to be at work by a certain time or are on their lunch hour and can't wait two hours to vote.

that, combined with hacking into electronic voting machines and the fear that you'll be killed by a turrist if you go to the polls, is the recipe for re-election.

excuse me. there is no "re."

[AirAmFan]

11. Have you ever voted absentee, or by mail?

Do you think it's time for people to start thinking about changing the way they vote?

[chicagojoe]

3. I'll be an election judge in my town here in Illinois.

I'll be going to a training session on Sept 25. I live in a Radical Right town ( my Rep, unfortunately, is House Speaker Hastert ).
This will all be VERY interesting.

[AirAmFan]

8. Do any Illinois cities have Republican mayors? That's where

to look for widespread dirty tricks in November. Every vote stolen in Moline? cancels a Democratic vote in Chicago, and I believe the winner takes all electoral votes in Illinois.

[jukes]

5. kick

ing this thread mostly, but now i do plan to take my camera when i vote.



:kick:

[colonel odis]

6. there's an interesting idea. cameras.

if word gets out which precincts could be targeted for voter intimidation, a la the state troopers in fla turning away black voters in 2000, concerned citizens should show up and take pictures.

perhaps they should pay special attention to any police presence or ununiformed govt figures interacting with potential voters. create our own network of poll watchers to insure that people are allowed to vote.

wouldn't look very good on the nightly news nov 2 to see police cuffing and removing poll watchers now, would it?

[AirAmFan]

7. It's a GREAT idea

Such photos would be superb evidence in the voting rights lawsuits I fear we're heading for in many states after November.

[AirAmFan]

12. Thanks for the kick!

[AirAmFan]

13. Night crew kick

[Ducks In A Row]

9. So glad Oregon has vote-by-mail

Unless they was to search us all at home, which I wouldn't put pass Homeland Security.

:crazy:

[AirAmFan]

10. Maybe this plan will backfire and prod Dems to catch up with the Republicans

in pushing absentee voting and vote-by-mail. As I understand it, in some jurisdictions activists can go out to people's homes and get people to vote right there and then, if they're registered. I may be wrong about this.