NYT: "As Vote Nears, Parties Prepare For Legal Fight" (7,000 Lawyers Working For Dems)

[Hissyspit]

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/04/us/politics/04lawyers.html?hp&ex=1162616400&en=2de7374ba8fbaa15&ei=5094&partner=homepage

November 4, 2006
As Vote Nears, Parties Prepare for Legal Fights

By IAN URBINA
WASHINGTON, Nov. 3 — A team of lawyers for the Democratic Party has been arguing with postal officials in Columbus, Ohio, trying to persuade them to process thousands of absentee ballots that have arrived with insufficient postage.

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Democrats say they are most concerned that voters will be prevented from voting by long lines or poll workers’ demanding unnecessary forms of identification.

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On Saturday and Sunday, hundreds of the 7,000 lawyers who are working on the election for the Democratic National Committee will board planes for Arizona, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio and 13 other states.

Their task is to reinforce local teams where party officials say they there is the greatest potential for long lines, voter intimidation or confusion at the polls and where they may need to file court petitions to keep polls open late. “We’re not going to make the mistake we did last time, which was to wait until after the election for litigation,” said Chris Redfern, chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party.

That party has spent $250,000 in legal fees on suits over new electronic voting machines and a voter identification law. The Republican National Committee is shipping out 150 lawyers on Monday to help hundreds of local lawyers in Florida, Michigan, Missouri, Tennessee and other states answering phones and working at polling stations policing against voter fraud.

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[eleny]

1. Dems ought to call from red areas with complaints against the R's

Flood them with calls against their own.

[IndyOp]

2. 100's of the 7,000 lawyers? Yo. Maybe the DNC is doing something afterall?

:shrug:

:eyes:

[HuffleClaw]

3. "absentee ballots that have arrived with insufficient postage."

this is EXACTLY the sort of crap i expect from the republicans.

[Old and In the Way]

4. This will be costly.....I think the DNC ought to be starting to prepare for

this battle. I'll be ready with my contribution.

[Gothmog]

5. I was on Kerry Edwards voter protection team in 2004

We had thousands of lawyers who volunteered their time and paid their expenses to go to try to protect the vote. I was in Ft. Lauderdale two years ago with 800 some attorneys from across the country.

I nearly was headed tomorrow to Arizonia. There was an e-mail asking for volunteers to go watch the polls in Arizonia. By the time I responded, all of the slots were full. The Democratic coordinator who told me that they have the polls covered was really excited. They hope to knock off that asshole Kyl

[beyurslf]

6. Dems hire attys to make sure votes get counted; Pukes hire attys

to stop people from voting.