Poll Challengers in Ohio

[actappan]

I just received an email from a friend working an Ohio county. They asked me if I would be interested in serving as a poll challenger. I politely declined, as I'm no longer registered in Ohio (moved away a few years back) . . . then I had second thoughts about the polite part.

This is just plain wrong. I know they started it. I know that we're all afraid that the GOP will steal the election, but challenging people's right to vote is wrong. Period. Yes, there may be fraudulent registrations, even fraudulent votes. But what if someone who does have the legal is either denied, or so sufficiently intimidated that they turn away? Can we have that on our collective conscience?

This is voter intimidation. Plain and simple. We're Democrats. We represent the under-represented. We encourage new participation in the process. For gods sake - we even call ourselves DEMOCRATS, as in people of a democracy.

We need to write Denny White and others who're empowered to stop this. Tell the Ohio Democratic Party to stand down from poll challengers, take the moral high ground, and give the GOP the rope with which to hang themselves.

Write Denny White (ODP Chair): [e-mail]
Write Hanna Greer (ODP Exec Dir): [e-mail]

Edit to fix formating.

[movonne]

1. Yeah!!! right....anything it takes...no 2000 again.

[liberalnurse]

2. No way!

They drew first blood. I want my country back!

I'll email Dennis and thank him....and send another donation.

[Lady President]

3. You were given the wrong message

There aren't going to be any poll "challengers" in Ohio, at least not organized through the party. There are going to be poll watchers. This is a very important distinction! There was an article in the Columbus paper today stating very clearly that poll watchers aren't going to challenge any voters. Their purpose to record any GOP challenges and to protect the rights of the voters.

I have to admit that I'm furious these kind of rumors are going around. This type of gossip is a complete waste of time and may prevent people from playing a legitimate role as a poll watcher.

[AngryOldDem]

4. Interesting e-mail attachment about voter protection

>>There aren't going to be any poll "challengers" in Ohio, at least not organized through the party. There are going to be poll watchers.>>

Got an e-mail with an attachment the other day from the K/E HQ. It reads, "The Kerry/Edwards Campaign and the Ohio Democratic Party are organizing a Voter Protection Program to protect our voters' rights to vote and have their votes counted accurately."

It goes on: "As a representative of the Democratic Party, you would be able to work inside a polling location as the official challenger and would be entitled to witness the actual counting of the votes."

Monitor or challenger, whatever you want to call it, I say the more people watching that day, the better. And that goes for international observers as well. This is epecially crucial this year with all the new voters who could possibly be "challenged" right out the door because of their chosen political affiliation. Someone must be the eyes and the ears of the system -- and it might as well be us. If anything, it sends a message, and provides more witnesses and documentation if anything gets disputed.

According to what I was told by someone at Montgomery County HQ, the use of Dem poll monitors depends on how the GOP plans to use theirs. So it sounds like both sides will be fairly represented.

[actappan]

6. Hmmm . . .

This Akron Beacon Journal article says otherwise: http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/9915120.htm

Here's a google cache link: http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:28lqVm0GjSgJ:www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/2004/10/14/news/local/9915120.htm+Ohio+Poll+Challengers&hl=en

The crux is that there will be poll challengers in addition to the partisan and non-partisan poll watchers. The challengers must be organized by the parties as the 1953 law that creates the position specifies that they must be credentialed by the parties.

[Lady President]

12. We are protecting the vote

Are you a Democrat? Just curious. It sounds like you want us to waste our time protesting our own party because we are trying to protect the right to vote.

There are going to be GOP poll challengers and Dem. poll "challengers". The Dems. purpose is to be the official eyes watching and recording any GOP challenges. We are not going to prevent anyone from voting.

Why do you want GOP challengers (in the sense your thinking) to walk all over the voters and not have anyone present to monitor the behavior.

Have a little more faith in us.

[POAS]

10. Technically

They will be called challengers to put them on the same legal footing with the GOPers. A challenger MUST be a lawyer licensed to practice in Ohio. The instructions the Democratic challengers are receiving are to NOT challenge voters right to vote but rather to assist voters that are challenged by the GOP so that the voters rights are not violated.

[mtnester]

5. Election Protection poll watchers

I am signed up to be one of them...they are organizing all over the country, expecially in AT RISK states Like Ohio.

You are to be non partisan about it and assist any voter that may have been disenfranchised or is simply having a hard time voting where they thought they should...thought they were registered, provisional, etc.

There are training sessions that you are required to attend to inform you of specific law pertaining to the state you are in, including all federal laws that may supercede. You will be fed and looked out for, but you are NOT there to challenge anything. You're provided a cell phone which will contain important numbers pertinent to your area assignment, such as the local board of elections, the SOS office, and lawyers who are ready to prevent or correct, including with injunctions, any attempts to disenfranchise voters on election day. As a poll WATCHER, it is not up to you to challenge any voters at all. But you are to even watch those who are CHALLENGING as well, especially if they are trying to keep someone from voting. Again, a poll WATCHER is non-partisan...you assist ANYONE who may be having a problem.

I will be assigned to the Columbus area as a poll watcher, should have my assignment precinct soon. Some will be in OH, PA, FLA, NJ, Missouri, etc. If you are interested, it is not too late. Just go to http://www.electionprotectionvolunteer.org/electionprotection/index.cfm?mktcode=EI001

[mongo]

7. The election protection volunteers are a different animal

from what is being discussed here. We (as I will be working with election protection too) will be OUTSIDE the polls, primarily to take complaints from people who were denied the right to vote, and to hand out fliers informing people of their rights.

The poll challengers/monitors (whatever you want to call them) are sponsored by each party and will have the authority to challenge a persons right to vote. Now, I am not saying that the Dem's should do this, but I wouldn't hurt to have some of our guys in the polls too.

The 'pubs have already submitted their lists of poll challengers and could significantly slow down the voting process by hassling every voter in certain precincts, requiring ID, and generally intimidating people.

Of course, if this starts happening, the election protection folks will involved and call out the lawyers in addition to having anyone that wants to fill out a complaint form - at least that is my understanding.

I hope this crap doesn't start happening where I am stationed. I can envision several scenarios where I may get a little carried away - and I don't want to be in jail on 11/3.....

[mtnester]

11. What city are you going to?

I will be in Columbus, with Monday night training on 11/1 at the NAACP downtown on high st.

[actappan]

14. Me Too . . . maybe . . .

I'm traveling back to Ohio for the home strech, and if K/E 2K4 or ODP doesn't come up with something for me to do soon, I may be there with you. Me and a couple friends -one of whom carries an ADA badge.

Don't get me wrong. I DO think they will try some sneaky shit - the "we'll do anything to win" attitude has certainly grasped the right wing this year. I just don't want to answer them by stepping down to their level.

[mongo]

15. I'll be in Columbus

and I'll be at the 11/1 training on high street, followed by finding a quiet place to sleep in my truck for the night.

[zoeybug]

8. I think you've got it wrong

The republicans are claiming that the Democrats have fraudulently registered voters that are not eligible to vote - especially in the inner city. They are going to put "challengers" in these precincts to make people show proof of age, citizenship, and address in order to vote.

This is nothing less than voter suppression of the poor & minority groups.

The Democrats are sending their own challengers to these precincts to observe, and to make sure that the people's right to vote is preserved. The democrats are the good guys here. The republicans should not be allowed to get away with this.

From the Akron Beacon Journal:

Jason Mauk, spokesman for the Ohio Republican Party, said the need for Election Day challengers "has really risen because of all of the reforms that have arisen since 2000 at both the state and federal level.''...

Mauk said that so many of the nonprofit groups that registered voters in Ohio's inner cities -- traditionally Democratic areas -- engaged in sloppy work that Republicans have reason to be concerned about voting.

http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/2004/10/14/news/local/9915120.htm

The democrats aren't preventing people from voting. They are making sure that everyone is allowed to vote!!

- Edited to make more sense.

[actappan]

9. But they're still sending challengers . . . .

Even if the intent is to ensure that the Republican operatives don't prevent people from voting, the Dems would still be taking advantage of the challenger law, and what that challenger would actually be empowered to do would not be to resist the Republican.

The same protections could be afforded by using Poll Watchers - which are already in place, both from the party, and organizations such as the NAACP, PFAW, ACLU, ElectionProtection.com and the like - without stooping to the same low as the republicans and invoking the '53 law.

I totally agree that the motivations for sending the challengers aren't malicious - but using the same method as the republicans allows them to say "Look, they had them too!"

[mtnester]

13. I see fistfights outside of polling places

As a poll WATCHER (not challenger) I can see having to call the attorneys to come down with an injunction against the attorneys outside the polling places trying to "challenge" people out of voting.....it is going to be NUTS!

Now let me go pick up my head, which just spun off into the middle of the living room.

[lizzieforkerry]

16. We are not just going in as Challengers

but we will also be Witnesses so that if we have to go to court later we will have a written account and a witness to testify what really happened...we can't let this go by or they will steal this election! Our main jkob is to defend Dems and get them to vote a provisional ballot if they are challenged - this is a good thing- people won't be intimaidated because they will have someone there fighting for them.