What To Do Next? The Real Epidemic is Here
by Marta Steele
Whatever became of the promise to allow all the illegally purged voters back onto the voting rolls in Florida? What of all those right-wing-manufactured touch-screen voting machines that will be used in 2004 to bounce all votes from the Democratic to the Republican corner without leaving a paper trail? I mean, whatever became of the irrefutable proof that the current occupant of the White House is there illegally and unconstitutionally? Our nation is ailing: not from SARS but something becoming rapidly less curable: a right-wing takeover.
--snip
We must raise money for campaign 2004 in record-breaking quantities. We must begin the campaign now and unite all progressives behind the Democratic Party, our only chance at regaining our democracy. We must bring out all those activists again, all those moderates who joined our rallies to oust Saddam, convincing them that election 2004 is far more important to our present and future well being than ousting a foreign tyrant who was no immediate threat to this country. Over one million activists (the largest number of Americans who came out in one day to protest the latest war) can do much to help, the sooner the better. The exigency now is far greater.
Read Article
28 April 2003
26 April 2003
Out of Touch
You press the screen. The machine tells you that your vote has been counted. But how can you be sure?
By Wyatt Olson
The candidates' legal team was convinced that independent computer experts could ascertain whether something had gone wrong inside those ballot machines. The experts, however, would never get the chance.
Read Article
You press the screen. The machine tells you that your vote has been counted. But how can you be sure?
By Wyatt Olson
The candidates' legal team was convinced that independent computer experts could ascertain whether something had gone wrong inside those ballot machines. The experts, however, would never get the chance.
Read Article
17 April 2003
Officials Reject Plan to Fix Voting Machines
By Stephanie Saul
STAFF WRITER
April 16, 2003
The city won't fix its broken voting machines after all, and one elections commissioner alleged it's because Republicans want to keep voters confused.
The Board of Elections yesterday reversed a plan that would have repaired devices on the 7,000 machines, which people accidentally left without voting.
One Democrat joined with the five Republicans on the board to block the machine repairs.
"The Republicans understand it's in their interest to keep voters confused," said Manhattan Democratic Commissioner Douglas Kellner, who spearheaded efforts to have the machines fixed.
The broken devices are believed to be the cause of an estimated 60,000 lost votes in the 2000 presidential race, according to a Newsday analysis.
--snip
Kellner estimated that 80 percent of those votes would have gone for Democratic candidates.
Read Article
By Stephanie Saul
STAFF WRITER
April 16, 2003
The city won't fix its broken voting machines after all, and one elections commissioner alleged it's because Republicans want to keep voters confused.
The Board of Elections yesterday reversed a plan that would have repaired devices on the 7,000 machines, which people accidentally left without voting.
One Democrat joined with the five Republicans on the board to block the machine repairs.
"The Republicans understand it's in their interest to keep voters confused," said Manhattan Democratic Commissioner Douglas Kellner, who spearheaded efforts to have the machines fixed.
The broken devices are believed to be the cause of an estimated 60,000 lost votes in the 2000 presidential race, according to a Newsday analysis.
--snip
Kellner estimated that 80 percent of those votes would have gone for Democratic candidates.
Read Article
15 April 2003
U.S. uses private company to track residents
CRITICS SAY USE OF CHOICEPOINT GOES AGAINST PRIVACY ACT
By Jim Krane
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK - For years now, Americans who use a credit card or order a magazine have left financial identity trails that have been catalogued by ChoicePoint Inc. and other database companies, then sold to the U.S. government.
Federal and state governments pay about $50 million a year to comb through ChoicePoint's databanks, also marketed under the names AutoTrack, KnowX.com and ScreenNow.
The company compiles and sells U.S. residents' motor vehicle and credit records, car and boat registrations, liens and deed transfers and military records.
The files can be used by the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service or Internal Revenue Service to check employee backgrounds, track fugitives or piece together clues to a person's potential for terrorism.
--snip
Privacy experts are dismayed by the U.S. government's use of such commercial data. They say it circumvents the spirit of the 1974 Privacy Act, which prohibits routine data collection on ordinary Americans.
ChoicePoint, a publicly held company, was spun off of credit reporting company Equifax in 1997 and quickly began gobbling up competitors, swallowing more than 30 to date.
Problems with accuracy have dogged Choicepoint.
In the most famous case, a ChoicePoint subsidiary mistakenly flagged hundreds of eligible voters for removal from Florida's voter rolls in 2000. The voters were unable to cast ballots in the presidential election that brought George W. Bush into the White House.
Read Article
CRITICS SAY USE OF CHOICEPOINT GOES AGAINST PRIVACY ACT
By Jim Krane
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK - For years now, Americans who use a credit card or order a magazine have left financial identity trails that have been catalogued by ChoicePoint Inc. and other database companies, then sold to the U.S. government.
Federal and state governments pay about $50 million a year to comb through ChoicePoint's databanks, also marketed under the names AutoTrack, KnowX.com and ScreenNow.
The company compiles and sells U.S. residents' motor vehicle and credit records, car and boat registrations, liens and deed transfers and military records.
The files can be used by the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service or Internal Revenue Service to check employee backgrounds, track fugitives or piece together clues to a person's potential for terrorism.
--snip
Privacy experts are dismayed by the U.S. government's use of such commercial data. They say it circumvents the spirit of the 1974 Privacy Act, which prohibits routine data collection on ordinary Americans.
ChoicePoint, a publicly held company, was spun off of credit reporting company Equifax in 1997 and quickly began gobbling up competitors, swallowing more than 30 to date.
Problems with accuracy have dogged Choicepoint.
In the most famous case, a ChoicePoint subsidiary mistakenly flagged hundreds of eligible voters for removal from Florida's voter rolls in 2000. The voters were unable to cast ballots in the presidential election that brought George W. Bush into the White House.
Read Article
14 April 2003
Voting Machines Violate Constitution - Who Will Launch Legal Challenge?
by Lynn Landes 4-14-03
Wanted - one or more constitutional lawyers. Why? Voting machines. They violate the Constitution and threaten what's left of American democracy like no terrorist ever could. Only a handful of private companies sell and service the machines that register and tabulate votes in U.S. elections. And it's all done in complete secrecy. And if this isn't fascism, I don't know what else to call it.
We've lost control of our election process.
--snip
Some people think that voting machines can be made 'secure' by incorporating technical safeguards and standards, but that misses the point in law. Once the machine is in the polling booth critical parts of the voting process become unobservable and, therefore, violate Articles I & 2 of the Constitution as well as the Voting Rights Act.
Incredibly, no individual or organization has challenged the constitutionality of voting machines. Although plenty of distraught candidates have gone to court accusing the voting machines of miscounting their votes, but to little avail.
--snip
Neither distraught candidates nor voting rights groups, such as the NAACP, ACLU or Common Cause, have challenged the right of voting machines to be involved in the election process. But that's what needs to be done, because when machines are in the voting booth three violations of federal law take place:
1. inability to observe if voting machines properly register votes
2. inability to observe if voting machines properly count votes
3. inability to enforce the Voting Rights Act, because of the inability to observe if voting machines are properly registering or counting votes
Read Article
by Lynn Landes 4-14-03
Wanted - one or more constitutional lawyers. Why? Voting machines. They violate the Constitution and threaten what's left of American democracy like no terrorist ever could. Only a handful of private companies sell and service the machines that register and tabulate votes in U.S. elections. And it's all done in complete secrecy. And if this isn't fascism, I don't know what else to call it.
We've lost control of our election process.
--snip
Some people think that voting machines can be made 'secure' by incorporating technical safeguards and standards, but that misses the point in law. Once the machine is in the polling booth critical parts of the voting process become unobservable and, therefore, violate Articles I & 2 of the Constitution as well as the Voting Rights Act.
Incredibly, no individual or organization has challenged the constitutionality of voting machines. Although plenty of distraught candidates have gone to court accusing the voting machines of miscounting their votes, but to little avail.
--snip
Neither distraught candidates nor voting rights groups, such as the NAACP, ACLU or Common Cause, have challenged the right of voting machines to be involved in the election process. But that's what needs to be done, because when machines are in the voting booth three violations of federal law take place:
1. inability to observe if voting machines properly register votes
2. inability to observe if voting machines properly count votes
3. inability to enforce the Voting Rights Act, because of the inability to observe if voting machines are properly registering or counting votes
Read Article
VOTE FRAUD AND THE BANKRUPTCY OF THE UNITED STATES
Whatreallyhappened.com
Who chooses what government we live under? Those who cast the votes, or as Stalin observed, those who count them? Do We The People pick those who govern us, or does a private company, owned by the CIA controlled media, and operating without any public oversight? Have We The People consented by vote to bear the $14 trillion burden of a government's reckless fiscal policy, or was that consent and that vote fraudulently obtained?
Just think about all it really means if the elections are being rigged on a massive scale.
It means that the contract between ruler and ruled is broken. The government does not govern with the consent of the governed, it rules by treachery and deception. The crown it wears is a stolen one, usurped from the people by three voting machine companies and one media owned results-announcer totally beyond review and reproach.
Read Article
Whatreallyhappened.com
Who chooses what government we live under? Those who cast the votes, or as Stalin observed, those who count them? Do We The People pick those who govern us, or does a private company, owned by the CIA controlled media, and operating without any public oversight? Have We The People consented by vote to bear the $14 trillion burden of a government's reckless fiscal policy, or was that consent and that vote fraudulently obtained?
Just think about all it really means if the elections are being rigged on a massive scale.
It means that the contract between ruler and ruled is broken. The government does not govern with the consent of the governed, it rules by treachery and deception. The crown it wears is a stolen one, usurped from the people by three voting machine companies and one media owned results-announcer totally beyond review and reproach.
Read Article
History Hit Badly by Proposed Budget Cuts in Florida and New Jersey
Perspectives Online
The Newsmagazine of the American Historical Association
Confronted by enormous gaps between projected tax revenues and budgetary needs, some state governments are hitting history budgets while taking drastic action to solve their financial woes
--snip
In two states—New Jersey and Florida—history and archives are the latest victims of budget cuts. In Florida, Republican Governor Jeb Bush also proposes a simplistic solution to the budget plight—close the Florida State Library, turn over the Florida State Archives to the parks department, and lay off more than 50 employees.
--snip
Also threatened are the contested election ballots from the 2000 presidential election; they face destruction through legislative inaction.
The Florida presidential ballots and other nationally significant 2000 election materials are under the supervision of the Florida Division of Library and Information Services, one of the agencies slotted to be abolished by the governor. Readers may recall that last year state archivist James Berberich extended the disposition deadline for the contested ballots to July 2003 in order to give the state legislature time to address the disposition issue (see "Florida Ballot Controversy—The Future of Ballots Still in Limbo" NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE—8:26, 27 June 2002). The next session of the legislature is scheduled to begin March 4, 2003, and will probably continue through May 2, 2003. According to a state spokesperson, officials are working on a policy recommendation that will be advanced next month to the legislature for its consideration. Unless the state legislature acts by July 1, 2003, there is nothing to stop the destruction of the ballots—probably among the most important election records in the history of the nation. A coalition comprised of the Florida Historical Society, Florida Archeological Council, Florida Anthropological Society, Florida Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Florida Association of Museums has been created to counter the governor's plans.
Read Article
Perspectives Online
The Newsmagazine of the American Historical Association
Confronted by enormous gaps between projected tax revenues and budgetary needs, some state governments are hitting history budgets while taking drastic action to solve their financial woes
--snip
In two states—New Jersey and Florida—history and archives are the latest victims of budget cuts. In Florida, Republican Governor Jeb Bush also proposes a simplistic solution to the budget plight—close the Florida State Library, turn over the Florida State Archives to the parks department, and lay off more than 50 employees.
--snip
Also threatened are the contested election ballots from the 2000 presidential election; they face destruction through legislative inaction.
The Florida presidential ballots and other nationally significant 2000 election materials are under the supervision of the Florida Division of Library and Information Services, one of the agencies slotted to be abolished by the governor. Readers may recall that last year state archivist James Berberich extended the disposition deadline for the contested ballots to July 2003 in order to give the state legislature time to address the disposition issue (see "Florida Ballot Controversy—The Future of Ballots Still in Limbo" NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE—8:26, 27 June 2002). The next session of the legislature is scheduled to begin March 4, 2003, and will probably continue through May 2, 2003. According to a state spokesperson, officials are working on a policy recommendation that will be advanced next month to the legislature for its consideration. Unless the state legislature acts by July 1, 2003, there is nothing to stop the destruction of the ballots—probably among the most important election records in the history of the nation. A coalition comprised of the Florida Historical Society, Florida Archeological Council, Florida Anthropological Society, Florida Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Florida Association of Museums has been created to counter the governor's plans.
Read Article
Antiwar Groups Shifting Their Focus to Bush
Voter Registration, Search for Congressional Candidates Among Strategies Considered
By Evelyn Nieves
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, April 14, 2003; Page A26
SAN FRANCISCO, April 13 -- The antiwar rally here Saturday began much the same way as a half-dozen others before it, with thousands of placard-carrying protesters marching through the streets. But this one was also noticeably different.
Among the crowd of a few thousand, there were clear signs that war protesters are embarking on a new phase. Many more of the protesters' placards took aim directly at President Bush: "Bush Must Go!" "Impeach Bush!" Voter registration tables urging protesters to "Vote for change!" also dotted the city park that served as the rallying point.
Read Article
Voter Registration, Search for Congressional Candidates Among Strategies Considered
By Evelyn Nieves
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, April 14, 2003; Page A26
SAN FRANCISCO, April 13 -- The antiwar rally here Saturday began much the same way as a half-dozen others before it, with thousands of placard-carrying protesters marching through the streets. But this one was also noticeably different.
Among the crowd of a few thousand, there were clear signs that war protesters are embarking on a new phase. Many more of the protesters' placards took aim directly at President Bush: "Bush Must Go!" "Impeach Bush!" Voter registration tables urging protesters to "Vote for change!" also dotted the city park that served as the rallying point.
Read Article
06 April 2003
The Greatest Story Never Told
Are American elections fixed? Don’t ask the mainstream media.
By Ernest Partridge
Co-Editor, "The Crisis Papers."
March 31, 2003
--snip
This issue of ballot integrity – the very heart of a democratic politics – should be the number one political issue in the United States today.
And yet, this issue is totally absent from the mainstream media. I can testify that I have not heard or read a word about it on television, the radio, or the commercial press.
Have you?
It seems that the studies and reports of this potentially ultimate betrayal of our democracy, are confined to the progressive internet. (For “gateway” to this issue, see “Electoral Integrity” at this site).
Meanwhile on the progressive internet (while it lasts!) the optimists hopefully predict that the Bushistas will be thrown out of office in 2004. On the other hand, the pessimists suspect that due to “national emergency” the 2004 election will be cancelled.
Read Article
Are American elections fixed? Don’t ask the mainstream media.
By Ernest Partridge
Co-Editor, "The Crisis Papers."
March 31, 2003
--snip
This issue of ballot integrity – the very heart of a democratic politics – should be the number one political issue in the United States today.
And yet, this issue is totally absent from the mainstream media. I can testify that I have not heard or read a word about it on television, the radio, or the commercial press.
Have you?
It seems that the studies and reports of this potentially ultimate betrayal of our democracy, are confined to the progressive internet. (For “gateway” to this issue, see “Electoral Integrity” at this site).
Meanwhile on the progressive internet (while it lasts!) the optimists hopefully predict that the Bushistas will be thrown out of office in 2004. On the other hand, the pessimists suspect that due to “national emergency” the 2004 election will be cancelled.
Read Article
05 April 2003
Prosecutors look into $17 million minority vote-machine contracts
By Fred Schulte and Buddy Nevins
Staff Writers
Posted April 5 2003
The Broward State Attorney's Office has subpoenaed more than 1,000 pages of documents involving contracts awarded to minority firms as part of the county's controversial purchase of new touch-screen voting machines more than a year ago.
Prosecutors also have questioned three county employees and re-interviewed a county commissioner in their widening investigation into the $17.2 million deal for Election Systems and Software's voting machines.
Read Article
By Fred Schulte and Buddy Nevins
Staff Writers
Posted April 5 2003
The Broward State Attorney's Office has subpoenaed more than 1,000 pages of documents involving contracts awarded to minority firms as part of the county's controversial purchase of new touch-screen voting machines more than a year ago.
Prosecutors also have questioned three county employees and re-interviewed a county commissioner in their widening investigation into the $17.2 million deal for Election Systems and Software's voting machines.
Read Article
02 April 2003
TPJ Files Complaint Against Texans for Republican Majority
Complaint Outlines Huge Stealth Expenditures
and the Apparent Misuse of Corporate Funds
Austin, TX: Texans for Public Justice (TPJ) today filed a complaint with Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, asking his office to investigate apparent Texas Election Code violations by Texans for a Republican Majority (TRM). This political committee associated with Speaker Tom Craddick helped elect Republican House members in 2002. TPJ contends that TRM's IRS filings reveal hundreds of thousands of dollars in ostensibly political expenditures that were not reported in the PAC’s disclosure reports filed in Texas. IRS reports also reveal that TRM raised at least $602,000 in corporate contributions. TPJ contends that TRM used these corporate contributions—contrary to Texas law—to pay for some or all of its non-reported political expenditures.
--snip
“This complaint outlines the apparent misuse of corporate funds to fill the legislature with big-business, anti-consumer zealots,” said Craig McDonald, director of Texans for Public Justice. “It looks like the Texas Association of Business and TRM worked hand-in-hand to electioneer with illicit corporate funds. We urge the prosecutor to determine if this new Republican majority is in fact an illegal majority.”
Read Article
Complaint Outlines Huge Stealth Expenditures
and the Apparent Misuse of Corporate Funds
Austin, TX: Texans for Public Justice (TPJ) today filed a complaint with Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, asking his office to investigate apparent Texas Election Code violations by Texans for a Republican Majority (TRM). This political committee associated with Speaker Tom Craddick helped elect Republican House members in 2002. TPJ contends that TRM's IRS filings reveal hundreds of thousands of dollars in ostensibly political expenditures that were not reported in the PAC’s disclosure reports filed in Texas. IRS reports also reveal that TRM raised at least $602,000 in corporate contributions. TPJ contends that TRM used these corporate contributions—contrary to Texas law—to pay for some or all of its non-reported political expenditures.
--snip
“This complaint outlines the apparent misuse of corporate funds to fill the legislature with big-business, anti-consumer zealots,” said Craig McDonald, director of Texans for Public Justice. “It looks like the Texas Association of Business and TRM worked hand-in-hand to electioneer with illicit corporate funds. We urge the prosecutor to determine if this new Republican majority is in fact an illegal majority.”
Read Article
01 April 2003
Problems with Voting Systems and the Applicable Standards
Testimony before the
U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Science
Washington D.C., May 22, 2001
Douglas W. Jones
Associate Professor of Computer Science, University of Iowa
Chair, Iowa Board of Examiners for Voting Machines and Electronic Voting Systems
Member, Iowa Election Reform Task Force
Indexed on the web at http://www.cs.uiowa.edu/~jones/voting/
Introduction
Elections are a defining feature of democratic government, but all too frequently, we take the actual mechanics of the election for granted. We speak at length of such issues as who is allowed to vote, how campaigns are conducted, and how they are financed, but prior to the events in Florida last November, most people's understanding of the actual voting process was something like the following: "You go to the polls, cast your vote, and then they count it and they announce the winner."
Here, my focus is on how you cast your vote, who they are who count it, how they go about counting it, and how the winner is determined. I will begin by discussing this in a historical context, and then I will discuss the regulatory environment that controls this process, I will give examples of significant shortcomings in this regulation, and finally, I will discuss changes that might be made.
Some of the material here duplicates material that I presented in testimony before the United States Civil Rights Commission hearings in Tallahassee last January 11, but here, my focus will be on the relationship between the problems we have with today's voting machines and the current system of Federal and state standards that govern the use of these machines.
Problems with Voting System Standards
Testimony before the
U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Science
Washington D.C., May 22, 2001
Douglas W. Jones
Associate Professor of Computer Science, University of Iowa
Chair, Iowa Board of Examiners for Voting Machines and Electronic Voting Systems
Member, Iowa Election Reform Task Force
Indexed on the web at http://www.cs.uiowa.edu/~jones/voting/
Introduction
Elections are a defining feature of democratic government, but all too frequently, we take the actual mechanics of the election for granted. We speak at length of such issues as who is allowed to vote, how campaigns are conducted, and how they are financed, but prior to the events in Florida last November, most people's understanding of the actual voting process was something like the following: "You go to the polls, cast your vote, and then they count it and they announce the winner."
Here, my focus is on how you cast your vote, who they are who count it, how they go about counting it, and how the winner is determined. I will begin by discussing this in a historical context, and then I will discuss the regulatory environment that controls this process, I will give examples of significant shortcomings in this regulation, and finally, I will discuss changes that might be made.
Some of the material here duplicates material that I presented in testimony before the United States Civil Rights Commission hearings in Tallahassee last January 11, but here, my focus will be on the relationship between the problems we have with today's voting machines and the current system of Federal and state standards that govern the use of these machines.
Problems with Voting System Standards
Welcome to the nightmare
Rebecca Mercuri
Electronic Voting
Statement:
I am adamantly opposed to the use of fully electronic or Internet-based systems for use in anonymous balloting and vote tabulation applications. The reasons for my opposition are manyfold, and are expressed in my writings as well as those of other well-respected computer security experts. At the present time, it is my strong recommendation that all election officials REFRAIN from procuring ANY system that does not provide an indisputable paper ballot. A detailed explanation, along with my recommendation for appropriately configured voting equipment, is provided in the full text of this statement, available *here*
Electronic Voting:
Notable Software
Rebecca Mercuri
Electronic Voting
Statement:
I am adamantly opposed to the use of fully electronic or Internet-based systems for use in anonymous balloting and vote tabulation applications. The reasons for my opposition are manyfold, and are expressed in my writings as well as those of other well-respected computer security experts. At the present time, it is my strong recommendation that all election officials REFRAIN from procuring ANY system that does not provide an indisputable paper ballot. A detailed explanation, along with my recommendation for appropriately configured voting equipment, is provided in the full text of this statement, available *here*
Electronic Voting:
Notable Software
FLORIDA TALKSHOW CALLERS CLAIM MACHINES 'BROKEN', VOTED FOR MCBRIDE, MARKED IT AS BUSH
DRUDGE REPORT XXX TUE NOV 05, 2002 09:41:08 ET XXX
"I voted for McBride, but the machine counted it as Bush. It did this three times. The polling worker finally said, 'We have to reprogram this machine. Another person was having the same trouble while I was there.'"
So claimed a caller to Southern Florida's WQAM-AM and the highly-rated radio talkmatch, NEIL ROGERS SHOW.
--snip
"You have not seen anything yet," warned Rogers. "It's not even 10:30 in the morning. This is going to be one of the great disasters of all-time."
Comments made on the ROGERS SHOW early on Election Day 2000 foreshadowed the voting chaos that fully engulfed the state.
Read Article
DRUDGE REPORT XXX TUE NOV 05, 2002 09:41:08 ET XXX
"I voted for McBride, but the machine counted it as Bush. It did this three times. The polling worker finally said, 'We have to reprogram this machine. Another person was having the same trouble while I was there.'"
So claimed a caller to Southern Florida's WQAM-AM and the highly-rated radio talkmatch, NEIL ROGERS SHOW.
--snip
"You have not seen anything yet," warned Rogers. "It's not even 10:30 in the morning. This is going to be one of the great disasters of all-time."
Comments made on the ROGERS SHOW early on Election Day 2000 foreshadowed the voting chaos that fully engulfed the state.
Read Article
CONTROVERSY GREETS EARLY VOTING
By Judy Normand
Pine Bluff Commercial
October 22, 2002
Early voters were met Monday at the Jefferson County Courthouse by poll watchers from the Republican Party of Arkansas who demanded identification and challenged voter ballots.
--snip
In a press release, Michael Cook, executive director for the Democratic Party of Arkansas, criticized Sen. Tim Hutchinson and the Republican Party for intimidating and harassing African-American voters in Jefferson County and for giving the poll watchers notarized credentials he said were apparently forged.
"Their papers did not seem to be in order," Ashcraft said.
"Tim Hutchinson and the Republican Party have claimed that they want to reach out to African-American voters, but when election time comes they have nothing to offer but intimidation and harassment," Cook said. "We ask Tim Hutchinson and his party to stop disenfranchising African-American voters and obstructing the democratic process."
During Monday's voting, poll watchers were seen asking voters to either produce identification or risk having their ballots challenged.
Read Article
By Judy Normand
Pine Bluff Commercial
October 22, 2002
Early voters were met Monday at the Jefferson County Courthouse by poll watchers from the Republican Party of Arkansas who demanded identification and challenged voter ballots.
--snip
In a press release, Michael Cook, executive director for the Democratic Party of Arkansas, criticized Sen. Tim Hutchinson and the Republican Party for intimidating and harassing African-American voters in Jefferson County and for giving the poll watchers notarized credentials he said were apparently forged.
"Their papers did not seem to be in order," Ashcraft said.
"Tim Hutchinson and the Republican Party have claimed that they want to reach out to African-American voters, but when election time comes they have nothing to offer but intimidation and harassment," Cook said. "We ask Tim Hutchinson and his party to stop disenfranchising African-American voters and obstructing the democratic process."
During Monday's voting, poll watchers were seen asking voters to either produce identification or risk having their ballots challenged.
Read Article
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