http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/3956129.stm I found a link to this on electoral-vote.com By Greg Palast Reporting for Newsnight A secret document obtained from inside Bush campaign headquarters in Florida suggests a plan - possibly in violation of US law - to disrupt voting in the state's African-American voting districts, a BBC Newsnight investigation reveals. Two e-mails, prepared for the executive director of the Bush campaign in Florida and the campaign's national research director in Washington DC, contain a 15-page so-called "caging list". It lists 1,886 names and addresses of voters in predominantly black and traditionally Democrat areas of Jacksonville, Florida. An elections supervisor in Tallahassee, when shown the list, told Newsnight: "The only possible reason why they would keep such a thing is to challenge voters on election day." Ion Sancho, a Democrat, noted that Florida law allows political party operatives inside polling stations to stop voters from obtaining a ballot. Mass challenges They may then only vote "provisionally" after signing an affidavit attesting to their legal voting status. Mass challenges have never occurred in Florida. Indeed, says Mr Sancho, not one challenge has been made to a voter "in the 16 years I've been supervisor of elections." "Quite frankly, this process can be used to slow down the voting process and cause chaos on election day; and discourage voters from voting." Sancho calls it "intimidation." And it may be illegal. In Washington, well-known civil rights attorney, Ralph Neas, noted that US federal law prohibits targeting challenges to voters, even if there is a basis for the challenge, if race is a factor in targeting the voters. The list of Jacksonville voters covers an area with a majority of black residents. When asked by Newsnight for an explanation of the list, Republican spokespersons claim the list merely records returned mail from either fundraising solicitations or returned letters sent to newly registered voters to verify their addresses for purposes of mailing campaign literature. Republican state campaign spokeswoman Mindy Tucker Fletcher stated the list was not put together "in order to create" a challenge list, but refused to say it would not be used in that manner. Rather, she did acknowledge that the party's poll workers will be instructed to challenge voters, "Where it's stated in the law." There was no explanation as to why such clerical matters would be sent to top officials of the Bush campaign in Florida and Washington. Private detective In Jacksonville, to determine if Republicans were using the lists or other means of intimidating voters, we filmed a private detective filming every "early voter" - the majority of whom are black - from behind a vehicle with blacked-out windows. The private detective claimed not to know who was paying for his all-day services. On the scene, Democratic Congresswoman Corinne Brown said the surveillance operation was part of a campaign of intimidation tactics used by the Republican Party to intimidate and scare off African American voters, almost all of whom are registered Democrats.
Yeah...probably planted by Kerry's supporters in London. We know how much the BBC hates Bush!!! I'm pretty sure that they've involved aliens on this, too. The same ones that were on the grassy knoll!!!
The BBC fabricated emails from Republican party operatives, then reporters are able to verify said emails' contents with the writers of the emails? That's a stretch. It's also not much of a rebuttal.
dude, we're kidding. mostly making fun of how every article elsewhere that is somehow perceived as doing anything other than attacking bush is labelled as the product of a conspiracy on this message board.
The Republicans have to suppress the minority vote, or Kerry wins in a runaway. http://www.fabmac.com/FMA-2004-10-27-Battleground-Ballot.pdf At least that's what the Republicans are saying.
58,000 ballots are already missing from the election in Florida. Of course we aren't allowed to point out things that go wrong in our democracy concerning Florida. If we do we are accused of whining, or making up things in an effort to make excuses or change the outcome of the vote. We are accused of making up fraudulent conspiracy theories. But keeping silent while the votes 58,000 people are allowed to disappear isn't helping our democracy, and it is only trying to have an accurate outcome in the Florida vote, not change it.
Of course, it's a good thing those ballots aren't ones that have been filled out. The important thing is how they are going to fix the problem. Would resending the absentee ballots be an option? Another thing is that there are more registered Democrats in that county than Republicans. http://www.browardsoe.org/Demographics/county.asp Total Registered 1058316 Democarats 534142 Republicans 283912 Other 240262 Still, maybe more Republicans need the absentee ballot since more elderly are Republicans?
It is good they haven't already been filled out, but if the people want to vote and then can't get their ballots back on time despite them following all the rules and regulations to vote, then something is wrong. I agree with you that the most important thing is to figure out how to fix the problem. That might be connected to the second most important thing which is finding who is responsible, and holding them accountable.
I am not familiar with the Democratic union. Are they part of the AFL/CIO? Anyway I don't care if it's Democrats, or Republicans responsible for this. Whoever it is should be held accountable. I don't share your interest in making this an us against them type of thing. I just want people's votes to be counted. Do you have any proof that that this Democratic union, or Democratic county officials are responsible? Or is this just your guess?
I don't know why you guys bother with Gweenbeans. He's either suffering from extreme paranoia, not very intelligent, or he's just jerking your chains for fun, my guess is the latter. In other news, a picture that scares him and every other loyal Bush-ite, from Florida: Let's hope that these votes, and everybody elses, are actually counted.
