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| Giannoulias Campaign Repeats Intimidation Claims |
(IRN) -- The Alexi Giannoulias campaign for Senate claims to have more evidence of the extent of the Mark Kirk "voter integrity" effort.
Kirk boasted of a "voter integrity" effort aimed at "vulnerable" precincts in the Metro East area, Rockford, and the South and West Sides of Chicago. Kirk has now hired Hans A. von Spakovsky, described by the Giannoulias campaign as a "voter intimidation specialist," with Georgia and Maryland efforts on his resume.
Giannoulias election lawyer Mike Dorf says the Republican National Committee has been enjoined from "ballot security" efforts by the order of a the federal court in Newark, N.J. since 1982 due to voter suppression and intimidation. The RNC asked to have the order lifted last year, but the request was denied. A review date of 2017 has been set.
Examples of voter intimidation:
* In New Jersey in 1981 -- the case the prompted the lawsuit -- Republicans illegally posted signs in polling places reading: "WARNING: THIS AREA IS BEING PATROLLED BY THE NATIONAL BALLOT SECURITY TASK FORCE. IT IS A CRIME TO FALSIFY A BALLOT OR TO VIOLATE ELECTION LAWS." Armed officers, drawn from the ranks of off-duty county deputy sheriffs and local police, patrolled polling places in minority precincts, and prominently displayed revolvers, two-way radios and BSTF armbands. BSTF patrols challenged and questioned voters at the polls and blocked the way of some prospective voters.
* Purging thousands of voters from the rolls in Texas (1982) and Florida (1998 and 2000), ostensibly for those voters being convicted felons, though the list was riddled with errors.
* Distributing fliers in Baltimore in 2004 saying that Republicans vote on Nov. 2 (Election Day), Democrats vote on Nov. 3.
* In Philadelphia in 2008, distributing fliers that anyone who owed child support or who had outstanding parking tickets would be arrested when they showed up to vote.
* Van Spakovsky pushed for a Georgia law requiring voters to show a state-issued photo ID that had to be purchased for a fee, in effect creating a poll tax.
* Van Spakovsky told Maryland election officials to reject voter registration forms that didn’t match information in DMV databases, even if the discrepancy was the absence or presence of a middle initial, or if the mistake was the government's, thereby rejecting thousands of legal voters.
Kirk says Illinois has a history of corruption, and "voter integrity" is needed to ensure an honest election.
(Illinois Radio Network) |
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| 10 16 10 by Newsroom |
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