- Paul - Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 AP - Republicans and Democrats went ahead with plans to dispatch thousands of lawyers to potential US election trouble spots even as judges made 11th-hour changes to voting rules in Ohio, a state that could determine the presidency. Partisan lawyers will join thousands of outside lawyers and neutral poll watchers, concentrating on Ohio, Florida and a handful of other states where the race between President George W Bush and Senator John Kerry is extremely close. With just hours to go before polls open, lawyers and judges worked around the clock in Ohio. A significant ruling against Republicans came at 2am (1800 AEDT) on Monday barring partisan lawyers from challenging voters' qualifications inside polling stations. A group of Republican voters appealed that federal court ruling on Tuesday, setting up the possibility of a lawsuit heading for the Supreme Court on the very eve of general voting. "The law is clearly in our favour," Republican Party lawyer Mark Weaver said. Even if the ruling stands, Republicans said they could still post challengers at polling stations to take notes and observe. Read more: = Here = Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shockz Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 Here's article on the same thing. CLEVELAND -- A federal court judge ruled this morning that the OHio statue allowing partisan challengers at polling locations is unconstitutional, NewsChannel5 reported.The judge was asked to stop more than 3,000 Republicans who are planning to monitor polling places and challenge voters. U.S. District Judge Susan Dlott found that the presence of challengers inexperienced in the electoral process would impede voting. Meanwhile, a lawyer for the Ohio Republican Party said the GOP will appeal the ruling. Attorney Mark Weaver said the party plans to file an appeal with the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati within the next few hours. Dlott ruled on a lawsuit by a black Cincinnati couple who said Republican plans to deploy challengers to largely black precincts in Hamilton County was meant to intimidate and block black voters. Two civil rights activists asked Dlott to issue an emergency restraining order barring partisan challengers from polling stations in all 88 Ohio counties. The attorneys said the Republican challengers intend to intimidate newly registered black voters. Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell issued a statement saying those challengers could disrupt the voting. Ohio law allows people to challenge a voter to prove they are eligible. Ohio's Assistant Attorney General Rick Coglianese argued that the law is not aimed at black voters and does not violate their civil rights. Dlott worked through the night drafting her decision. She is the same judge who stopped boards of elections statewide from conducting Republican Party-initiated voter eligibility hearings. Source: http://www.newsnet5.com/news/3878375/detail.html All I can say is blackwell is an idiot... he tried to get this going.. got denied, then appealed, got deined again, and he still won't stop bitching about it. It's already starting... all the legal mumbo-jumbo that will actually decide the election and not us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
- Paul - Posted November 2, 2004 Author Share Posted November 2, 2004 Doesn't sound much like a democracy to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L3thal Veteran Posted November 2, 2004 Veteran Share Posted November 2, 2004 Not to make an anti-bush comment, but do you notice that only when Bush is running for president is when this happens? First time ever did they have to recount an election and have the court decide what to do and now we're headed the same path. Both of these had Bush running. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhut Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 Ohio law allows people to challenge a voter to prove they are eligible. What the hell is that?! Is this common in other US states? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sn1p3t Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 What the hell is that?! Is this common in other US states? 584848548[/snapback] I didn't know that. I know that if you can't prove your registration at the polls you can submit a provisional ballot and they'll check it later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shockz Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 Well Blackwell got his way... they appealed and won at 2 AM this morning (EST). I'm going to the polling place now.. and I'll let you know if I see any laywers or people there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shockz Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 Well Blackwell got his way... they appealed and won at 2 AM this morning (EST).I'm going to the polling place now.. and I'll let you know if I see any laywers or people there. 584849153[/snapback] No "watchers" at mine... but it was packed. It took about 50 mins to vote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Veteran Posted November 2, 2004 Veteran Share Posted November 2, 2004 I didn't know that. I know that if you can't prove your registration at the polls you can submit a provisional ballot and they'll check it later. 584848689[/snapback] I am afraid of provisional ballots, though, I wonder how many may be "accidently" counted anyway. I feel we should require some level of responsibility in our voters. No "watchers" at mine... but it was packed. It took about 50 mins to vote. 584849288[/snapback] Me either, although I don't think GA was ever going to have some. You don't want to upset a line of 100 rednecks and retired Air Force (we are a base town). This bothers me as well. I really wouldn't want people around me filming me while voting. LINK COLUMBUS, Ohio - Liberal filmmaker Michael Moore plans to have hundreds of cameras outside polling places in Ohio and Florida on Election Day to watch for attempts to suppress voter turnout.The director of the anti-Bush documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" announced Saturday that a total of 1,200 professional and nonprofessional cameramen, filmmakers and videographers will bring their cameras to polling places in the two presidential battleground states, especially in minority communities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earlcaulley Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 I live in Columbus, OH and I just got back from voting. No cameras where I was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tagerd0g Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 so what would the challengers do? ask the voter who they're voting for? if for Bush, go ahead and vote but for any other, challenge that person's right to vote? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shockz Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 so what would the challengers do? ask the voter who they're voting for? if for Bush, go ahead and vote but for any other, challenge that person's right to vote? 584850620[/snapback] To give an example... 1. Person goes to sign into vote. 2. When you sign your signature its compared to your signature you registered with. 3. If your sig doesn't match, your asked for ID 4. If you have no ID or your signautre on your ID doesn't match the original signature you registered to vote with, then you are given a provisional ballot until its proven that you are who you say you are. Now here's the dilemia. Some provisional ballots aren't counted in Ohio. It also seems that the people who get singled out are Black voters... and the majority of the black voters in our area are democrat. It also seems that younger people are also more likely to being challenged. IMO its dirty republican tactics... but once again thats my opinon. Not a fact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Veteran Posted November 2, 2004 Veteran Share Posted November 2, 2004 I thought there were two court rulings yesterday in Ohio, by federal judges, that said poll challengers were un-Constitutional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shockz Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 There was... but there was a final appeal that won at 2 in the moring todaynfavoring blackwell/republicans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
threetonesun Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 The old "vote early vote often" was so much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shockz Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 Here's an article on the appeal that won: http://www.newsnet5.com/news/3882192/detail.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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