RNC Warns Against Poll Watching, Citing Decades-Old Court Decree
Source: Talking Points Memo
By TIERNEY SNEED Published OCTOBER 20, 2016, 12:09 PM EDT
Fearful that a decades-old court order blocking the Republican Party from engaging in certain Election Day activities could be extended for many more years, the RNC is warning its members not to engage in poll watching or any other so-called "ballot security" measures.
The RNC's concerns are heightened because of the vigilante poll watching GOP nominee Donald Trump has been calling for from the stump.
A lawyer for the Republican National Committee sent a letter on the issue Wednesday to RNC members, the Wall Street Journal reported. The letter cites a 1982 consent decree the RNC agreed to after Democrats sued it for activities at polling places that they said were aimed at suppressing the minority vote.
The letter, sent to members from RNC general counsel John Ryder, said that he wanted remind you of the restrictions placed on the RNC by the consent decree, according to the Wall Street Journal.
-snip-
Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/rnc-warns-against-poll-watching-citing-decades-old-court-agreement
bucolic_frolic
(44,114 posts)Last edited Thu Oct 20, 2016, 03:45 PM - Edit history (1)
The head of your ticket has been urging such poll watching for weeks
and all the deplorables with "pitchforks and blow torches" are gearing up
already
This is a hardened and battle-ready team of yours, RNC
Plus, your Republican state legislatures have been passing voting
restrictions for several years. It may not be poll-watching, but it sure
is voting restrictions, hiding in plain sight
AmericanActivist
(1,019 posts)Good to know. Thanks.
Hekate
(91,727 posts)....once I got past my double-take. I had completely forgotten this, if I ever knew it.
The Troglodyte Brigade would be hoist so high on their own petard ....
csziggy
(34,150 posts)I was wishing Ginsberg had kept his mouth shut so the RNC would be hauled into court and the decree would have been extended even more decades!
underpants
(183,666 posts)Hilarious
Sherman A1
(38,958 posts)and it would all be rather comical, if it wasn't so blasted sad....
Roland99
(53,342 posts)Trump regurgitates every talking point from Breitbart to the Washington Examiner and every fringe site and blogger in between.
The distancing from their own dream candidate is quite interesting.
But what will they do for the next election cycle? Ignore the rabid base and move back toward a candidate who would actually work out compromises? No way in the world will that happen. They have a generation or two before they swing back to anyplace resembling sanity.
IthinkThereforeIAM
(3,087 posts)"The nature of the Rehnquist role in Arizona politics in the early 1960's has become a major issue in the nomination hearings. Although he is widely expected to be confirmed as Chief Justice, some Senate Democrats say the conflicting reports raise questions about his veracity and possible prejudice regarding black and Hispanic Americans."
... http://www.nytimes.com/1986/08/04/us/rehnquist-in-arizona-a-militant-conservative-in-60-s-politics.html
world wide wally
(21,762 posts)SunSeeker
(52,211 posts)Chakaconcarne
(2,501 posts)Why are they making this statement now? Didn't hear a peep about it in 2012, 2008??
forkol
(114 posts)It was to expire this year.
In the past, they might have been able to distance themselves from it because former 'poll watchers' could not be tied directly to the RNC, just lone individuals.
However, if you have the presidential candidate, other top RNC and Republican members actively encouraging non-qualified people to 'poll watch', and especially if there's widespread reports of voter intimidation by such folks, the I think that would be sufficient reason for a judge to consider extending the consent degree. Hence, their concern.
montana_hazeleyes
(3,424 posts)possibly cause the decree to be extended. Not that it's wrong to do. Self serving Bastards.
csziggy
(34,150 posts)Sorry - the video is not on YouTube so I can't embed it:
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc-news/watch/trump-starting-a-grievance-movement-789738563635
NBachers
(17,341 posts)The fullest extent of the law. Every officer, every principal figure, anyone involved with the organization at all need to be put in jail.
mountain grammy
(26,792 posts)Bernardo de La Paz
(49,331 posts)NBachers
(17,341 posts)the district boundaries.
TNNurse
(6,973 posts)that the candidate with the slogan that literally insults the country...it says it is not great, also insults the integrity of our voting system. Maybe he should move away.
Eleanors38
(18,318 posts)When I was an election judge 40+ years ago, the GOPers tried to challenge voters based on residency. They had a cheat list compiled from First Class mailings to college students' "home addresses." If the mail was returned, it was supposed to signal a student was not registered locally (false signal, btw). From this list they would divide potential challenges by precinct. When the student voter came in to vote, a challenge was raised. The watchers attempted to stop the voting process by several challenges at once. I followed the law, and ordered the watcher to fill out the challenge, away from the voting area and in a separate room, as required by law, then proceed to any further challenges. The watchers gave up in short order. (I say "ordered" because an election judge has many of the same powers as a Texas State District Judge on election day.)
The other more disturbing incident was in 2004 (I was not a judge, but was serviing voting machines). An antsy "watcher" set about questioning voters about their understanding of voting machine procedures, the ballot language of measures, etc., and holding up the line. These were all violations of law, and were carried out while the "watcher" wore a sidearm, also illegal at that time in Texas. I asked a rather timid election judge if the watcher was allowed to question voters, and he said "no." Shortly thereafter, the sheriff was called, and the GOPers in charge removed the watcher.
Election judges have the power to stop this jive-ass shit, and should move to do so immediately.
Mc Mike
(9,122 posts)to use Mike Roman as a beard.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10028242875
The RNC legal people are trying to inoculate themselves and their flunky aides from violation of the consent decree. They're telling their people with a wink and a nod, go do every illegal thing possible, as a "volunteer". You're "not with us", and we're "not with you". And we're both "not with" drumpfenfuhrer's campaign, while we all coordinate our efforts together to get the exact same thing done.
Ford_Prefect
(8,032 posts)Yes. They did it to get attention off the Sexual Predator Tapes and turn the NC GOP into victims and it worked.