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Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Actually fear isn't quite the only arrow left in the Republican quiver
Posted by Jill | 5:22 AM
There's also disenfranchisement via lies and thuggery:
An anonymous flier circulating in African-American neighborhoods in North and West Philadelphia states that voters who are facing outstanding arrest warrants or who have unpaid traffic tickets may be arrested at the polls on Election Day.

Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Everett Gillison, who learned of the flier last week, said that the message is completely false.

"The only thing that police officers are going to do that we'll be encouraging that day is that they'll be exercising their own individual right to vote," Gillison said.

He plans to put up statements on the city and police Web sites to let citizens know that the handouts are false. He said that he also will record a public-service announcement for broadcast.

Gillison referred the matter to the U.S. Attorney's Office and the district attorney.

"We are not going to stand for any intimidation of voters," Gillison said. "Not in this city."

He said that he did not know who was behind the fliers, which appear to be targeted at supporters of Democratic candidate Barack Obama.

But telling people to beware of voting if they have outstanding warrants is an old trick. In Maryland's 2002 gubernatorial election, anonymous fliers in African-American communities warned people to pay parking tickets and resolve outstanding warrants before heading to the polls.

"It seems to be clearly aimed at lower-income voters that might have had some problems in the past and clearly aimed at discouraging people from voting," said Zack Stalberg, who heads the political-watchdog group Committee of Seventy.

Stalberg said that he feared that there could be more fliers to come.

"I'm a little surprised it appeared this far before Election Day," he said. "It's another indication of how dirty this election might become."


"Might" become? How about "has already become"? Already there are reports of massive voter roll purges of college students, Black and Hispanic voters, and those on foreclosure lists. Crimes against the right to vote are being documented here.

With Sarah Palin playing the "patriotism" card by hammering Barack Obama's passing acquaintance with William Ayers at the same time as she and her husband have been supporters of an Alaska secessionist movement, someone (and it isn't going to be Tom Brokaw, you may be assured of that) needs to ask John McCain and his trophy running mate just why they are so afraid of the voters.

(h/t)

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