I knew the WaPo would bring up the New Black Panther Party in Philly, but I still, all these years later, have not seen a single quote from a voter who was intimidated that day. The complainants in that case were white Republicans who went down to that voting district to cause trouble.
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Does anyone have any doubt that if they were to win this case that there would be blatant voter intimidation? I donāt.
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I see what you mean, but there is still going to be a very difficult time showing harm where there is no real right involved.
Thereās no 1st amendment right to be a poll watcher. Thereās no due process involved in voting.
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Can someone explain what a poll watcher is supposed to āseeā that tips them off ballot fraud is imminent? A cursory list of actions or events or behaviors that serve as prima facie evidence fraud has just occurred, or is about to?
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What it amounts to is outsiders want to come in and undermine local control over the election - pure and simple. Allowing outside poll watchers in takes away local control.
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Oh, thatās easy. If they are too young or if they have the wrong skin color or they have trouble speaking English or theyāre wearing the wrong t-shirt, then clearly ballot fraud is imminentā¦
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Like Melania.
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True, BUT - the very real damage thatāll be done will be the longer lines and confusion this is gonna cause, which is also by design IMO. A vote lost from intimidation or from discouragement is still a vote suppressed.
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Iāve worked as a poll watcher in past elections. All you are supposed to do is make sure that no one is allowed to vote who isnāt on the election roll. You also check to make sure that a person presents their registration card and that there is no electioneering in the polling station.
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I wonder how far they can get with an argument that poll-watching is political speech. People not trained as poll watchers donāt know how to identify irregularities or fraud so basically, they would just be profiling - targeting and harassing people who, in their opinions, look like they are up to no good, i.e., voting Democratic. Profiling is not expressing political speech. In fact, I would think that having an untrained poll-watcher who interferes with a voter creates a first amendment problem.
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O I donāt think theyāll get what they are asking for. Iāll be shocked if the court says they are right. Very shocked.
I donāt live in the city or know much about its political life, but for one thing there are thousands of black Republicans. Again, I donāt know but Iād be pretty close to astonished if anyone told me the Republicans have had problems getting poll watchers into polling places in a particular neighborhood. You can pretty much go where you want, within reason. Temple University and Penn are right in the middle of majority-black areas. Iāve taken my lily-white hindquarters to schools and concerts and what have you in all kinds of neighborhoods. Would I go to certain bars? No. Not without an invite. But thatās the same as in certain bars in Mississippi Iāve been to where the patrons were all white, trust me on that, and our host said āNow if anybody steps on your foot in here say āThank you.āā Living in Texas you may know what I mean. 
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Or if they are femaleā¦
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This PA case was simply slipped in at the last minute to muddy up the water when the Teahadis violate the consent decree Nov. 8 ā¦ because they say even our swarthy Lawd wants to #mawa
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Desperate people do desperate things.
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From TPM article (my emphasis):
According the Wall Street Journal, RNC general counsel John Ryder wrote to committee members Wednesday asking them to avoid engaging in poll watching.
āYou are encouraged not to engage in āballot securityā activities even in your personal, state party or campaign capacity.. If you elect to do so, please be aware that the RNC in no way sanctions your activity,ā the letter said.
My money says the RNC would like the courts to shoot this down. They may even have encouraged this as a test suit so they could point to a negative ruling as the reason Trump should call off the dogs before the election.
Wonāt work. Trump is their millstone.
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I think youāre right - but the possibility of big time confusion is still very real if every single person working those precincts isnāt 100% knowledgable of both their laws AND whatever the court decides.
Confusion + chaos = even longer lines, and thatās a victory for these assholes, too.
The comservativesā cries for outside observers doesnāt square up with their previously-expressed desires for local control in other areas
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Megan Sweeney, the Pennsylvania GOP Communications Director, is a racist.
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