Texas Looks To Give Camera-Toting Poll Watchers Free Rein Of Election Sites | Talking Points Memo

As the Black election judge in a majority white Texas County, Anita Phillips is used to tense situations at her polling place, an early voting site on the former campus of a historically Black college.


This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1367248

The GOP will never be happy until only registered Republicans are allowed to vote. Of course there will still be challenges to voters since those sneaky Democrats might register Republican just to vote, so they will be forced to check your voting record and if it does not show a record of 90% Republican votes they will have their watchers get to you before you vote.

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The greatest strength of the GOP is that once it decides on a course of action, virtually all GOP pols go ‘all in’ on it with no hesitation. The GOP has decided to go full racist and authoritarian, and its primary tool of choice is voter suppression. Where are the critical comments from the so-called ‘moderates’ like Susan Collins, Mitt Romney and Lisa Murkowski as the anti-democratic laws and policies are proposed? Even the GOP pols that we TPM readers sometimes regard as relatively decent and rational seem to be fine with the attempts to solidify GOP control at all costs.

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This sort of thing could lead to camera escalation: use of cameras to record people who are using cameras while intimidating others. And then people will use cameras to record the people using cameras to record people who are using cameras while intimidating others. This could get confusing.

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Sure, give ignorant hysterics, three-quarters of them carrying pistols, free rein to roam around in polling places where they’ll understand next to nothing of what’s going on. What could go wrong?

This may seem like a tangent but it’s not: This is why Obama took up fighting gerrymandering as a post-presidency project. If we can’t reform elections from literally the ground up, nothing else good is likely to happen.

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It’s all about domination and intimidation.

That’s all the GQP knows and understands. “Public service” is just Greek to them – grifting and power is all they stand for.

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There needs to be a basic Federal set of laws that outlines acceptable and, as important, unacceptable behavior by municipalities, states and national political parties during local, state and national elections. Voting is a fundamental basic right of all citizens in this country and we must ensure that all citizens have the clear unimpeded right to vote and are allowed to voice their opinion on issues through the selection of political representation. This issue is not one that falls under “states rights”, but is one of such importance that the Federal level needs to ensure and enforce this right. No coercion (real or perceived), no intimidation, no unacceptable challenges through the creation of unacceptable barriers or actions should be tolerated. We need safe, secure, and accurate voting for all, and too many states allow games to be played. Enough.

No failing political party should be allowed to construct boundaries or rules to artificially maintain control of power by means of voting rules and changes to current rules that preclude the voice of US citizens from being heard. If they can’t win an election (at any level) without corrupt actions against our collective fundamental right to cast votes, then perhaps they need to rethink their positions on issues. They won’t, as this is all they have. The Republican leadership knows demographics are working against them, but they have morphed into a hideous cult decades ago and have neither the wisdom, insight, or courage to re-evaluate and return to honest policies. Their lies have caught up to them, and we as a Nation must now pay the price for their corrupt actions as they no longer control their base, but simply go along with the threats and violence from unleashed fringe groups.

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Put a few observers of color in majority-white precincts and watch how fast the police get called.

And with modern camera equipment this is almost certainly going to disclose how individuals vote unless polling places are totally reconfigured (again).

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Can a poll watcher carry or conceal carry inside a polling place in Texas?

Reading the list of things that the Texas Republicans want to change I have to come to the conclusion:
Fuck Chief Justice John Roberts. This is all on striking down the most of the VRA. This is why there was preclearance.
On the other hand:
Fuck Texas Republicans in the Texas legislature. This better get the For the People Act passed in the Senate double quick, ya hear me Senator Manchin and Sinema.

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So now if your picture is taken it must be because you did something wrong.

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You got a bag from under a table which is obvious fraud.

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Or lucrative. If you sell cameras.

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It’s been maddening to see the MSM both sides this issue, actually taking at face value the gop bs about voters losing confidence in elections.

If I see one more story say “Republican legislators believe . . . “ rather than “Republican legislators say . . . “, I may lose it. (Guaranteed to lose it.)

I guess it’s too much to ask that reporters notice that the gop has taken itself out of the conversation on every real issue facing Americans. They have nothing to offer but racism and grievance.

Next up: Democrats Are Shutting Republicans Out of the Policy Making Process

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In Texas, those poll watchers will be openly displaying firearms.

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The Legislature may be surprised as to. Who decides to volunteer to be poll watchers.

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I’m a former poll worker in Texas and this law is infuriating. The notion that some White, Republican asshole, because make no mistake, that’s the demographic for this law, will be allowed to roam freely in the polling location is crazy. My usual polling location is 95% Black. All of the polling locations with watchers will be predominantly serving people of color. So the net results will be one or two White people hovering over people of color with the aim to prevent them to vote. Perhaps an easier solution for the Texas legislature is to simply print signs for election sites that say: Whites Only.

Just shameful. Though at this point, Republicans just don’t give a shit about shamel.

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From the story:

At a House committee hearing last week, the question came up about what election judges can do if a poll watcher is engaged in disruptive conduct — including in criminal behavior like assault or disturbing the peace — that isn’t technically election fraud.

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Briscoe Cain (R), struggled with the hypothetical, and suggested that election officials would have to rely on police officers to step in to handle those situations.

Cain said that if poll watchers were engaged in criminal conduct not included in the election code, then that would be a “legitimate reason” for them to be removed. But, he said, “it is just difficult to entrust an election judge, who is a volunteer, with enforcement of the penal code,” though he eventually conceded that election judges should be able to remove poll watchers committing crimes like assault.

(Neither Cain’s office, nor the office of the Senate bill sponsor, Republican Sen. Bryan Hughes, made the lawmakers available to talk to TPM about the measures.)

Not to be too pollyannish about this (or too Inside Texas Politics, for that matter), but Texas Monthly recently had a story about this, with the focus on Cain’s ineptitude as a legislator and, if this stuff is indeed a priority for the Texas GOP, why the Speaker of the House put Cain in charge of the hearings that led to the house bill. Some speculate that the Speaker would rather all this just go away and placed Cain in charge of it to sabotage it from within.

What’s getting proposed here is bad stuff, no question. But it’s so bad that, especially given what’s happened with Georgia’s voter-suppression legislation, a lot (maybe a whole lot) of this stuff will go away when these bills come up for debate.

Texas folks care to weigh in?

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If I complain I’ll be accused of being disruptive and not allowed to vote.

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This is especially hilarious since taking a selfie in the voting booth is a crime in Texas…but poll watchers with cameras? totally cool.

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Camera toting poll watchers was a classic and I think it was outlawed by the Voting Rights Act. Remember that law that was repealed by John Roberts because we no longer have racism.

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