President Donald Trump told supporters in North Carolina to act as “poll watchers,” ordering them on Tuesday night to watch for “thieving, and stealing and robbing,” in an unprecedented move to instill fear and undermine the safety of voting ahead of an election that is now only eight weeks away.
The OSCE provides election monitors for developing or struggling states.
The US is refusing teams of about 60 people per state to oversee the elections. Nationally, only about 11 states matter due to the antiquated “electoral college” system from the 18th century. These states are where the suppression and fraud are likely to take place. The real danger is in the vote-counting rather than the possibility of individual voters cheating.
It’s vile.
And there is a reason for it.
Trump is desperate.
Early voting and mail in voting become even more important.
Alternate Headline: "Bully Asks Supporters to Bully and Intimidate Others"
I used to rant about the electoral college system, but there’s a good op-ed in today’s NYT explaining that it’s really the “winner take all” system in 48 states that’s the big problem, and easier to change if enough states get on board.
The author makes the point that Republicans might suddenly care about changing “winner takes all” in each state when – not if – Texas eventually becomes a Blue state, and they would like Republican votes counted there, instead of tossed away in a national election:
Plus, no money outta his pocket.
On the upside, they’ll be vigilantly watching for Satanic pedophiles and Antifa delivering Comet Ping-Pong pizza.
This will end well.
Very Putin-esque.
I would suggest NOT reading the other NYT article about the seven scenarios posited by election officials because the scenarios are all too realistic and frightening. The solutions? Oh, you know, more oversight, money, etc. all the “solutions” that will not happen in the next six weeks.
This is perfectly legitimate. Who do you think acts as poll watchers? Pure-hearted, neutral and disinterested citizens? Or committee members of the parties involved?
The complaints out here are not about Trump asking his supporters to volunteer as poll watchers, but about the presumption that those poll watchers will break the rules. Which may be well-founded in many cases. But maybe not all.
Watch those ballots. You moran…they are electronic in most locations.
Between this, and Barr’s move to take over the private litigation by E. Jean Carroll, it looks like we’ve hit rock bottom.
I say that every day, but tomorrow he’ll come up with something worse.
As a side note, it’s infuriating to see this happening from the perspective of a 100% vote by mail state like mine here in WA. The potential for voter suppression by “poll watchers” simply doesn’t exist here.
Maybe the one good thing about the pandemic is the way it’s forcing states with antiquated voting methods to get on board with a better voting system.
Translation: Frighten Black people who are coming, or thinking of coming, to the polling place to vote.
Psst. Pass it around.
Aye, there’s the rub: there is no bottom.
Fair point, but the odds of Trumper poll watchers bearing weapons, or otherwise intimidating voters, is likely much higher than with neutral poll watchers.
Yeah, I haven’t had enough coffee yet to read an articled titled “Seven Election Day Nightmares.” Sheesh!
For one thing, it’s stochastic calls for violence. For another, this calls for an institutional response. In any other reality, this would be an Impeachable Offense.