WP: Democrats to Post Lawyers at Polls

[kskiska]

Volunteers Will Watch for Voting Problems; GOP Also Acting

RICHMOND, Oct. 19 -- Top attorneys with Virginia's Democratic Party gathered Tuesday night to begin training 600 volunteer lawyers to fan across the state on Election Day to monitor the voting process and provide legal advice if irregularities emerge.

Party officials said the effort, dubbed the 2004 Voter Protection Program, is fueled by the lingering fear of a Florida-style election debacle that could threaten the integrity of the process. They plan to hold five or six more training sessions over the next week.

"We see our roles as supporting a system and cleaning up its inevitable mistakes," said Michael Signer, the voter protection coordinator for the state party. "We're giving voters the confidence that the system will work for them."

Signer said the attorneys will stand outside polling places with other campaign workers and offer advice to voters who want it. He said they will also be on hand to advise party leaders if voting machines malfunction or there are other problems.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46142-2004Oct19.html

[bagnana]

1. good!

I want people there with video cameras as well.

[bluestateguy]

2. Lawyers are fine, but how about our big union guys too

I'm concerned about the thuggery like what happened at the Miami Dade County courthouse in 2000, with all the starch-shirted congressional staffers bullying the vote counters into stopping the recount.

If some of our big union guys (Teamsters, Ironworkers, perhaps?) were there I think that kind of stuff would have been put to a stop.

[ranosgol]

3. Unions are a dying breed about 8 % of jobs..plus..

It si sad to say but many union workers especially males will vote for Bush. I am a white male and would rather die than vote for Bush but many union members wil they think he is tough and wont let those liberals take over!

[Zorra]

8. Pepper spray stops attacking thugs very nicely. A small woman can

incapacitate a 220 lb. man with the push of a button.

A few women take some GOP thugs down, call the police and have the thugs hauled off to jail, and the GOP might re-think their intimidation assaults.

[DU9598]

4. I had training tonight

I am a plaintiff's lawyer in Des Moines. I will be at a majority hispanic polling location in Marshalltown, Iowa on Nov. 2. The party has twice as many attorneys in Iowa as they wanted. Thanks goes to the Iowa Trial Lawyers Association for getting involved.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

5. "other problems" could be rampant...

If they're stealing signs and tearing up registration forms, I wouldn't rule violence out.

Time for self-defense training...

[Devil Dog Dem]

6. I'm flying to a battleground state to do this.

Don't know yet, and don't care, which one.

[NVMojo]

13. someone needs to do the same with Nevada!!!

all top state seats are repukes, Secretary of State, AG, Governor, etc. and this is the state that Karl Rove is from, Reno specifically and he's met with the Repukes here starting over a year ago plotting presidential campaign strategy. You cannot believe the direct mail shit we are getting in our mail box smearing Kerry from the Repukes right now. I'm up to 4 a day!!! And phone calls!! Daily to our private lines, sometimes twice a day.

I am worried they've already planned their Florida-Loo here....

a couple of weeks ago, the Sec. of State and AG were out stumping for the assholebush.

[soleft]

7. I tried to rent a car in Tallahassee today, there was not one to be had

[dArKeR]

9. We also need a digital video camera at each station. And a digital video

cameras roaming the swing states in areas we expect the repuke Governors to sic the police to harass Democratic likely voting citizens. Moveon or someone should organize now a site to post pics/video on election fraud. Reports must be backed up by pics/video.

[KT2000]

10. Hooray for the lawyers

thanks to all of you who are helping in this effort.

Bush as president was a most horrible thing that resulted from the 2000 election but the loss of trust in our system may be the worst. Thanks for being there so we are not ALL run over by these thugs.

[Ima]

11. Thank you to the lawyers!

You are doing a selfless and great service for our country.:loveya:

[Justice]

12. I went to a training for lawyers - the room was packed - people were

sitting on the floor. The turnout has been awesome. The plans are there.

[dArKeR]

14. Four years later, Florida voting still a mess

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/10/20/2003207674

[davsand]

15. We've done that locally for several years now.

Our local Dem party has put lawyers in most of the problem precincts in last few elections. Now, instead of voter intimidation and challenges, the local GOPiglet County Clerk just sends too few ballots or won't send enough voting booths (so the lines are too long and people get discouraged and leave.)

If they want to screw voters they are quite inventive at it. I'm delighted to see the attempt to protect voters--and I gotta love the lawyers for being patriotic enough to stand up for voter rights--but I am not sure this will solve all the problems.

I hope so...


Laura