A secret document obtained from inside Bush campaign headquarters in Florida suggests a plan - possibly in violation of US law - to disrupt voting in the state's African-American voting districts

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A secret document obtained from inside Bush campaign headquarters in Florida suggests a plan - possibly in violation of US law - to disrupt voting in the state's African-American voting districts, a BBC Newsnight investigation reveals.

Election supervisor Ion Sancho believes some voters are being intimidated
Two e-mails, prepared for the executive director of the Bush campaign in Florida and the campaign's national research director in Washington DC, contain a 15-page so-called "caging list".

It lists 1,886 names and addresses of voters in predominantly black and traditionally Democrat areas of Jacksonville, Florida.

An elections supervisor in Tallahassee, when shown the list, told Newsnight: "The only possible reason why they would keep such a thing is to challenge voters on election day."

Ion Sancho, a Democrat, noted that Florida law allows political party operatives inside polling stations to stop voters from obtaining a ballot.

Mass challenges

They may then only vote "provisionally" after signing an affidavit attesting to their legal voting status.

Mass challenges have never occurred in Florida. Indeed, says Mr Sancho, not one challenge has been made to a voter "in the 16 years I've been supervisor of elections."

"Quite frankly, this process can be used to slow down the voting process and cause chaos on election day; and discourage voters from voting."

Sancho calls it "intimidation." And it may be illegal.

Republican state campaign spokeswoman Mindy Tucker Fletcher
A Republican spokeswoman did not deny that voters would be challenged at polling stations
In Washington, well-known civil rights attorney, Ralph Neas, noted that US federal law prohibits targeting challenges to voters, even if there is a basis for the challenge, if race is a factor in targeting the voters.

The list of Jacksonville voters covers an area with a majority of black residents.

When asked by Newsnight for an explanation of the list, Republican spokespersons claim the list merely records returned mail from either fundraising solicitations or returned letters sent to newly registered voters to verify their addresses for purposes of mailing campaign literature.

Republican state campaign spokeswoman Mindy Tucker Fletcher stated the list was not put together "in order to create" a challenge list, but refused to say it would not be used in that manner.

Rather, she did acknowledge that the party's poll workers will be instructed to challenge voters, "Where it's stated in the law."

There was no explanation as to why such clerical matters would be sent to top officials of the Bush campaign in Florida and Washington.

Private detective

Democrat Congresswoman Corinne Brown says watches a private investigator film voters
In Jacksonville, to determine if Republicans were using the lists or other means of intimidating voters, we filmed a private detective filming every "early voter" - the majority of whom are black - from behind a vehicle with blacked-out windows.

The private detective claimed not to know who was paying for his all-day services.

On the scene, Democratic Congresswoman Corinne Brown said the surveillance operation was part of a campaign of intimidation tactics used by the Republican Party to intimate and scare off African American voters, almost all of whom are registered Democrats.

Greg Palast's film will be broadcast by Newsnight on Tuesday, 26 October, 2004.

― Shocked And Awed, Tuesday, 26 October 2004 20:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Swine!

― Michael White (Hereward), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 20:20 (twenty-one years ago)

A link would be helpful since the formatting is like 60 kinds of fucked up there.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 20:27 (twenty-one years ago)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/3955989.stm

programme is streaming there now

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 20:31 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.theonion.com/news/index.php?issue=4043&n=10

If you are black and a resident of Florida, work out two or three alternate routes to your polling place to avoid police checkpoints.

― M1chael Ph1lip Ph1lip Ph1lip Ph1lip Ph1lip Ann0yman (Ferg), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 20:32 (twenty-one years ago)

What it sounds like is that the Republicans are going to attempt to massively gum up the works, so to speak, at many polling places, either with egregious "challenges" (why the fuck it's legal for Republican workers to do this, I have no idea), posting/mailing/calling false voting information to area residents (I've heard about people receiving phone calls telling them to vote on Wednesday, when the lines will be shorter), police checkpoints, and other measures designed to make it harder and more time consuming to vote.

Never in my life did I imagine this country would come to this. Whatever happened to the notion of "one person, one vote"? I fear for this country, and I think we know which side of the aisle to thank for this.

― Baked Bean Teeth (Baked Bean Teeth), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 20:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Apparently democrats have been tricked into changing their voting districts by means of fake legalise cannabis petitions, covering registration forms.

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 20:42 (twenty-one years ago)

The change in party registration shouldn't affect their ability to choose the Democratic candidate, however.

― Baked Bean Teeth (Baked Bean Teeth), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 20:44 (twenty-one years ago)

It's district rather than party, although party is included. The example shown was of one woman who had her registration moved from Tallahassee to Orlando. If she'd not spotted she would not have been able to vote in Tallahassee and not known here she was registered.

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 20:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, well that's different...but I'm wondering how did they change the voter's district without changing their address as well?

Btw, I've also read reports of Democrats discovering that their address had been changed with their local election board without their knowledge, so this doesn't surprise me.

All this cheating could cumulatively lead to Bush stealing another election. Absolutely frightening.

― Baked Bean Teeth (Baked Bean Teeth), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 20:50 (twenty-one years ago)

All this cheating could cumulatively lead to Bush stealing another election. Absolutely frightening.

That will make the eventual fall that much more delicious.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 20:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Ned, obv. there are acres and acres of graveyards full of skeletons in Bush's closet. But who will be the first insider to talk? Powell?

― Baked Bean Teeth (Baked Bean Teeth), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 20:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, I'm not guessing at this point. Really, anything is possible.

I should note though that there's rhetoric and paranoia at some rightwing sites about 'leftist strong arm tactics' and crud like that, which could be seen as countering disinformation or could be seen as the fact that each side really wants to demonize the other completely, and will ascribe many different things and actions and motives to them. This solves nothing and makes zilch clearer, but it's interesting to observe.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 21:07 (twenty-one years ago)

I've read similar complaints about these supposed tactics. From what I can tell, they're referring to the army of attorneys that the Democrats have drafted to be on hand on election day nationwide (an army roughly 50-60% of the size of that for the Republicans). These lawyers are going to be on hand to settle questions about whether challenges are legal and to solve problems with registration; quite a different kettle o' fish than police roadblocks designed to intimidate black voters, deceptive flyers telling people to vote on the wrong day or at the wrong location, challengers whose unspoken role is to make voting more of a time-consuming irritation than it otherwise would be and to even discourage the uneducated from voting at all.

Nov. 2 could be ugly. Nay, it WILL be ugly. I only hope Kerry wins by a decent margin in enough states that it won't even be worthy of a protest or challenge in court.

― Baked Bean Teeth (Baked Bean Teeth), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 22:09 (twenty-one years ago)

there's a book by a republican (hugh hewitt) called "if it's not close, they can't cheat: crushing the democrats in every election and why your life depends on it." keeping their 'base' (the religious paranoiacs they use every four years and try to ignore otherwise) in fear and motivated is as crucial for the republicans as widespread fraud and intimidation against democrats are.

i would absolutely be interested to see any evidence that democrats have committed widespread fraud/intimidation at any election in the past 20 years. i doubt there'd be enough to match up to the mountain of evidence and suspicious victories the republicans have proudly built in recent years.

― el sabor de gene (yournullfame), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 22:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Mind you, this is pretty outrageous:

http://powerlineblog.com/archives/ohio-butterfly.jpg

― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 23:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Hahaha worst ballot design ever.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 23:04 (twenty-one years ago)

And it's from Ohio!

Hot on its tail, from Michigan:

ihttp://sayanythingblog.com/images/badballot.jpg

(like, when did vote-riggers just like give up on trying to be subtle?)

― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 23:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Hahaha am I reading that ballot right? Can you not vote for George Bush and Dick Cheney in Michigan?

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 23:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Really? Hey, that's my kinda fraud. ;-)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 23:19 (twenty-one years ago)

I think the Michigan one counts the holes to the right as being for the candidates ABOVE the one you think you're voting for. In other words, you think you're voting for Kerry/Edwards, but you're actually voting for Bush/Cheney. Notice this only works in favor of Bush/Cheney, because Kerry/Edwards get credited for the Green Party votes.

― Baked Bean Teeth (Baked Bean Teeth), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 23:23 (twenty-one years ago)

(Nothing against the Green Party, that is.)

― Baked Bean Teeth (Baked Bean Teeth), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 23:24 (twenty-one years ago)

No, that's a Rep one :(

If you do it the way it seems to appear, Bush votes don't count, but Kerry votes count for Bush.

― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 23:24 (twenty-one years ago)

(x-post exactly, bbt)

― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 23:25 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't have a clue what that ballot means - here you write an X next to who you want to win.

I'm both excited and terrified about the election. I love politics, and I really believe Kerry is going to win. But I'm frightened on so many levels by what might happen if Bush wins - specifically immediately after. How do people think a Bush victory will be recieved, especially if there is allegations of misconduct from the Republicans?

― Kevin Gilchrist (Mr Fusion), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 23:26 (twenty-one years ago)

If Bush wins by a little, I think many will rightly assume fraud made the difference, if the little tremors in the stories I've read are any indication.

Protests, demonstrations, and civil unrest on a mass scale would follow, and I think I would have to involve myself.

― Baked Bean Teeth (Baked Bean Teeth), Tuesday, 26 October 2004 23:30 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't understand: why are the US ballots so fucked up and why doesn't anyone do anything to change them?

Choosing 8 senators out of 72 candidates is easier in Australia than choosing one President out of 2!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 00:02 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't understand: why are the US ballots so fucked up and why doesn't anyone do anything to change them?

There is no standardized universal ballot for president.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 00:10 (twenty-one years ago)

"State's rights" and all that...leaves plenty of room for ballot shenanigans, some of which is unintentional (Florida's 2000 butterfly ballot, for example, was designed by a Democrat).

― Baked Bean Teeth (Baked Bean Teeth), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 00:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes, but *none* of them that I've seen make any sense. Or have I only seen the most insane? Why do you not just have names and boxes next to them/above them/below them???

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 00:15 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm reminded of the scene in Airplane where the doomed plane is on final approach:

"Maybe we oughta turn on the search lights now."

Robert Stack: "No... That's just what they'll be expecting us to do."

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 00:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Tim, the Oregon ballots are perfectly clear. And as long as you could read small print in dim light, the New York City ballot seemed not perfect but not unreasonable.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 00:25 (twenty-one years ago)

You're seeing the most egregiously bad examples, I think.

I've never had a confusing ballot in all the years I've been voting (20) -- Illinois/Chicago uses the punch card system. I always check my ballot afterward to make sure I've punched the right holes and that there aren't any hanging chads. It's no big deal, but I guess it can be, for a lot of people.

― Baked Bean Teeth (Baked Bean Teeth), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 00:27 (twenty-one years ago)

also from the Onion:

MIAMI, FL—With the knowledge that the minority vote will be crucial in the upcoming presidential election, Republican Party officials are urging blacks, Hispanics, and other minorities to make their presence felt at the polls on Wednesday, Nov. 3.

"Minority voters should make their unique voices heard, especially the African-American voting bloc, which is always a major factor in every election," said Florida Republican Party voter-drive organizer Mark Monreal, as he handed out flyers at a community center in the mostly black Miami neighborhood of South Farms. "That's why we put up hundreds of brightly colored banners featuring Martin Luther King Jr. and the 'Vote November 3' reminder. We needed to make sure they know when we want them at polling places."

― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 00:29 (twenty-one years ago)

It's funny 'cos it's true.

― Baked Bean Teeth (Baked Bean Teeth), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 00:40 (twenty-one years ago)

This is all a little too scary. I used to shake my head and think that those handing/pregnant chad issues were just a sad reminder that some people don't know how to vote. Having seen something like this, I have to say, I'd be lost. I'm all for X's and standardized ballots across the country. And pull the plug on electronic balloting.

The sense of impending disaster is almost too much to stomach.

― Guymauve (Guymauve), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 07:05 (twenty-one years ago)

that michigan ballot is absurd!! is that what they ALL look like??

― m. (mitchlnw), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 10:22 (twenty-one years ago)

(haha i looked at that "say anything" blog from the ballot pic URL - his answer to the missing iraq nuclear materials scandal is hilarious:

"First of all, where does the AP get off reporting that it was nearly 400 tons of explosives? 400 tons is only twenty freaking tons away from the actual 380 tons that were stolen."

come now, really. you forgot poland.)

― m. (mitchlnw), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 10:34 (twenty-one years ago)

ohio ballot also nuts btw

― m. (mitchlnw), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 10:43 (twenty-one years ago)

There is a lot of this sort of stuff in Palast's book :
http://www3.hmv.co.uk/hmv/ThumbNail_Images/HMVGAMES/1841197149.JPG

I am very suspicious of Palast. He is the kind of investigative journalist who just won't stop until he sees the corruption he wants to see, and uses anything he finds that doesn't seem to make sense as proof of a Republican conspiracy. If you go into research only looking for evidence that fits in with what you already strongly believe, you are going to find it. There is a lot in Palast's findings that is interesting and remarkable, and should rightly be questioned, but there is a lot that is just confusing and seems like clutching at straws. Time and again, he insists that what could easily be bureaucratic incompetence is something far more sinister. He is so incredibly partisan that you can't take anything he writes seriously.

― Cathy (Cathy), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 10:55 (twenty-one years ago)

sounds a lot like Moore

― Freelance Hiveminder (blueski), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 11:00 (twenty-one years ago)

two things from the newsnight story last night:

1. the elections supervisor was a DEMOCRAT, what sort of system allows members of ANY political party to be in charge of an election. if you are a returning officer in the UK, you can't be affiliated to any party.

2. the whole challenging voters thing is because representatives from the campaigns are ALLOWED INSIDE THE POLLING STATION, get the fuckers on the doorstep where they belong, in the rain preferably.

large chunks of the reasons for the US elections being such a mess is because you don't have sensible rules...

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 11:01 (twenty-one years ago)

That ballot paper is insane, I can't make head nor tail of it. Can someone explain? Why are there so many numbers?

― Steve.n. (sjkirk), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 11:40 (twenty-one years ago)

half-baked futuristic alternatives to the paper ballot i haven't fully thought through yet:

1) computers in booths where you just click and select your choice, with passwords and confirmation prompts and whatnot

2) voting by voice: stating your name etc. and your choice into a mic recording to disc (and to a digital file the govt are required by law to send a copy of to you as proof of voting)

― Freelance Hiveminder (blueski), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 11:47 (twenty-one years ago)

what is wrong with a bit of paper that you mark a cross on with a pencil????

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 12:14 (twenty-one years ago)

booooooriiiiiiiiing

― Freelance Hiveminder (blueski), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 12:18 (twenty-one years ago)

democracy is not boring young man...

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 12:26 (twenty-one years ago)

The Wisconsin ballot is perfectly clear, fortunately. If I was presented with one of those ballots from upthread I think I would vote straight-ticket Democrat just to be sure that I wouldn't fuck up.

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 12:29 (twenty-one years ago)

The sensible thing to do would be to use the totally accountable, open source systems of electronic voting that /already exist/.

(I realise this wouldn't help with absentee ballots etc)

― Gravel Puzzleworth (Gregory Henry), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 12:56 (twenty-one years ago)

He's not only critical of Republicans. Are you sure you read the same book I did? A lot of those stories have been backed up elsewhere.

If you go into research only looking for evidence that fits in with what you already strongly believe, you are going to find it. There is a lot in Palast's findings that is interesting and remarkable, and should rightly be questioned,

but there is a lot that is just confusing and seems like clutching at straws. Time and again, he insists that what could easily be bureaucratic incompetence is something far more sinister. He is so incredibly partisan that you can't take anything he writes seriously.

Anything? Because in the first section you say it 'should rightly be questioned'. Just not from him, right? 'What could easily be bureaucratic incompetence' vs. 'something far more sinister' is not exactly an indictment of his findings, it's a criticism of his perspective.

Nice try, discrediting him in front of people who haven't read him, but some of us HAVE read him extensively. Anyway, I'm wondering what any of that has to do with the 'caging.xls' document connected to this.

― k3rry (dymaxia), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 13:11 (twenty-one years ago)

i'm voting today - wish me luck!

― cinniblount (James Blount), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 13:21 (twenty-one years ago)

how many other states have early voting? i know the local gop is against it, basically cuz it increases voter turnout (or the wrong kind of voter turnout at least).

― cinniblount (James Blount), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 13:23 (twenty-one years ago)

California has it, to my surprise (I had heard nothing about it earlier) -- there was a bus booth set up yesterday here on campus.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 13:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Sorry, I haven't read him extensively. I read the first half of the book and couldn't manage anymore. It is so filled with statistics and confusing 'evidence' that I couldn't possibly verify, and the fact that he is obviously so extremely partisan makes the book and his findings almost worthless to me, because I don't trust him to have done any of his investigation with an open mind.

Yeah, "can't take anything he writes seriously" is not what I meant. I meant that it is very hard for me to trust any of the 'evidence' he cites because of the incredibly selective and biased way it is presented. I can't prove anything, but my impressions from what I read of the book were that he had really manipulated facts to support his view.

In what I said before, I should have been clearer -- I was talking about the first chapter, "Jim Crow in Cyberspace" which is particularly relevant to this thread. I assumed that the news story this thread is about was prompted by Palast's findings because of the mention of his film at the end of the article, maybe I got the wrong end of the stick.

I'm on thin ground here I realise because I'm writing based on a book I read half of, over a year ago, and the few bits and pieces of Palast's I've read since.

― Cathy (Cathy), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 13:40 (twenty-one years ago)

The news story was prompted by leaked documents (cf. georgewbush.org thread), in which I posted the link to the story above.

― k3rry (dymaxia), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 13:47 (twenty-one years ago)

oops, misplaced end parenthesis - it should go at the end of the sentence.

― k3rry (dymaxia), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 13:52 (twenty-one years ago)

oh, that's okay - the guys who make the majority of the voting machines are republicans. republicans who have donated large amounts of money to get bush re-elected. so it all evens out, i'm sure...

― el sabor de gene (yournullfame), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 14:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Riot in the streets Nov. 3!

See you there.

― TRUE AMERICAN PATRIOT, Wednesday, 27 October 2004 14:43 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm glad I don't live in a city.

― Raymond Cummings (Raymond Cummings), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 14:44 (twenty-one years ago)

My house smells just like a zoo
It's chock full of shit and puke
Cockroaches on the walls
Crabs are crawling on my balls
I love living in the city

I love living in the city

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 14:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Ned, don't joke. We could be on the eve of some of the worst riots this country has ever seen!

― Raymond Cummings (Raymond Cummings), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 14:48 (twenty-one years ago)

el sabor, this is why paper and pencils is the only sensible way to do an election, what the hell do you even need machines for????

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 14:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Raymond, the actual number that intrigues me about this election will be the percentage amount of people who don't vote at all.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 14:51 (twenty-one years ago)

I would much rather live in a city (at least the one I live in), where people have more rights and more fellow travellers than they do in freeperland.

Besides, we in Chicago survived the infamous 'basketball riots' on Division Avenue.

― k3rry (dymaxia), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 14:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Has any site/org tried to estimate the exact number/percentage of eligible citizens who will vote (I realize this is a foolish endeavor)?

― Raymond Cummings (Raymond Cummings), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 14:55 (twenty-one years ago)

el sabor, this is why paper and pencils is the only sensible way to do an election, what the hell do you even need machines for????

uhm. don't make my entire country scream, "you just don't understand!" run into the bedroom and slam the door.

― el sabor de gene (yournullfame), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 14:58 (twenty-one years ago)

hehehe :)

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 15:03 (twenty-one years ago)

If only people could get as worked up over the election as they do in Boston over baseball ...

― RED_SOX_NATION, Wednesday, 27 October 2004 15:11 (twenty-one years ago)

My friend just posted this in her livejournal:

OH NO AM I BEING DISENFRANCHISED!?! [Oct. 27th, 2004|10:39 am]

[ mood | angry ]
i just got a voicemail from my mother telling me that our whole family got sent new voter registration cards, which changes our voting precinct from riverside to silverleaf (i know, totally suburban!). SIX DAYS before the election! does this affect my absentee ballot since, being the good voter that i am, i got it months ago and it said riverside on it?! is that now going to be false and/or incorrect information, thus making it invalid? is this some last minute political game where people will not have looked at the new cards, show up to riverside to vote, and get turned away because they're not on the list for that precinct any longer? grrrrr! i smell christian coalition/bob jones/right wing conspiracy!! fuck you, demint! i am totally changing residency after this election.

― sometimes i like to pretend i am very small and warm (ex machina), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 16:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Tell your friend not to worry - her vote is okay because you send it to the city hall of the town you're from and then it's allocated to its district; they KNOW you'll have been reassigned and. You can always slip a note between the actual ballot and the secrecy envelope if you're worried, or better yet phone them at the city hall/county office yourself .

― suzy (suzy), Wednesday, 27 October 2004 16:52 (twenty-one years ago)

two years pass...

These election threads seem rather quaint now.

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Monday, 6 November 2006 22:26 (nineteen years ago)

"A Secret Report Within the Guild"

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 6 November 2006 22:29 (nineteen years ago)

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