# Republican Strategy: Voter Intimidation **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 23, 2004, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-strategy-voter-intimidation/270767 "2004-10-23T14:35:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-strategy-voter-intimidation/270767/21 "2004-10-23T16:48:38Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Edina, **Dio**. The Pubbies regularly dredge up homeless Edina residents and register them to vote, offering a decent chardonnay or a wedge of brie. I think the Pubbies have had mixed results with that tactic. One time a bunch of those homeless guys decided to vote for a professional wrestler as a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-strategy-voter-intimidation/270767/22 "2004-10-23T17:10:47Z")
Hate to admit it, but it sounds like the unions are mounting intimidation tactics of their own on early voters in Florida: [http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-pglitch23oct23,0,3825651,print.story?coll=sfla-news-palm](http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-pglitch23oct23,0,3825651,print.story?coll=sfla-news-palm) Dems have often joked about turning the tables on the Republicans and playing as dirty as them when it comes to depressing turnout, but we’ve never actually imagined someone actually doing it. The unions, however, apparently have no such compunctions. It’s apparently legal to do due to an oversight in the law (I’ve found in my short time in politics that Board of Elections officials, both Democrat and Republican are some of the dumbest, laziest, most screw-up prone people in the country.), but it’s absolutely 100% wrong to have partisan promotion that close to the polling location, let alone inside it. People going to vote shouldn’t be treated like people going to get abortions… er, well maybe there’s plenty of problems to go around. Anyway, at least when the Republicans do it, it’s subtler than simply screaming at people. Just like their “office flood” protests, that’s just plain stupid. It’s not really going to drive anyone off from voting the way police officers and challengers will, it’s just going to fire up their base. Dumb dumb dumb. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-strategy-voter-intimidation/270767/23 "2004-10-23T21:43:33Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > And we have Michael Moore going to Florida for the same [thing.](http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=39688) No, it’s **not** the same thing, not unless Moore is planning to challenge anyone’s voting credentials, which I doubt. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-strategy-voter-intimidation/270767/24 "2004-10-23T21:51:40Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > What does a “suspicious” voter look like? Like [this](http://www.collecting-tull.com/Albums/Aqualung.html). ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-strategy-voter-intimidation/270767/25 "2004-10-23T21:55:11Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Not especially. You don’t need an address to vote. Interesting viewpoint. The linked article says: > [@](#): > > And, the officials said, challenges could be made on four main grounds: whether the voter is a citizen, is at least 18, is a resident of the county and has lived in Ohio for the previous 30 days. So you don’t care if the person casting the vote has legitimate residency or not. Yep, that ensures a fair election process. ---
**Author:** ![WernhamHogg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a587f6/32.png) [@WernhamHogg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WernhamHogg)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-strategy-voter-intimidation/270767/26 "2004-10-23T21:55:24Z")
I’m still pissed that Jethro Tull never paid me for posing for that cover. As for the unions, they suck too. They should back the fuck down and let people vote in peace. ---
**Author:** ![WernhamHogg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a587f6/32.png) [@WernhamHogg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WernhamHogg)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-strategy-voter-intimidation/270767/27 "2004-10-23T21:56:32Z")
You do need an address to vote. Dio is simply wrong on that account. Homeless people can put a shelter as their address, I believe. ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-strategy-voter-intimidation/270767/28 "2004-10-23T22:13:11Z")
> [@](#): > > So you don’t care if the person casting the vote has legitimate residency or not. Yep, that ensures a fair election process. That’s hardly the point of challenging people in the polls. Legitimate addresses can be checked BEFORE the polls anyway. The point of the challenges is to slow down the polling process. While you have to STATE a reason for a challenge, you don’t have to actually back it up at all. You can just say “I don’t think you’re a citizen” or “I don’t think you live in the precinct.” The election officials then have to spend time tracking down this claim, there is paperwork that has to be filled out on each side, etc. The whole process can take up to 10 or 15 minutes per challenge: and that’s 15 minutes the poll worker doesn’t have to serve other voters. Even without challangers, traditionally hundreds if not thousands of votes are lost in some cities and high population areas due to the polls being too crowded and slow, and people just giving up and not voting, or not getting in to the polls in time. Most people have less than an hour to vote: if they have to stand in line for three hours, it’s not going to happen. That’s why when the Republicans say that their challengers won’t slow things down, they are saying it with a wink. The polls are ALREADY too slow. And they always try some variation on these tricks in order to make them run even slower in order to supress turnout. It’s usually something that’s obviously pretty evil, but at least for that election, a legal loophole. In Toledo, for instance, back when they had booths and no time limits, they’d have voters simply sit in the booths for a hour “deciding” who they wanted to vote for. The challengers are basically going to be no different, and everybody knows it. They just don’t say so to the press, who duitifuly reports that there are two sides to every story, even if one side is quietly laughing their head off. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-strategy-voter-intimidation/270767/29 "2004-10-23T22:20:42Z")
This election and campaign has, put bluntly, sucked. It seems that every single time I read anything about it, I want to go and take a shower. Wash all the dirt and grime and scuzziness away. Everyone kinda sucks in it. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-strategy-voter-intimidation/270767/30 "2004-10-23T22:29:18Z")
> [@treis](#): > > You don’t think that 35000 registered voters with possibly bogus addresses is cause for concern? Apparently not, if they’re going to vote for Kerry. I wish I could say I am hoping for November 3, but I don’t think this will be over by then. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-strategy-voter-intimidation/270767/31 "2004-10-23T22:37:11Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I wish I could say I am hoping for November 3, but I don’t think this will be over by then. I agree with _that_! The recent articles I’ve seen on the campaign finances mention that each campaign has about $7 million set aside for recount and legal efforts. I do care who wins, but I’d like a nice clear victory whichever way it goes. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-strategy-voter-intimidation/270767/32 "2004-10-23T22:40:33Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > I do care who wins, but I’d like a nice clear victory whichever way it goes. I am hoping for a landslide victory, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. This year though, let the fight be in Ohio or Pennsylvania. Florida suffered enough this year, what with four hurricanes and a tropical storm. I don’t think we can handle an invasion of lawyers. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-strategy-voter-intimidation/270767/33 "2004-10-23T22:45:55Z")
[QUOTE=Apos] That’s hardly the point of challenging people in the polls. Legitimate addresses can be checked BEFORE the polls anyway. > [@](#): > > Yesterday, party officials submitted a list of about 35,000 registered voters whose mailing addresses, the Republicans said, were questionable. After registering, they said, each of the voters was mailed a notice, and in each case the notice was returned to election officials as undeliverable. That looks as though a good faith attempt was made to verify authenticity beforehand, as well as offering reasonable grounds for suspicion. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-strategy-voter-intimidation/270767/34 "2004-10-23T22:48:39Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Hey, **Ivy** , > > What does a “suspicious” voter look like? In Ohio, someone without a valid address. Does it not bother you that a suspected terrorist is registered to vote? From my link in post 5: > [@](#): > > And you might recognize the name of Nuradin Abdi. He’s a native of Somalia charged with plotting to blow up a Columbus mall. > > “As far as board of elections is concerned, Abdi is a registered voter,” board of elections director Matt Damschroeder said. > > We now know according to federal officials, he’s an illegal alien. That would mean he can’t legally vote. But the Franklin County Board of Elections had no way of checking that when they sent him a voter registration card early this year. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-strategy-voter-intimidation/270767/35 "2004-10-23T22:50:19Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > I do care who wins, but I’d like a nice clear victory whichever way it goes. Me, too. Although it wouldn’t discern the will of the people, I’d almost favor a good old-fashioned brawl between the candidates. You’d have to wonder if Dubya and Kerry would gang up on Nader first before slugging it out, or how it might go. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-strategy-voter-intimidation/270767/36 "2004-10-23T22:51:49Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > Me, too. Although it wouldn’t discern the will of the people, I’d almost favor a good old-fashioned brawl between the candidates. You’d have to wonder if Dubya and Kerry would gang up on Nader first before slugging it out, or how it might go. 😉 At this point, I would be much in favor of that. Winner takes all, no holds barred. Hell, they can even bite off each other’s ears, if it would get the goddamned ads OFF THE AIR!!! ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-strategy-voter-intimidation/270767/37 "2004-10-23T23:13:45Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > That looks as though a good faith attempt was made to verify authenticity beforehand, as well as offering reasonable grounds for suspicion. Apparently, you are too dense to post. These challanges are already filed and over with BEFORE the election is held. People who have already been shown to have invalid addresses are stripped from the rolls, and thus can’t vote anyway. The challenger mess inside the polls takes place AFTER all of that. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-strategy-voter-intimidation/270767/38 "2004-10-23T23:19:57Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > In Ohio, someone without a valid address. And these GOP thugs can tell just by looking at someone if they have a valid address? How are they going to know who to stop and harrass? Does it not bother you that a suspected terrorist is registered to vote? [/quote] Nope. Don’t give a shit. Suspected terrorists have a right to vote too. You have no right to stop them unless they’ve actually been convicted of a felony. Even then, we don’t need self-appointed partisan Nazis trying to selectively enforce this bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-strategy-voter-intimidation/270767/39 "2004-10-23T23:21:40Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Suspected terrorists have a right to vote too. You have no right to stop them unless they’ve actually been convicted of a felony. You obviously didn’t read the entire thing. _He’s here illegally._ He has no right to vote. Yet he’s registered to vote. Something is rotten in the state of Ohio. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-strategy-voter-intimidation/270767/40 "2004-10-23T23:23:39Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Come on Pubbies, you really have to be fucking ashamed of your own fucking party. > > Is this how you really want to win? By harassing black people at the polls or challenging every single person as a stalling tactic? Why don’t you just bring back poll taxes? I’m OK with challenging people who supplied undeliverable mail addresses. The Democrats seem to feel that if you have a pulse, you should get to vote. > [@](#): > > Yesterday, party officials submitted a list of about 35,000 registered voters whose mailing addresses, the Republicans said, were questionable. After registering, they said, each of the voters was mailed a notice, and in each case the notice was returned to election officials as undeliverable. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-strategy-voter-intimidation/270767.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-strategy-voter-intimidation/270767.md?page=3)