For more than twenty years, the Republican National Committee has repeatedly operated so-called "ballot security programs" that have sought to suppress and intimidate African-Americans and other minorities from exercising their constitutional right to vote.
These illegal schemes have been previously enjoined by the Federal Court in the case of DNC v. RNC. The Decree in that case prohibits the RNC from implementing any "ballot security program" without prior court approval.
That lawsuit, brought in 1981, resulted in a nationwide injunction against the RNC that is still in effect today.
"The RNC has consistently sought to cloak its discriminatory efforts to suppress the minority vote in a law enforcement guise," said Judith Browne, acting co-director, Advancement Project. "Such "racial profiling" of the electorate is itself illegal. The Consent Decree in RNC v. DNC permanently enjoins the RNC from implementing any "ballot security program" without prior court approval."
The Republican Party and Republican candidates have already designated an unprecedented number of poll watchers for the November election. Moreover, Republicans have detailed these poll watchers disproportionately to predominantly African American counties.
For example, in Miami-Dade County in Florida and Hamilton County in Ohio, the Republican Party designated more of its poll watchers to the predominantly African American precincts than to other precincts.
"Despite earlier requests from the civil rights community, the Republican National Committee has failed to put an end to Republican-initiated plans to aggressively target for challenges at the polls during the November 2nd general election," said Edward Hailes, senior attorney, Advancement Project.
Based on publicly available information, it is clear that Republican officials and candidates have recruited an unparalleled number of poll watchers for the November election, relying on little-used laws that are based on statutes stemming from the Jim Crow era in our nation's history.
Recent News Accounts:
-- The Republican Party of Michigan announced that it was hoping to
recruit 1,000 poll watchers for November 2nd, and is offering to pay up
to $100 per shift. (Source: Detroit Free Press, 4/29/04, email from
state GOP representatives)
-- In Ohio, the Republican Party claims to have registered 3,600
challengers who will be inside polling places on Election Day, each
being paid $100. 1,436 of the challengers are devoted solely to Cuyahoga
County. (Sources: Columbus Dispatch, 10/24/04; New York Times, 10/23/04)
-- The Republican Party hopes to have at least 1,000 paid poll watchers
in Pennsylvania. (Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 10/24/04)
-- Wisconsin Republicans are reportedly training more than 50,000
volunteers to monitor precincts and lodge challenges. (Source: Wall
Street Journal, 10/22/04)
-- Florida is also expecting an unprecedented number of poll watchers
and challenges. (Source: St. Petersburg Times, 10/16/04)
"Voter suppression and intimidation tactics are on the rise just as voter registration successes are beginning to enable African Americans and Latinos to overcome a long history of exclusion from the political process," continued Browne." "These acts are carried out in an effort to deprive the most marginalized Americans of a voice in our democracy."
The Republican Party has also initiated massive investigations of new voters. Again, there is evidence that the efforts are focused on communities with large African American and Latino populations.
-- In Pennsylvania, Republicans purchased an official list of about
130,000 people who had registered to vote in Philadelphia in the
previous six months. They mailed letters to each, and 10,000 came back
marked as undeliverable. Reportedly they intend to challenge or
investigate these voters. (Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, 10/25/04)
-- In Ohio, the Republican Party has filed challenges against
approximately 35,000 new registrants whose notices of voter registration
were returned as undeliverable. Over 17,000 of the challenges are in
Cuyahoga County. (Source: Columbus Dispatch, 10/24/04)
-- The Wisconsin GOP is using state freedom of information laws to
obtain the names of 100,000 new voters and conduct background checks on
them. (Source: Wall Street Journal, 10/22/04)
-- In Atlanta, Republican officials have reportedly challenged voters
with Latino surnames or who identified themselves as Latino on their
voter registration applications without any evidence to substantiate the
allegations. (Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 10/21/04)
-- The former state Republican Party Chair of Nevada attempted to purge
about 17,000 Democrats from the voter rolls in Clark County, Nevada on
the ground that they were inactive voters. (Source: Associated Press,
10/13/04) (The challenges were rejected by the Clark County registrar.)
"Challenges were, and currently are, used to disenfranchise minority
voters," concluded Browne. "While on their face, challenge statutes are
racially neutral their history reveals their intent."
