Trump pledges to send 'sheriffs' and 'law enforcement' to polling places on Election Day

Eric

Mama's lil stinker
Posts
11,293
Reaction score
21,744
Location
California
Instagram
Main Camera
Sony
It's clear there is no tactic this maniac won't use to intimidate and suppress voting. I can't see even Republicans supporting this move.

From CNN
President Donald Trump on Thursday said he would send law enforcement officials to polling locations to guard against voter fraud in November's election, although it's not clear he has the authority to do so.

"We're going to have sheriffs, and we're going to have law enforcement, and we're going to have, hopefully, US attorneys, and we're going to have everybody and attorney generals (sic)," Trump said during an interview on Fox News with Sean Hannity.

Trump's comments come as his campaign works to recruit tens of thousands of volunteers for what Republican officials have said could be their largest poll-watching operation. Even before Trump's comments, his party's plans to monitor the polls have sparked charges from Democrats and voting-rights groups that Republicans are gearing up to suppress voting in key states.
 

Alli

Perfection
Staff Member
Site Donor
Posts
5,886
Reaction score
11,792
Location
Alabackwards
The man is mad. What does he actually expect all these people to do, take photos of people entering the polling place and share them with the people at other polling locations? Does he truly not understand how difficult voter fraud is?
 

lizkat

Watching March roll out real winter
Posts
7,341
Reaction score
15,163
Location
Catskill Mountains
He's just reaching into the old republican playbook. Republicans got called on this in the past, and now 45 is removing all doubt of where he stands.

Voter intimidation 101, amped up for 2020. Time to ship another piece of the grocery money to the ACLU because they're going to have to have rafts of lawyers available to take stuff like this to court pro bono and get restraining orders.
 

SuperMatt

Site Master
Posts
7,862
Reaction score
15,004
The man is mad. What does he actually expect all these people to do, take photos of people entering the polling place and share them with the people at other polling locations? Does he truly not understand how difficult voter fraud is?

This is out of the southern handbook on keeping black people from voting. Trump wishes it was still the segregation era. Sadly, we are seeing many Americans feel the same way. Trump has been a great salesman for racism. I worry we'll have a new generation that thinks being racist is ok.
 

Thomas Veil

Suspended
Posts
3,450
Reaction score
6,798
Oh, there is nothing I don't put past Trump.

I mean, you guys think this is "just" about voter intimidation? Maybe.

I know he can't order the police around, but could he possibly have some feds--maybe even some of the same ones who descended on Portland--appear in key locations as "election observers"? And then have them claim they saw some kind of "irregularity" that required them to seize the ballots to "review" them?

I hope I'm wrong, but I can't shake the possibility of something like that happening. This man is capable of anything.

I do agree with lizkat...I think someone (states' Attorneys General?) needs to take out pre-emptive restraining orders against this.
 

Alli

Perfection
Staff Member
Site Donor
Posts
5,886
Reaction score
11,792
Location
Alabackwards
I know he can't order the police around, but could he possibly have some feds--maybe even some of the same ones who descended on Portland--appear in key locations as "election observers"? And then have them claim they saw some kind of "irregularity" that required them to seize the ballots to "review" them?

This is exactly the kind of thing I fear. But I’m just as concerned about the federal forces ringing parking lots around polling places so that normal folk are scared to break their line to get in to vote.
 

lizkat

Watching March roll out real winter
Posts
7,341
Reaction score
15,163
Location
Catskill Mountains
how is having the law there voter suppression?

Please. It's sufficient to have a few pollworkers, from both major parties, inside the polling station to direct voters to the right tables and lines for their precincts.

Having the law outside there all suited up and carrying long guns and armbands with stuff on them like "national ballot security task force" is just plain intimidation when there's nothing's going on but registered voters standing in line to cast a vote ffs.

Mind you this is the first presidential election since a federal judge allowed a consent decree against the GOP's use of such "ballot security" measures to lapse.


https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1249005277275275265/
 

jkcerda

Site Champ
Posts
388
Reaction score
254
posting from work.


the link you posted DOES sound like voter intimidation, as was what the BPP did.
 

lizkat

Watching March roll out real winter
Posts
7,341
Reaction score
15,163
Location
Catskill Mountains
was it voter intimidation when the black panther party showed up at the polls?

Actually if you watch that entire CNN piece, it's hilarious that Rs keep using the cited incident as one purporting to represent intimidation of their voter base by scary black men.

The precinct in question is heavily Democratic and the ward it was a part of in 2008 had Dem v GOP registration of 5040 to 276. As a result, even Republican officials in that neck of the woods in Philadelphia have either laughed off or remained somewhat dismissive of the "incident", being puzzled that other Republicans even now consider that incident their go-to regarding alleged incidents of Republican voter intimidation by armed black radicals. Of course if that's all ya got, that's what ya go with, I guess.
 

JayMysteri0

What the F?!!!
Posts
6,612
Reaction score
13,752
Location
Not HERE.
posting from work.


the link you posted DOES sound like voter intimidation, as was what the BPP did.
An important distinction to recognize whenever that singular even is repeatedly brought. That is private citizens who could be arrested IF they broke any laws.

In 45's case he wants to use the powers of the office he is running for as voter intimidation.

Which do you think is worse?
 

jkcerda

Site Champ
Posts
388
Reaction score
254
An important distinction to recognize whenever that singular even is repeatedly brought. That is private citizens who could be arrested IF they broke any laws.

In 45's case he wants to use the powers of the office he is running for as voter intimidation.

Which do you think is worse?
using the law would indeed be worse.
 

hulugu

Site Champ
Posts
461
Reaction score
1,401
Location
the wilds
First, the is just Trump at his usual nattering nonsense. He has no power to "send" local law enforcement anywhere, especially sheriffs, who are elected members of county government, much less the local police that are guided by mayors and city councils. Moreover, a deputy has little power to do much, and even standing around might incite a serious legal challenge. If your local sheriff is tired of having funding, he can tangle with the ACLU on this, and likely lose.

As for the Black Panthers, it's important to note that this was just a few guys in one place. It's a lousy go-to example, but yes, armed men—whether that's a cudgel or a rifle—should be allowed to "protect" polling locations.

But, if we really want to talk about voting suppression, we can look at decades of history where local law was used to enforce poll taxes and so-called literacy tests. In the southwest, it was often the local law that was used to enforce these laws against Mexican-American and Chinese-Americans. In the northeast, and south, the law kept Black people from voting.
 
Top Bottom
1 2