Subject: [big campaign] ABOUT TO BREAK VIDEO: GOP Caught Training Poll Workers in Voter Suppression
From: Aniello Alioto <[email-masked]>
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Date: Thu, 4 Oct 2012 11:24:06 -0400
List-Id: <bigcampaign.googlegroups.com>

This is about to break - please pile on heavily.

---------- Forwarded message ----------

October 4, 2012

Contact: Pat Davis, (505) 750-0012

*VIDEO: GOP Caught Training Poll Challengers in Illegal Voter Suppression
Tactics*

*Republican trainees could compromise integrity of November election*

ALBUQUERQUE - Undercover video <http://progressnownm.org/blog> recorded by
ProgressNow New Mexico shows the Republican Party training poll challengers
in illegal tactics that could restrict the voting rights of as many as
1-in-8 New Mexicans in November.

A recording (available on the ProgressNowNM
website<http://progressnownm.org/blog>)
of the September 26th official "Poll Challenger Training" conducted by the
Republican Party shows a GOP & Tea Party leader training potential poll
challengers to illegally demand identification from legal voters, to advise
Spanish-language voters that Spanish ballots are not available, and telling
challengers to demand that voters who received a recent voter purge
postcard must vote on provisional ballots.

The group even created it's own poll challenger guide complete with
instructions on how to demand photo ID and force legal voters to vote by
provisional ballot in blatant contradiction to election law.

Here are a few examples of the misinformation disseminated at the
Republican Party training:

   - Challengers can demand identification from voters if they get another
   poll challenger to agree.  This is false.  New Mexico does not have
   in-person identification requirements unless the voter is a first time
   voter who has not previously shown ID.

   - The 177,000 legal voters (1-in-8) who received a voter purge mailer
   from the Secretary of State earlier this year must vote on a provisional
   ballot and those ballots will not be counted unless the election is close.
   This is false.  All legally registered voters will vote by regular ballot
   and all votes are counted.

   - Voters who moved within their precinct must vote by provisional
   ballot. This is false.

   - Non-English speaking voters will not be provided a translator or
   assistance, nor would Spanish-language ballots be available.  In fact,
   voters may use the assistance of anyone they chose and Spanish-ballots will
   be available.

The training leader even tells participants that poll workers receive no
training in election law so these new challengers will be best informed and
positioned to challenge professional election workers.  Election judges in
New Mexico receive extensive training from county clerks prior to elections.

*Audio and video excerpts from the training, as well as a copy of the
Republican Party Poll Challenger Handbook are available on our blog at
ProgressNowNM.org/blog <http://progressnownm.org/blog>.*

“We were shocked when we heard this training and read this guide," says Pat
Davis of ProgressNowNM. “This is a how-to-guide to voter suppression and
many of their instructions are in blatant contradiction to state law.
People trained by the GOP to “protect” our elections will wreak havoc on
our elections and so frustrate voters that many will simply give up and go
home. This has to stop.”

The training sessions, advertised by the Albuquerque Tea Party and led by
the Republican Party, are set to continue tonight in Albuququerque. "We are
calling on Republcans to step in to stop and denounce this training here
and now. We are also calling for the party to give a full acccounting of
how it developed this guide and training to teach well-meaning poll workers
to violate the law and skew our elections," adds Davis.

###

-- 
Aniello Alioto
National Political Director
[email-masked]
502.664.2420

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