Phony Letters, Fliers Targeting Minority Groups

[Guest guest]

The liars, thieves, and con men certainly cannot win by telling you the truth

so, they lie, steal elections (or anything else that isn't nailed

down) to win. F.

 

 

 

n

Tue, 2 Nov 2004 04:44:31 -0800 (PST)

Subject:Phony Letters, Fliers Targeting Minority groups ( the shady

lowdown)

 

 

 

Phony Letters, Fliers Targeting Minority Groups

 

WASHINGTON -- There are some nasty tricks being played on potential

voters, according to lawyers with groups that are monitoring

pre-election activities in a number of battleground states.

 

In the hotly contested state of Pennsylvania, some people have

received official-looking phony letters that say because the turnout

is going to be so large that only Republicans should vote Tuesday, and

the Democrats should wait until Wednesday, which -- of course -- is

too late.

 

Pennsylvania Attorney General Jerry Pappert said several senior

citizens have reported that someone has been calling them and telling

them their voter registration has expired and not to bother showing up

at the polls Tuesday, reported WGAL-TV in Lancaster, Pa.

 

The attorney general's office is investigating. Tampering with

people's right to vote can carry a prison term of six months to five

years.

 

The NAACP says most of the phony fliers and phone calls are targeting

black, Hispanic and elderly voters, including a phony letter

circulating in South Carolina and fliers elsewhere that falsely tell

voters that if they have unpaid parking tickets and they go to a

polling place Tuesday, they'll be arrested and their children will be

taken away.

 

The South Carolina letter is supposedly from the NAACP. The Rev. Joe

Darby, vice president of the real South Carolina NAACP, called it " old

South Carolina politics " and said he doesn't think people will fall

for it. But he does want an investigation.

 

Darby said he received the letter at his home in Charleston. It had a

Columbia postmark with no return address.

 

 

 

He said the letter was an attempt to scare minorities from voting

Tuesday because the author of the message assumes black people are in

trouble with the law.

 

The letter also said voters must have a credit check, provide two

forms of photo ID, a Social Security card, a voter registration card

and a handwriting sample.

 

Registrars said that's untrue. What's needed is a voter registration

card or a state driver's license or a state-issued ID card.

 

Some of the false material that's been collected has been sent to the

Justice Department for investigation.

 

Legal Teams Flocking To Key Election States

 

According to a coalition of civil rights groups, tens of thousands of

voters will not have their voices heard this year.

 

The watchdog groups blame both election incompetence and what they say

is a deliberate effort to suppress the minority and the elderly vote.

 

The NAACP says minority voters are deliberately facing voter

registration problems. One lawyer estimates that 100,000 absentee

ballots will go uncounted in the battleground states of Florida, Ohio,

Pennsylvania and New York.

 

A toll-free voting hotline has been established nationwide for voters

who experience problems at the polls, and some complaints have already

been forwarded to the Justice Department for investigation. The

hotline number is 1-866-MY VOTE1.

 

Kerry Campaign Disputes Gay Marriage Phone Calls

 

Sen. John Kerry's campaign says voters in Michigan are getting phone

calls that say Kerry would make gay marriage legal.

 

In a recording of a phone call played for The Associated Press, a

young woman urges voters to legalize gay marriage by supporting Kerry.

She describes gay marriage as a basic Democrat principle and says,

" Without John Kerry, George Bush will stop gay marriage. "

 

Kerry and his running mate, Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina,

oppose same-sex marriage. They say marriage should be limited to a man

and a woman. Kerry has said he supports civil unions.

 

A spokesman for Kerry's Michigan campaign said the calls began Sunday

afternoon and reached people in several cities.

 

An official with the Michigan GOP said he doesn't know anything about

such calls.

 

Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This

material may not be published,