Romney Campaign Training Poll Watchers To Mislead Voters In Wisconsin

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Mitt Romney's campaign has been training poll watchers in Wisconsin with highly misleading — and sometimes downright false — information about voters' rights.

Documents from a recent Romney poll watcher training obtained by ThinkProgress contain several misleading or untrue claims about the rights of Wisconsin voters. A source passed along the following packet of documents, which was distributed to volunteers at a Romney campaign training in Racine on October 25th. In total, six such trainings were held across the state in the past two weeks.

One blatant falsehood occurs on page 5 of the training packet, which informed poll watchers that any "person [who] has been convicted of treason, a felony, or bribery" isn't eligible to vote. This is not true. Once a Wisconsin voter who has been convicted of a felony completes his or her sentence, that person is once again eligible to vote.

The training also encouraged volunteers to deceive election workers and the public about who they were associated with. On page 3 of the packet, Romney poll workers were instructed to hide their affiliation with the campaign and told to sign in at the polls as a "concerned citizen" instead. As Kristina Sesek, Romney's legal counsel who just graduated from Marquette Law School last year, explained, "We're going to have you sign in this election cycle as a 'concerned citizen.' We're just trying to alleviate some of the animosity of being a Republican observer up front."

This packet could cause major problems if Republican observers across the state try to enforce such wrong and misleading information on Election Day. Even if they simply slow the voting process down, this could discourage voters waiting in line and drive drown turnout.

Here are four misleading or incorrect pieces of information disbursed by the Romney campaign:

CLAIM: Any "person [who] has been convicted of treason, a felony, or bribery" isn't eligible to vote. (Page 5)

FACT: Once a person who has been convicted of a felony completes his or her sentence, including probation and fines, that person is eligible to vote.

CLAIM: Page 8 lists 10 items as "The ONLY Acceptable Forms of "Proof of Residency".

FACT: The list used is incomplete. There are many other documents people can use to prove residency that are not included, such as letters from public schools, student loan papers, correspondence with a Native American tribe in Wisconsin, vehicle registration, and food stamp correspondances. In addition, the list fails to mention that homeless voters may use an affidavit from a public or private social service agency as proof of residency.

CLAIM: "If a handicapped voter is unable to come into the polls to vote, an assistant can deliver the ballot to the voter if the CEI verifies the elector's proof of residency." (Page 10)

FACT: Under Wisconsin law, the CEI (Chief Election Inspector) does not have to verify proof of residency so long as the voter is registered.

CLAIM: "Election Observers should not assist [voters]." (Page 10)

FACT: A voter can ask for assistance from anyone, including apoll watcher, so long as the voter initiates the request and does not engage in electioneering.

Here are the documents in full:

Romney Volunteer Observer Training

Edited October 30, 2012 by Commie Appeaser

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

How many barely coherent folks will Romney supporters be busing to the polls on election day?

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

Mitt Romney's campaign has been training poll watchers in Wisconsin with highly misleading — and sometimes downright false — information about voters' rights.

Documents from a recent Romney poll watcher training obtained by ThinkProgress contain several misleading or untrue claims about the rights of Wisconsin voters. A source passed along the following packet of documents, which was distributed to volunteers at a Romney campaign training in Racine on October 25th. In total, six such trainings were held across the state in the past two weeks.

One blatant falsehood occurs on page 5 of the training packet, which informed poll watchers that any "person [who] has been convicted of treason, a felony, or bribery" isn't eligible to vote. This is not true. Once a Wisconsin voter who has been convicted of a felony completes his or her sentence, that person is once again eligible to vote.

The training also encouraged volunteers to deceive election workers and the public about who they were associated with. On page 3 of the packet, Romney poll workers were instructed to hide their affiliation with the campaign and told to sign in at the polls as a "concerned citizen" instead. As Kristina Sesek, Romney's legal counsel who just graduated from Marquette Law School last year, explained, "We're going to have you sign in this election cycle as a 'concerned citizen.' We're just trying to alleviate some of the animosity of being a Republican observer up front."

This packet could cause major problems if Republican observers across the state try to enforce such wrong and misleading information on Election Day. Even if they simply slow the voting process down, this could discourage voters waiting in line and drive drown turnout.

Here are four misleading or incorrect pieces of information disbursed by the Romney campaign:

CLAIM: Any "person [who] has been convicted of treason, a felony, or bribery" isn't eligible to vote. (Page 5)

FACT: Once a person who has been convicted of a felony completes his or her sentence, including probation and fines, that person is eligible to vote.

CLAIM: Page 8 lists 10 items as "The ONLY Acceptable Forms of "Proof of Residency".

FACT: The list used is incomplete. There are many other documents people can use to prove residency that are not included, such as letters from public schools, student loan papers, correspondence with a Native American tribe in Wisconsin, vehicle registration, and food stamp correspondances. In addition, the list fails to mention that homeless voters may use an affidavit from a public or private social service agency as proof of residency.

CLAIM: "If a handicapped voter is unable to come into the polls to vote, an assistant can deliver the ballot to the voter if the CEI verifies the elector's proof of residency." (Page 10)

FACT: Under Wisconsin law, the CEI (Chief Election Inspector) does not have to verify proof of residency so long as the voter is registered.

CLAIM: "Election Observers should not assist [voters]." (Page 10)

FACT: A voter can ask for assistance from anyone, including apoll watcher, so long as the voter initiates the request and does not engage in electioneering.

Here are the documents in full:

Romney Volunteer Observer Training

I hope the Justice Dept nails them to the cross. Everyone knows the only acceptable method is to post black panthers at polling places to threaten voters with violence.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I hope the Justice Dept nails them to the cross. Everyone knows the only acceptable method is to post black panthers at polling places to threaten voters with violence.

I don't care if it takes votes from Obama.

Funny how it is a Democrat that worries about losing the felon vote.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

Mitt Romney's campaign has been training poll watchers in Wisconsin with highly misleading — and sometimes downright false — information about voters' rights.

Documents from a recent Romney poll watcher training obtained by ThinkProgress contain several misleading or untrue claims about the rights of Wisconsin voters. A source passed along the following packet of documents, which was distributed to volunteers at a Romney campaign training in Racine on October 25th. In total, six such trainings were held across the state in the past two weeks.

One blatant falsehood occurs on page 5 of the training packet, which informed poll watchers that any "person [who] has been convicted of treason, a felony, or bribery" isn't eligible to vote. This is not true. Once a Wisconsin voter who has been convicted of a felony completes his or her sentence, that person is once again eligible to vote.

The training also encouraged volunteers to deceive election workers and the public about who they were associated with. On page 3 of the packet, Romney poll workers were instructed to hide their affiliation with the campaign and told to sign in at the polls as a "concerned citizen" instead. As Kristina Sesek, Romney's legal counsel who just graduated from Marquette Law School last year, explained, "We're going to have you sign in this election cycle as a 'concerned citizen.' We're just trying to alleviate some of the animosity of being a Republican observer up front."

This packet could cause major problems if Republican observers across the state try to enforce such wrong and misleading information on Election Day. Even if they simply slow the voting process down, this could discourage voters waiting in line and drive drown turnout.

Obama Poll watcher training LOL

H

Edited October 30, 2012 by Run Herschel Run

[OnMyWayID 1,489]

Articles posted: 347

Votes changed: 0

[lostinblue 1,989]

http://townhall.com/columnists/byronyork/2012/08/13/when_1099_felons_vote_in_a_race_won_by_312_ballots/page/full/

When 1,099 Felons Vote In A Race Won By 312 Ballots

Franken and his Democratic allies dispatched an army of lawyers to challenge the results. After the first canvass, Coleman's lead was down to 206 votes. That was followed by months of wrangling and litigation. In the end, Franken was declared the winner by 312 votes. He was sworn into office in July 2009, eight months after the election.

During the controversy, a conservative group called Minnesota Majority began to look into claims of voter fraud. Comparing criminal records with voting rolls, the group identified 1,099 felons -- all ineligible to vote -- who had voted in the Franken-Coleman race.

Minnesota Majority took the information to prosecutors across the state, many of whom showed no interest in pursuing it. But Minnesota law requires authorities to investigate such leads. And so far, Fund and von Spakovsky report, 177 people have been convicted -- not just accused, but convicted -- of voting fraudulently in the Senate race. Another 66 are awaiting trial. "The numbers aren't greater," the authors say, "because the standard for convicting someone of voter fraud in Minnesota is that they must have been both ineligible, and 'knowingly' voted unlawfully." The accused can get off by claiming not to have known they did anything wrong.

Steve never got upset about who won this race.