Republicans plan to Block The Vote

In a race as close as the one for the U.S. Presidency every vote counts, especially in very tight swing states like Pennsylvania - or Ohio.

The New York Times (free subscription may be required) is reporting that Republicans in Ohio plan to post recruits at polling places to challenge the qualifications of voters. They claim that this is an attempt to avoid any potential voting fraud, but according to the Times, "Some officials said they worried that the challenges could discourage or even frighten others waiting to vote."

Every time the Republicans use this maneuver they will wrap themselves in the cloak of fighting against voter fraud. Ask any Republican partisan about what went on in Florida on Election Day in 2000 and they will tell you about how the Democrats fraudulently tried to steal the election. Mention to these partisans specific incidents in which voters were prevented from getting to their polling places or other incidents of Republican attempts to block the vote, and watch their eyes light up and their masks of rationality slip away. For specific incidents, see this article from the St. Petersburg Times from November 9, 2000, or this section of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights report on Voting Irregularities in Florida During the 2000 Presidential Election.

This is another of those fairly obvious and heavy-handed political ploys that can appear above-board to those who haven't seen it before. Like the Sinclair Maneuver, this is nothing new. Read here for a primer on how this works, as well as an extensive bibliography of references.