Republicans marshal “poll watchers” to suppress working class vote

by wsws (reposted)

Thu, Oct 28, 2004 9:40AM

The Republican Party has announced plans to place thousands of recruits in polling places in many closely contested states on Election Day. These so-called “poll watchers” will be tasked with challenging the credentials of would-be voters in predominantly Democratic urban centers.

Republican spokesmen describe these efforts as an attempt to prevent voter fraud and maintain the “integrity of the vote.” They claim that pro-Democratic registration drives, which have produced a pre-election surge in newly registered voters, particularly in black, Hispanic and urban working class centers, are riddled with fraud and illegality. They have failed, however, to produce any significant evidence to back up their charges.

The Republican crusade for voting “integrity” is a transparent ruse. The obvious purpose of the operation is to disqualify minority and working class voters and suppress voter turnout.

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http://wsws.org/articles/2004/oct2004/poll-o28.shtml

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