Texas Attorney General, Threatens To Arrest U.N. Elections Observers

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

Greg Abbott, the Republican Attorney General of Texas, issued a stern warning this week to members of a United Nations-affiliated delegation expected to be on hand to monitor voting at polling places around the country on Election Day.

In a letter to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, a body created by U.N. charter and responsible for helping to ensure the integrity of elections,among other tasks, Abbott warned the diplomatic poll-watchers that their involvement in U.S. elections could have strong legal repercussions.

"It may be a criminal offense for OSCE's representatives to maintain a presence within 100 feet of a polling place's entrance," he writes. "Failure to comply with these requirements could subject the OSCE's representatives to criminal prosecution for violating state law." Such a restriction makes election monitoring highly difficult.

The OSCE announced earlier this month that it would send 44 observers to polling places around the country on Election Day in order to monitor possible disputes that could arise in the voting process. The move came in response to a petition from liberal-leaning voting rights groups, including the NAACP and ACLU, that suggested the OSCE's presence could help combat what they fear will be a concerted effort to suppress votes from supporters of President Barack Obama.

Concerns among Democrats have mounted in the wake of reports that right-leaning groups, such as the Tea Party-aligned True The Vote, had plans to dispatch armies of poll-watchers seeking to root out invalid votes. Opponents warn that the volunteer "poll challengers" will engage in intimidation of legitimate minority voters who tend to vote Democratic.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/24/greg-abbott-texas-un-elections_n_2010081.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Black_Panther_Party_voter_intimidation_case

[TBoneTX 43,058]

Abbott's a good dude, si man.

[We Are The Art 46]

Ya gotta love Texas.

"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last". Sir Winston Churchill

[Obama 2012 1,714]

and arrested they should be. The fact that the liberals want these people here should be everything anyone needs to know about how UN-American moonbats truly are. Instead of solving our own problems, they want foreigners to do it for us? Pathetic.

[Darnell 8,478]

monitor voting at a polling place?

sorry, no one in Texas is allowed to do that, with the exception of the county clerk.

that law on the books for '100 feet back' has been on the books for some time, iirc.

Welcome to Texas !

[Ban Hammer 12,836]

and while the un is busy monitoring the us voting, genocide still continues in africa.

[JohnR! 5,495]

In a letter to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, a body created by U.N. charter and responsible for helping to ensure the integrity of elections,among other tasks, Abbott warned the diplomatic poll-watchers that their involvement in U.S. elections could have strong legal repercussions.

Perhaps that is Texan for: Darn, if all y'all is looking we can't stuff them ballots!!

Edited October 25, 2012 by Gegel

[Karee 4,189]

What a waste of money and time. Texas will go Romney all the way. Maybe they should worry about Ohio and Florida.

[Darnell 8,478]

What a waste of money and time. Texas will go Romney all the way. Maybe they should worry about Ohio and Florida.

Perhaps the Republicans in Texas will vote for Romney

but there's 3 other demographic groups that are voting for Obama -

and their numbers are larger.

Much Much Larger.

IMO, Texas won't 'carry' Romnio at all. He might get 32 to 36 percent of the popular vote here, with 'won by county' counts lower than 18 percent.

[^_^ 5,021]

Perhaps the Republicans in Texas will vote for Romney

but there's 3 other demographic groups that are voting for Obama -

and their numbers are larger.

Much Much Larger.

IMO, Texas won't 'carry' Romnio at all. He might get 32 to 36 percent of the popular vote here, with 'won by county' counts lower than 18 percent.

The most recent poll of Texas I can find is from back in September - http://www.texaslyceum.org/media/staticContent/PubCon_Journals/2012/2012_Texas_Lyceum_Poll_FINAL_RESULTS_10-1-12.pdf

Romney leads 58-39

[Karee 4,189]

Perhaps the Republicans in Texas will vote for Romney

but there's 3 other demographic groups that are voting for Obama -

and their numbers are larger.

Much Much Larger.

IMO, Texas won't 'carry' Romnio at all. He might get 32 to 36 percent of the popular vote here, with 'won by county' counts lower than 18 percent.

I read it twice and it's still confusing.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

http://news.yahoo.com/texas-attorney-general-demands-hillary-clinton-political-un-060207413.html

Texas attorney general demands Hillary Clinton, ‘political’ UN poll watchers respect Texas law

The Daily Caller – 8 hrs ago

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has officially put Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on notice: United Nations-affiliated election monitors are not above Texas law.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) recently announced it would send dozens of international poll monitors to the United States to monitor the upcoming elections.

“It appears that OSCE is under the misimpression that the State Department can somehow help its representatives circumvent the Texas Election Code,” Abbott wrote in a letter sent Thursday to the State Department. “If the OSCE does not want to follow Texas law, then perhaps it should send its representatives to another state.”

“Texas law prohibits unauthorized persons from entering a polling place — or loitering within 100 feet of a polling place’s entrance — on Election Day,” Abbott wrote. “OSCE monitors are expected to follow that law like everyone else.” (RELATED: Texas attorney general warns UN poll watchers to keep their distance)

The letter was a response to foreign diplomat Janez Lenarcic, who sent a letter on behalf of the OSCE to the State Department on Wednesday. Lenarcic’s letter called on State Department officials to ensure UN election monitors would not be “restrained in their activities” in Texas on Election Day.

Lenarcic also stated that “the threat of criminal sanctions against OSCE/ODIHR observers is unacceptable.”

Abbott retorted that the “letter from the OSCE suggests that the international group can circumvent Texas election law by gaining unfettered access to Texas’ polling locations.”

In an exclusive interview with The Daily Caller, Abbott said he was struck by the “attitude” of Lenarcic’s letter on behalf of OSCE, saying it was “an attitude that they could do whatever.”

TheDC asked Abbott what specific things he would like to see from the OSCE and the State Department before and on Election Day.

“[OSCE] needs to admit that they know what the Texas laws are and that they will abide by them,” he said. “Secondly, the secretary of state needs to acknowledge and understand that. And finally, OSCE must fulfill their obligation by abiding by Texas law.”

But Abbott said he has been given “no information” regarding the process these international monitors will employ.

“We do not know who is going to be there, what polling locations they are going to be at, or what they are going to do,” Abbott said.

While he noted it would be “physically impossible” to monitor the international individuals sent to Texas, Abbott said he hopes his original letter to the OSCE heightened awareness about the issue.

“One of the goals we sought when writing the first letter was to educate poll workers and poll watchers — the people assigned to polling locations on Election Day — concerning the OSCE,” Abbott said.

The OSCE has asserted that they have sent monitors to elections since 2002. Abbott said he believes that the “mission of OSCE changed” and that the organization has adopted a political agenda, pointing out that this election cycle, OSCE has specifically “articulated goals to send election officials in states that have recently implemented voter integrity laws.”

Additionally, Abbott noted that the other states that left-leaning American organizations requested the UN monitor — Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Florida and Ohio — are all swing states.

Abbott said he believes the decision to target such states is directly a result of liberal organizations petitioning for their involvement.

Abbott cited a Dec. 2011 report, sent by the NAACP, which was used to request the UN be more aggressively involved in monitoring the 2012 presidential election due to “what is a coordinated campaign to disenfranchise persons of color.”

In April 2012, OSCE leaders reportedly met with several organizations — which Abbott describes as “antagonistic to voter integrity laws” — on the same issue. And earlier this month, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the ACLU and the NAACP penned a letter to an UN ambassador, accusing conservative groups of “a coordinated political effort to disenfranchise millions of Americans — particularly traditionally disenfranchised groups like minorities.”

The international group also met with Project Vote, an organization closely affiliated with the now-defunct group ACORN, that has filed lawsuits challenging new Texas voter integrity laws. A federal appeals court struck down one of those lawsuits in September.

“OSCE’s affiliation with this dubious organization necessarily undermines its credibility and the independence of its election monitors,” Abbott stated.

The attorney general also noted concerns raised in Thursday’s State Department press briefing about the immunities or privileges these international monitors may receive. Such distinctions could protect the monitors from the legal ramifications of interfering with Texas Election Code laws.

“They make clear that the monitors do not have diplomatic immunity and that they must follow state law. But they vaguely suggest they have some other form of special privilege or immunity,” Abbott told TheDC.

In response to a reporter’s question about the support the State Department can offer to international monitors, spokesperson Victor Nuland said, “Since 1996, we have also given the observers privileges and immunities when they come into the United States, certain diplomatic privileges and immunities, as we do for diplomatic personnel.”

When directly asked if all observers would specifically receive diplomatic immunity, Nuland responded, “No, they get certain privileges and immunities.” Nuland did not answer follow-up questions about which monitors would receive these special privileges.

[Darnell 8,478]

having a photo id in Texas is not a big deal - heck, those without them can have their friends drive them around to the right offices and their friends can pay for them.

NAACP is blowing this out of the water, when years past they spent lots of monies helping ppl get IDs to use specifically for voting.

This is all nuts .