Asshat Texas AG Greg Abbott Internation election observers

[Nbadan]

Black Panthers now equals the OSCE/ODIHR according to our backass AG


".....Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott made it clear this week he does not want international elections observers anywhere near the polls in his state.

In a letter dated Tuesday to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Abbott threatened to prosecute any of its monitors who step within 100 feet of a Texas polling place on Election Day. The threat came even though U.S. State Department officials earlier this year had invited the monitors to observe the election.

“If OSCE members want to learn more about our elections processes so they can improve their own democratic systems, we welcome the opportunity to discuss the measures Texas has implemented to protect the integrity of the elections,” Abbott wrote. “However, groups and individuals from outside the United States are not allowed to influence or interfere with the election process in Texas.

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/10/greg_abbott_un_poll_watchers.php

From Reuters:

International election monitors took a dim view on Wednesday of Texas' threat to prosecute them if they observe voting in the state a bit too closely on November 6.

The exchange pitted the Vienna-based human rights watchdog Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe against Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, who warned the OSCE not to interfere with polling in state elections.

"The threat of criminal sanctions against OSCE/ODIHR observers is unacceptable," Janez Lenarcic, director of the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) monitoring arm, said in a statement.

"The United States, like all countries in the OSCE, has an obligation to invite ODIHR observers to observe its elections."

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/25/us-usa-elections-texas-idUSBRE89O01720121025

[Nbadan]

Maybe this is the real reason Abbott doesn't want International Observers in TX

Rigged Elections for Romney?
By Michael Collins (about the author)
October 22, 2012 at 05:07:04
By Michael Collins


A group of independent researchers caught a pattern of apparent vote flipping during the 2012 Republican primaries that consistently favored Mitt Romney. A form of election fraud, vote flipping occurs when votes are changed from one candidate to another or several others during electronic voting and vote tabulation. (Image: Dean Terry)

Vote flipping is difficult to detect because the vote totals remain the same for each precinct. In one of several possible scenarios, an instruction is given to a precinct level voting machine or to a county-level central tabulator. The corrupted totals from precincts are sent from county election officials to state elections board and published as final results. (Primary documents for this article: Republican Primary Election 2012 Results: Amazing Statistical Anomalies, August 13, 2012 and 2008/2012 Election Anomalies, Results, Analysis and Concerns, September 2012).

The group's analysis is based on raw data from primary sources, local precincts, and state and county election records. The pattern of vote flipping raises serious doubts about the Romney victories in the 2012 Republican primaries in Wisconsin and the Ohio. Apparent vote flipping was demonstrated in the group's paper for at least nine other 2012 Republican primaries as well.

The findings showed a consistent pattern of increasing votes and vote percentages for Romney in the precinct vote tally. The pattern emerges when precinct vote tallies are presented by candidate based on the size of a county precinct.

[ElNono]

Texas doesn't need 'vote flipping' to massively vote red team.

[Nbadan]

This was during the recent primary.....could it be that Ron Paul or rick Santorum actually won Texas? (cue scary music)

[Nbadan]

There's a story developing in La Porte County, Indiana. It seems a voter purge in 2011 went rogue. The local GOP successfully purged about 20% of our voters—%16 of them illegally, it seems. Fortunately, they were caught red handed at the last minute, and County scrambles to get eligible voters back in system.

In today's paper, La Porte County Democratic Chair John Jones has called for Federal Investigation of election fraud here.
http://www.heraldargus.com/articles/2012/10/24/news/local/doc50872d6ed7555164195815.txt

[CosmicCowboy]

I don't know about you losers, but where I vote there is always a poll watcher from each party there to make sure shit like that doesn't happen. At the end of the day they sit down and tabulate the vote and both sign off on it.

[Winehole23]

if we've got nothing to hide, what's the problem with letting others observe?

[boutons_deux]

"they sit down and tabulate the vote and both sign off on it."

how quaint.

no Gecko-owned electronic machines with no paper trail?

[RandomGuy]

I don't know about you losers, but where I vote there is always a poll watcher from each party there to make sure shit like that doesn't happen. At the end of the day they sit down and tabulate the vote and both sign off on it.

How likely would either of those watchers be to detect tampering with the machines before they were installed, or after the tallies had left their hands?

[DarrinS]

How likely would either of those watchers be to detect tampering with the machines before they were installed, or after the tallies had left their hands?

tinfoil alert

[RandomGuy]

tinfoil alert

strawman alert

[TeyshaBlue]

How likely would either of those watchers be to detect tampering with the machines before they were installed, or after the tallies had left their hands?

I suppose you'd have to determine the likelihood of the machine actively being tampered with before you could render a cogent opinion.

[CosmicCowboy]

How likely would either of those watchers be to detect tampering with the machines before they were installed, or after the tallies had left their hands?

Are you suggesting that republicans are tampering with the voting machines?

[boutons_deux]

Are you suggesting that republicans are tampering with the voting machines?

only in the swing states like Ohio, like they did in 2004, and not until election night. The Tagg Romney company has probably prepped the firmware to facilitate tampering, but of course Repug election officials/hitmen just messing with the untampered, correct output would be hard to trace.

[RandomGuy]

I suppose you'd have to determine the likelihood of the machine actively being tampered with before you could render a cogent opinion.

Indeed. I would guess it is exceedingly low.

I would guess that monkeying with the tallies after they got out of the machines would be, as the article in the OP more likely, but again, have little data on that either.

Don't see why we should be overly concerned with the same kinds of voter monitors that we rely on to guage other countries' commitment to democracy.

Our attitude should be one of amusement, not paranoia. Although, I do find our AG's paranoia amusing.


To be clear: My remarks were more to note that the controls noted by Cowboy would not necessarily mitigate the problems posed by the article in the OP.

[RandomGuy]

Are you suggesting that republicans are tampering with the voting machines?

No.

As noted above, I was merely pointing out that your comment didn't seem to fit with the article in the OP.

Quite frankly, though, given the "win at all costs" attitude of some tea party members, I would not be at all surprised that no small amount of unethical behavior could be, and is, rationalized as means justified by a desired end, without regards to larger costs.

If your party does nothing to hold its leaders a bit more accountable for the smaller things, you run an increasing risk of some nasty scandal like that. Polarized demogoguery has consequences, as much as we like to pretend they don't at times.

[TeyshaBlue]

Our attitude should be one of amusement, not paranoia. Although, I do find our AG's paranoia amusing..

I agree. Abbott's getting loopier and loopier.

[TeyshaBlue]

No.

As noted above, I was merely pointing out that your comment didn't seem to fit with the article in the OP.

Quite frankly, though, given the "win at all costs" attitude of some tea party members, I would not be at all surprised that no small amount of unethical behavior could be, and is, rationalized as means justified by a desired end, without regards to larger costs.

If your party does nothing to hold its leaders a bit more accountable for the smaller things, you run an increasing risk of some nasty scandal like that. Polarized demogoguery has consequences, as much as we like to pretend they don't at times.

This attitude is not exclusive to the Tea Party.

[Borat Sagyidev]

There are a lot of coincidences, what do these people have to hide?'

Overzealous and illegal voter purging (nationwide, not just Texas)
Houston/Harris county voting machine warehouse fire right before an election, where Houston's ex-mayor was running for governor

Everyone should welcome unbiased election monitors. What's with this increasing exclusion? There is no basis for it.

[ErnestLynch]

UN should be allowed into peoples homes to make sure they recycle proper way.