Dirty Tricks in the Battlegrounds

No matter who wins this election, the results tonight—if there are any—will be accompanied by an unfortunate asterisk. Nationwide, from Florida to Ohio, from Pennsylvania to Wisconsin, battleground states are emerging literally as battlegrounds—not only in terms of the struggle to persuade the handful of undecideds, but also in terms of the concerted, underhanded strategy underway to prevent those enfranchised from exercising their constitutional right to vote. Outside groups (and some groups connected to the inside) have taken up this deplorable shadow campaign, which unfortunately strikes at the legitimacy of any and all electoral results. The barrage of dirty tricks marring this election cycle is staggering in both scope and frequency—and democracy is poorer for it.

The deviousness of the schemes this year ought to be an affront to all Americans. Employees of groups funded by both sides of the political spectrum in several states have come forward with reports of destroying or not turning in voter registration forms collected from voters of the opposite party. In Pennsylvania, a criminal investigation is underway to determine who is responsible for an ominous flier printed on official-looking stationary with a county letterhead, which was distributed at a Pittsburgh area shopping mall and mailed to untold numbers of residents. The flier explained that “due to immense voter turnout expected on Tuesday,” the election had been extended. Republicans were asked to vote today, Nov. 2, while Democrats were asked to vote tomorrow, Nov. 3.

In black neighborhoods in Milwaukee, Wisc. a flier purporting to be from the “Milwaukee Black Voters League” has been circulating, which misleads, “If you’ve voted in any election this year, you can’t vote in the presidential election.” The flier continues, “If you violate any of these laws, you can get ten years in prison and your children will get taken away from you.” A spokesman from the Wisconsin Republican Party called the fliers “appalling” but asked whether Democratic interest groups might be behind them to drum up outrage and turnout.

In Ohio, fake memos with forged Board of Elections letterhead have been sent to some voters informing them that if they registered through Democratic and NAACP drives, they would be ineligible to vote. In South Carolina, election officials have warned voters to ignore fake letters purporting to be from the NAACP that threaten voters with arrest for outstanding parking tickets or for failing to pay child support.

And in Florida and Pennsylvania, there are disturbing reports that thousands of students at several large universities have had their party registrations unknowingly switched to Republican and their addresses changed. When those students show up at the polls to vote today, many may find that they are now wrongly registered for a separate polling place.

These inexcusable tactics are aimed primarily at those voters who are most vulnerable—young voters, new voters and minority voters—and for that, those responsible ought to be ashamed. Any attempts to intimidate voters should be met with unqualified denunciations from all sides in this election. We hope today is remembered for an unprecedented turnout—not for the unprecedented efforts underway to undermine the political process.