Trump Loyalists Planned Voter Intimidation Using Fake ID Badges, Fake Exit Polling

Huffington Post - October 25, 2016
]Trump Loyalists Planned Voter Intimidation Using Fake ID Badges, Fake Exit Polling — Until HuffPost Asked Them About It
The “Vote Protectors” are affiliated with Trump adviser Roger Stone.
10/25/2016 11:03 pm ET
Christina Wilkie
National Political Reporter, The Huffington Post

Vote Protectors, the anti-voter-fraud group hosted by Donald Trump ally and political dirty trickster Roger Stone, plans to send volunteers to monitor polling places in nine cities with high minority populations on Election Day, Stone said last week. Untrained poll-watchers have intimidated voters in previous elections. But Vote Protectors is going further than its predecessors.

Stone’s group created an official-looking ID badge for its volunteers to wear, and its volunteers planned to videotape voters and conduct fake “exit polls,” efforts that election experts say risks intimidating and confusing voters. Or at least that’s what the group was planning to do before The Huffington Post asked Stone about it on Tuesday. The controversial Trump ally, long known for his bare-knuckled political tactics, said that key proposals on his group’s websites were there without his knowledge, and assured HuffPost that he would operate within the confines of election law.

source

This is just grandstanding and interfering with our rights.

I remember mentioning here on ATS that this guy was a concern to me. He has no experience with polling (but he does have some questionable political credits) and he was going to start his effort to "monitor votes with Team Donald" without actually having an infrastructure to back him (people already in place in multiple cities) and no legal backing.

His idea of "how can we suddenly monitor the polls" completely ignores the fact that there are Republican and Democrat poll watchers at every polling place - and possibly Libertarian and Green Party watchers as well who have been trained and assigned there. It also presumes that people hired two days previously can suddenly learn to spot fraud without having ever studied the system.

I watched the polls when I voted - we had a new citizen (from Nigeria, I think) voting for the first time (the poll workers congratulated him as he finished.) I wondered if these watchers would try to question his right to vote.

And I'm seriously asking how many times these "watchers" have voted. I have voted in every presidential election since 1972 and in most local elections since then. I know how to use the voting machines that are in place here in Dallas. But I don't know that an untrained observer who'd never voted in Dallas could tell the difference between an honest vote and something hinky.

The Democrat and Republican poll watchers already in place here in Dallas could.

BTW, here in Dallas, there are signs posted saying that videotaping, recording, and cell phone photos are illegal in the voting area (and the polling station people will politely ask you to leave.)

(you don't want to cross the lady who runs this one, either. She's 80 years old and has been doing it for over 20 years and she'll toss you out on your ear in a heartbeat if you cause problems.)

a reply to: Byrd

The DOJ under Eric Holder thought it was ok for the New Black Panther Party members to use a club to intimidate voters in Philadelphia.

If that sets a precedent, Hillary/Johnson/Stein/Trump should be ok with anything short of actual violence.

a reply to: Byrd

A couple of things here:

- I don't see where this is going to intimidate anyone. It's exit polling at precincts. That scares you?

- The organization's leader claims to have taken down the ID generator and instructions on recording and live-streaming the polling. This is in your own link:

Reached for comment on Tuesday, Stone told HuffPost he was “working with StopTheSteal.com to conduct exit polls for the purpose of comparing the results to the actual reported results on a precinct by precinct basis.” He noted that this effort “is independent of the Trump campaign,” adding, “I don’t know what their election day plans are.”

When HuffPost asked Stone specifically about the badges and the videotaping, however, he became defensive. “I know nothing about badges or videotaping,” he wrote, adding, “Where do you get this from?”

Even before Stone responded, the “I.D. Badge Generator” page had been removed from the Vote Protectors website. When HuffPost sent Stone images from the site showing the instructions for badges and livestreams, Stone did not respond.

A few hours later, Stone emailed HuffPost. “I have ordered them taken down. Bad idea, as is video taping. First I have heard of it. I am only interested in a valid, scientifically conducted exit poll.” Stone later noted that Vote Protectors was collaborating with his group, Stop the Steal, but he said they were not one and the same.

I'm failing, at this point, to see how getting overly concerned about an effort to conduct exit polling by average citizens is tantamount to voter intimidation. Care to elaborate on that viewpoint? I mean, the gist of the story is that they will be conducting exit polling and using that information to compare to the official results from the same precincts to determine if they think anything illegal has happened during the vote count/reporting of the votes. While not scientific in the least (no one HAS TO respond to these exit-pollsters), there's no harm in doing this and there's nothing scary about it to the average voter.

Now, if they were in New Black Panther uniforms pacing back and forth in front of the entrance to the building, THAT would be voter intimidation.

So, again, how is this voter intimidation when it seems as though this will be a haphazard gathering of citizens doing exit polling?

ETA: And not to discredit the story, but the author is anything but non-ideological when it comes to her reporting on Donald Trump.

It's a hit piece and nothing more--there's no substance to the claim of voter intimidation, although I don't condone the practice of fake badges and recording where it is illegal to do so.

Side note--taking a selfie while voting is legal in KY. Who knew...

Last election in Benton Harbor they were riding bicycles fast back and forth in front of the sidewalk into the building. Nearly completely blocking it till someone accidentally put their cane through the spokes of one and piled them up. The police told them to go somewhere else after that.

Donald Trump is so concerned about voter fraud...because he knows it exist...his campaign is the one attempting it.

originally posted by: butcherguy
a reply to: Byrd

The DOJ under Eric Holder thought it was ok for the New Black Panther Party members to use a club to intimidate voters in Philadelphia.

If that sets a precedent, Hillary/Johnson/Stein/Trump should be ok with anything short of actual violence.

Thats a really awesome way of saying

"Trump did it so its ok......."

You know what Trump supporters sound like now?

BUSH DID IT!

Sounded familiar every time i heard "But Hillary" or "But Obama"

Now I remember I heard it from the other side for the last 8 yrs, and here Trump supporters are.......

a reply to: Byrd

All this hilarious desperation of attempting to demonize The Donald and his supporters would be entertaining, if it weren't just so pitifully inept.

It's akin to watching random trash being swept down the abandoned streets of a Detroit former industrial area. All the jumping up and down about littering, isn't going to excite anyone. The few people who have to drive through it, know to keep their doors locked already, and just get on to wherever they are going. Even the Donald Duck costumes fail to ignite any interest.

Everyone already knows the sky has fallen. And it wasn't a big deal. Turns out it was made out of air. And air blows all the time. And while I in some ways admire the Hillbots, for their dedication to blowing, despite the obvious lack of any apparent effect on the winds off change sweeping the streets of the decrepit old powers...I imagine it has to be soul-rending to just keep doing it day after day after day, when you can see it's futile.

Sorry to be such a downer. But, maybe it's time to consider doing something that is actually productive with your life? You already know that when the train you're on, comes to a grinding halt at the station, there aren't going to be any balloons or promotions.....no one to pick you up....just you and your baggage alone on the platform, wondering what happened....

originally posted by: butcherguy
a reply to: Byrd

The DOJ under Eric Holder thought it was ok for the New Black Panther Party members to use a club to intimidate voters in Philadelphia.

If that sets a precedent, Hillary/Johnson/Stein/Trump should be ok with anything short of actual violence.

The events were slightly different than what you report

For the record, I've had people campaigning for office shout at me as I walked up and try to engage me in conversation as I entered the polling place. I don't like it and I don't think it's appropriate. I report them when it happens. It might be legal free speech, but it verges on intimidation at times.

originally posted by: Enderdog
a reply to: Byrd

All this hilarious desperation of attempting to demonize The Donald and his supporters would be entertaining, if it weren't just so pitifully inept.

I just link news articles that may not have been seen by some folks. You don't see many negative reports on Trump here.

Sorry to be such a downer. But, maybe it's time to consider doing something that is actually productive with your life? You already know that when the train you're on, comes to a grinding halt at the station, there aren't going to be any balloons or promotions.....no one to pick you up....just you and your baggage alone on the platform, wondering what happened....

I think we live in fascinating times and I'm perfectly prepared to go on supporting the causes I like and working for legislation I think is needed no matter who wins. I'll be disappointed if Trump wins, but I was disappointed with the Bush Dynasty and you notice that I managed to survive that quite nicely.

a reply to: Byrd

Your link reports that voters were seen to approach and then turn away.... at the sight of a uniformed New Black Panther Party member with a Billy club in front of a polling place.
Sounds like they were intimidated.

well, now that we all know that there will be possibly crazy trump supporter at the polls asking questions, well.... won't that in itself effect the exit polls?
I have to vote this year, thanks to the fact that trump seems to endangered many of the republicans running for congress and I happen to like my republican senator! but well, if anyone approaches me asking about who I voted for, or asked me who I intend to vote for, or asks me much of anything.... I'll just tell them it's none of their danged business! since, in my mind I see a possibility that if I answer with anything but trump, I might get harassed, or followed home and my house blown up or something.
no thanks, just let me go to the polls and make my vote in peace, thank you!
and in case there's are a bunch of black panthers around holding baseball bats, maybe I'll just bring my cane and let it have a talk with one or two of them if they decide to hassle me.

originally posted by: ManBehindTheMask

originally posted by: butcherguy
a reply to: Byrd

The DOJ under Eric Holder thought it was ok for the New Black Panther Party members to use a club to intimidate voters in Philadelphia.

If that sets a precedent, Hillary/Johnson/Stein/Trump should be ok with anything short of actual violence.

Thats a really awesome way of saying

"Trump did it so its ok......."

You know what Trump supporters sound like now?

BUSH DID IT!

Sounded familiar every time i heard "But Hillary" or "But Obama"

Now I remember I heard it from the other side for the last 8 yrs, and here Trump supporters are.......

I am not a Trump supporter.
If you notice, I said that if the NBPP actions and Eric Holder's inaction sets any precedent, then all the candidates should be able to do anything short of that and get away with it.

a reply to: Byrd

I honestly don't understand how exit polling is intimidation. And I don't know what you're worried about, these cities, Dallas included, are Democrat strongholds and have been for years.

In reality, this is, as another person mentioned, just a typical HuffPo hit piece designed to inflame the typical leftists that read HuffPo.

By the same token, its pointless for Trump supporters to try to true the vote in the cities; and no, no "thinking" individual trusts the so-called official "Poll Watchers". If there's going to be any victims at the end of the day, its going to be the typical overweight old white guy who supports Trump and tries to "poll watch" in Houston's 5th Ward, or New Orleans lower 9th Ward. Not that we'd ever know........thy will simply come up "missing".

a reply to: Enderdog

All this hilarious desperation of attempting to demonize The Donald and his supporters would be entertaining, if it weren't just so pitifully inept.

Twitter: #FashTheNation. They demonize themselves.

Lets just say that maybe I voted in the only county in oklahoma that went for the "bern" and as "I" was going to place "my" vote there was alot of voter intimidation from the "red" group of folks that someone decided to utilize a freedom of speech right in a way that can't be suppressed due to certain laws and gave those mother truckers the finger. So yes there will always be groups that try to intimidate voters no matter where you live. County or country. a reply to: Byrd

a reply to: butcherguy

Yea that was wrong and it should have never happened...
But hey since they did it guess if any Trump supporters do it they should get a free pass right?

a reply to: Byrd

Come on. Exit polling is intimidation, really? Can you think for yourself or do you just regurgitate what ever you read?

Here is what I think when I read this - they are scared that there is voter/election fraud going on and that trump supporters will catch it and make the media look bad for reporting claims of such are ridiculous. So the best course of action is to try to disrupt them from doing the exit polling by making ridiculous claims of racism and voter intimidation.

I love how the writer claims they will do "fake" exit polling - how in the hell does this writer know what their intentions are - it is defamation. This is a complete hit job, and you are eating it up because you hate Trump.

If you don't think the voting machines can be rigged you are ignorant, they can be. It is ridiculous they are even being used - and the main reason is because they most likely are being used to rig elections.

a reply to: Byrd

The only people that should feel intimidated and confused by concerned citizens observing the integrity of the election process are those who go against the integrity of the election process. Given that voter intimidation is not in the mission statement of this group, the HuffPo might need a little more than their paranoia to go on when denouncing others for committing future crimes. Fear mongering.

a reply to: Byrd

Yeah. I'm sorry if it seemed I was referring to you specifically. I was not. Your post just put me in mind of the general case. I too am pretty neutral on the whole thing. Fascinating to watch, no doubt. But, we will survive whatever happens, just fine.

Personally, I think Trump is just a proxy for None-of-the-Above. But we have what we have. The biggest selling point for him to me, is that the GOP heavyweights seem to hate him more than the Dems.