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Did New Mexico GOP Lawyer Hire P.I. To Intimidate Minority Voters?
Minority voters in New Mexico report to TPMmuckraker that a private investigator working with Republican party lawyer Pat Rogers has appeared in person at the homes of their family members, intimidating and confusing them about their right to vote in the general election.
Earlier this week, we reported that Rogers -- a lawyer and state committeeman for the GOP, who in previous elections worked closely with the party in pressuring New Mexico U.S. Attorney David Iglesias to pursue bogus voter fraud cases -- is involved with a new effort to gin up concerns about the issue. Last week the state party falsely claimed that 28 people had voted fraudulently in a local Democratic primary race in June. Rogers, described in an Associated Press report on the allegations as "an attorney who advises the state GOP," told the news wire that the party planned to turn the suspect forms over to law enforcement authorities.
The visits to minority voters by the P.I. appear to be connected to last week's effort.
The story starts last week, when several representatives of the New Mexico Republican party, including Rogers, held a press conference to announce that 28 people had voted fraudulently in a Democratic primary in June in Bernalillo county, which contains Albuquerque. The party released the names of ten of these people -- almost all of whom are Hispanic.
The allegations quickly fell apart. ACORN announced that it had contacted the county clerk's office, who had verified that all of the voters were in fact legitimate. The group now says it has independently contacted 8 of these 10 voters to separately verify their validity.
At that point, the national GOP, which had at first jumped on the story as rare evidence of genuine voter fraud, seemed to quietly back off.
But that wasn't the end of the story.
Guadalupe Bojorquez, who works in law enforcement in Albuquerque, told TPMmuckraker today that her mother, Dora Escobedo, was one of the ten voters whose names were released by the GOP. After this happened, said Bojorquez, her mother had been contacted by the voter registration group ACORN. Bojorquez, with ACORN's help, confirmed with the county clerk that her mother, who does not speak English, is indeed eligible to vote, and had been when she voted in June.
Nonetheless, Bojorquez said that her mother yesterday received a visit from a man who asked for her personal information, including an ID, in reference to her eligibility to vote. Bojorquez told TPMmuckraker that according to her mother, at one point the man asked what she would do if immigration authorities contacted her.
After Bojorquez's mother, frightened, refused to let him in the door, the man waited outside her house. Eventually, Bojorquez's brother arrived at the house, emboldening Bojorquez's mother to go outside, call Bojorquez, and put her on the phone with the man.
Bojorquez said the man told her he wanted to make sure her mother knew that she shouldn't be voting, and continued to ask for her mother's personal information. When Bojorquez said that no information would be handed over unless the man revealed who he was employed by, he said he was a private investigator hired by Pat Rogers. He told Bojorquez his name was Al Romero, and left a number at which Bojorquez could contact him.
Bojorquez added that in fact, her mother has already voted in the general election, by absentee ballot -- which she is eligible for because she has trouble walking -- so Romero's efforts on that front were in vain.
Another Albuquerque woman had a similar experience.
Jenais Griego told TPMmuckraker that yesterday, as she arrived home with her kids, a man in a beige Chevy Silverado pulled up, removed a notebook from his pocket, and said he was looking for Emily Garcia. Garcia is Griego's grandmother -- Griego said Garcia, who works as a home care-giver, lists Griego's address for her mail -- and, like Escobedo, was one of the voters named by the GOP last week as having voted fraudulently in June.
Griego said she allowed the man in, and when she asked him for identification, he pulled out a card that gave his name as Al Romero. She said the man had a redacted copy of Garcia's voter registration form, and asked whether Garcia intended to vote. He said if she intended to do so, she needed to make sure she was properly registered.
As with Bojorquez and Escobedo, Griego said that Garcia had already confirmed after the GOP press conference that she was indeed a valid voter. An ACORN worker had come to her house to explain that the GOP had questioned her registration, and, along with Griego, they had contacted the county clerk to ensure that she could legitimately vote, and had done so in June.
So when Romero asked Griego whether Garcia intended to vote, Griego replied that she did. At that point, said Griego, Romero became "angry" and "upset," and left abruptly.
Rogers did not return several calls from TPMmuckraker seeking comment. But last week he said that the state party had hired a private investigator in connection with vote fraud*. And asked yesterday by the New Mexico Independent about the confrontations with voters, he replied: "I have no interest in responding to ACORN's accusation."
Reached by TPMmuckraker at the phone number he provided to Bojorquez, Romero said he didn't have time to talk about the matter. He did not respond to repeated follow-up calls.
* This sentence has been corrected from an earlier version.
Josh
Zachary
Joe the Gumshoe, P.I.!
October 24, 2008 9:44 AM | Reply | Permalink
Don't let anyone stop you from voting. Call the hotline # 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683) for advice before you go to vote or for help if you are turned away at your election location.
When you go to vote, take good ID, your cell phone, note paper & pencil. And carry the hotline # with you. For more information on protecting your vote, check out this story: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/myra-armstrong/easy-steps-to-ensure-your_b_136904.html
October 24, 2008 12:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
This asshole Romero ought to be thrown in jail along with the people who hired him.
October 24, 2008 9:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
Whoever has standing should immediately seek a restraining order against these bullies. And perhaps more: I'm certain there are laws, even outside election laws, which prohibit efforts to intimidate private citizens -- regardless whether one is working a political gambit -- Roberts -- or is another private citizen -- P.I./THUG.
Where is the state's Democratic Party on this issue?
October 24, 2008 9:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
I don't like violence, but I think anybody who shows up at a home or a polling place in order to intimidate a voter needs to get his clock cleaned big time. There should be groups of "Guardian Angels" at polling places around the country to counter any right-wing vote intimidation attempts. If we're not willing to fight for our right to vote, then what's the point?
October 24, 2008 10:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
I do like violence! Just let that bastard show up on my door step and I'll cap him like a freakin moose!
October 24, 2008 10:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
Co-sign.
I would so love for one of these assholes to try to intimidate me from voting - or somebody else in front of me. I am currently carrying with me a copy of the U.S. Constitution, a copy of the Kentucky constitution, and a copy of the Kentucky Revised Statutes on Voter Eligibility. I will read them in somebody's face, loudly and persistently for as long as it takes to make them shut up and go away.
This makes me so mad I can't see straight.
October 24, 2008 11:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
What is the law in New Mexico about shooting someone who shows up at your home and threatens you? As I understand it (and I'm not a lawyer) it would be perfectly legal in Florida and Texas to simply shoot the guy. For once, I find myself favoring a largely Republican-backed law.
October 24, 2008 11:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
The reality is we would never be expecting something like this, and we wouldn't know how to react. Many of us would innocently show our ID since our instinct would be that we have nothing to hide, so we'd comply, and only after be angry about being bullied. It seems like during immigration debates I've heard of vigilantes demanding to see ID when they have no right to. Maybe we need to clarify the laws and make sure people understand who can demand ID and who can't.
October 24, 2008 1:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nobody can show up at your door and demand anything, without a warrant, unless you are a suspected terrorist (thanks to the new homeland insecurity measures.)
October 24, 2008 3:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
The law of self-defense -- which is that to which you refer -- is LIMITED because the person against whom you would "defend" ALSO has rights, including presumption of innocence.
October 30, 2008 1:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
Rogers, a state committeeman for the New Mexico Republican party, did not return several calls from TPMmuckraker seeking comment. But last week he said that the state had hired a private investigator in connection with vote fraud.
____
That the STATE -- not the STATE REPUBLICAN PARTY -- hired a private investigator?
It appears Rogers is constant not only at LYING but in actively committing FRAUD.
Whoever has standing should sue his ass into the ground. And, respondiat superior, sue the NM Republican Party into the ground. And on the same theory, sue the NRC into the ground.
The only things these thugs understand in MONEY. When they lose a good chunk of THAT to civil rights violation suits, and personal injury torts, they will STOP engaging in these Mafia/Stalinist tactics. And not until then.
This is so infuriating that I'd call them with warning if I had their phone numbers, or website addresses, even though I'm on the other side of the country.
October 24, 2008 10:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
I disagree. There's something else they understand. JAIL TIME. I hope to hell the NM Democratic party jumps on this right away. They should be in court this morning and also filing a complaint with the US Attorney, state authorities, local authorities and anyone else they can get to move on this. Throw all their asses in jail. Make an example of them. If these pricks want pre-election publicity, give it to them.
October 24, 2008 10:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
Disbarment and forfeiture of any and all professional licenses goes a long way! Take away their means of support then sue for their existing assets. Then watch the GOP drop them like a hot potato never to be seen again.
October 24, 2008 11:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
I agree wtih all of that. But Rogers is either politically immune from legal blowback, or he's not actually a lawyer.
I suspect the latter, though it's possible he's a lawyer with a really, really, really low IQ, as his photo indicates.
October 30, 2008 1:09 AM | Reply | Permalink
I thought they could challenge you at the polls, not at your house, in person, away from public eyes and forum.
This is about the only card the ReFooligans have left. In other elections, they needed suppressed and low turnouts. They needed some counties flipped. They needed all the errors and mistakes and bugs and funky machines to break THEIR way. (The real tell is when all the 'mistakes' go one way only)
But in the past, that wasn't ALL they had. They had swiftboating and a totally coerced Press. This year, the Rs only have dirty tricks and thugs trying to steal votes.
Nothing shows the Press abrogation of civic duty, to let massive voting problems go unscrutinized for 8 years. How is it the media doesn't care about this story? Really, they have buried every crumb of evidence, every story about vote fraud.
Here is my agenda of most fundamental, important issues, quickly put into a pecking list.
#1 Voting Reform
#2 Media Reform
#3 Energy/Climate
#4 Healthcare
#5 Education Reform
#6 End of Electoral College
#7 Term Limits
#8 Social Democracy - Proper Burial for Old Capitalism.
October 24, 2008 10:16 AM | Reply | Permalink
#6 End of Electoral College
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That is foolish. At very least, read up on why the Framers included it as a CHECK against "exceissive dmemocracy"/MOB RULE.
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#7 Term Limits
This is a RIGHT-WING issue. You can be CERTAIN the Framers debated this -- and rejected it: the voters have overriding right to vote for whomever they want, as often (one vote per voter per election) as they want.
One should also compare the purpose of the "elitist" Electoral College with the anti-democratic intent and consequence of the ELITIST notion of term limits.
October 24, 2008 10:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
Without the proper media or campaign rules, the voters don't get a CHOICE in who they vote for. Mr J Nagarya.
The system has been carefully crafted by incumbents to favor incumbents. Until that is corrected, the voters don't usually get much to pick from.
When the press is not open and fair and free from massive profit motives and conflicts-of-interests....the people are not informed and are mostly mis-informed.
A govt. of people who cannot make a career, or lucrative racket of their offices is better than what we have. The Forefathers could not have anticipated mass electronic media in concert with corrupt monied officials and electronic voting and 24 hr newscycles based on glam-a-ratzi journalism.
If you really want to take electoral college off my list, fine but let us make our Voting System the purest in the world. We can also take off term limits, if we enforce sensible laws about racketeering with corporations and revolving doors to public/private sectors and incumbent advantages and campaign finance.
What did you think of the rest of the list?
October 24, 2008 11:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
Without the proper media or campaign rules, the voters don't get a CHOICE in who they vote for. Mr J Nagarya.
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So two wrongs make a right? The parties allegedly discard the Constitution, so the cure is to discard the Constitution?
And, yes, we do get a choice: and we affect who we have among the choices by whether we participate in the process. Most of the whiners are those who only show to vote -- if at all -- and the rest of the time expect the system to take care of itself.
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The system has been carefully crafted by incumbents to favor incumbents.
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Look up the word "gerrymandering" and where it originated. You seem to believe there's something diferent today than during the Founding era -- like there wasn't any of this stuff then.
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Until that is corrected, the voters don't usually get much to pick from.
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The voters get who they get because some are involved and some are not. And then those not invloved complain about the choices made by those involved.
Democracy is not a once every 2, 4, or 6 years spectator sport.
It is also the reality that NO consitutent can get 100 per cent of what s/he wants because s/he isn't the only constituent; and isn't the only constituent making demands.
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When the press is not open and fair and free from massive profit motives and conflicts-of-interests....the people are not informed and are mostly mis-informed.
_____
How do you think the "Fairness Doctrine" was eliminated? Because the people were informed before there was the unviable FOX?
The responsibility to pay attention, and know what is going on, is not on the providers of information. And keeping those reformed is not up to those who have a stake in their being malformed by self-interest. Our system is based upon greed.
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A govt. of people who cannot make a career, or lucrative racket of their offices is better than what we have.
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Look up the origin of the term "gerrymander".
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The Forefathers could not have anticipated mass electronic media in concert with corrupt monied officials and electronic voting and 24 hr newscycles based on glam-a-ratzi journalism.
_____
The only different in that conception is the forms of media. Nothing else has changed within those.
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If you really want to take electoral college off my list, fine but let us make our Voting System the purest in the world.
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I'm all for the latter. So what do we have today? The same hackable computer systems with a demand for a printout. Does that fix anything? No: a computer can record one thing while saying on paper something else entirely. The paper trail offered as "solution" is an illusion which does nothing to correct aynthing.
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We can also take off term limits, if we enforce sensible laws about racketeering with corporations and revolving doors to public/private sectors and incumbent advantages and campaign finance.
_____
Well, you'll have to deal with precedents such as Elbridge Gerry.
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What did you think of the rest of the list?
_____
Heck, I didn't get to any of the rest of the list because the voting issue is the topic of this thread, and to me paramount above all others. It still makes a difference who wins the election and gets into office.
October 30, 2008 1:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
The Republicans have jumped the shark and are being exposed for their tactics. Obama has opened the eyes of a lot of people who voted Republican in the past and are now seeing the party for what they really are--power-hungry, lying, smearing, thugs.
October 24, 2008 11:16 AM | Reply | Permalink
New Mexico's Voter Bill of Rights provides that
"Every registered voter in New Mexico has the right to:
...
• Vote free from intimidation by election officials or any other person; "
and also that
"False voting, bribery, coercion, or intimidation are election crimes and subject to prosecution."
Sounds like there's a prima facie case here for an arrest of Romero and an investigation of Rogers.
The number to call :
" To Report Complaints or Irregularities in the Polling
Place, Call:
Office of the Secretary of State
1-800-477-3632
Polling Places Are Open From 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m."
October 24, 2008 10:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
Welcome to New Mexico! Land of Enchantment, Land of Disenfranchisement, land where hispanics/latinos pretty much outnumber anglos and are not afraid to speak up when they are intimidated.
Obamanos!!!!!
October 24, 2008 10:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
Regardless whether they outnumber Anglos, if they aren't afraid to speak up, then they should go beyond that to organizing, and forcing the authorities to enforce the laws protecting their right to vote.
October 24, 2008 11:00 AM | Reply | Permalink
JNagara - Thanks for catching that. It should have read "state party" not "state." I've corrected it. Apologies for the careless mistake.
October 24, 2008 10:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
This kind of intimidation is beyond the pale, dare we say, Un-American.
Kudos to the voters who are not ready to be intimidated. Can we turn these lemons into lemmonade and use these actions for publicity and a GOTV effort. Nothing inspires the desire to vote, chew gum, or swear like some jerks trying to say you can't.
October 24, 2008 10:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
When I try to e-mail this article, I get the following message:
The file you are looking for has not been found
Return to the home page.
WTF?
October 24, 2008 10:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
Zachary --
Thanks. I wasn't certain there wasn't error, which is part of the reason I took note of it.
That doesn't reduce the possibilities for suit, of course, only leaves the "state" out of it as defendant.
Otherwise, for those who advocate "counter" violence:
_____
I don't like violence, but I think anybody who shows up at a home or a polling place in order to intimidate a voter needs to get his clock cleaned big time.
_____
"Self-defense" law has existed for a very, very, very long time. It essentially holds that one cannot use greater defense in self-defense than is necessary to neutralize the threat.
As example, if someone pulls a knife, one doesn't have the right to simply pull a gun and blow the person away.
Perhaps better: If a person breaks into your home, you yell, "I have a gun!" and the person turns around to run away, you don't have right to shoot the person because the moment the person turned around he ceased being a threat.
All in all: encouraging violence solves nothing, especially against those whose whole thing is about violence.
We do agree on at least one point: Rogers does not appear to have much of an IQ. He REALLY needs to be slapped with a law suit to strip him of his delusion of entitlement.
And I begin to wonder if he IS IN FACT a lawyer, in view of his willingness to engage in actions which are blatantly illegal.
Then again, he is a Republican. And I think of the WI AG suing to prevent voters voting, and the case being thrown out of court because the AG has no legitimate role in overseeing elections.
_____
If we're not willing to fight for our right to vote, then what's the point?
_____
There's more than one way to fight: suits for damages; involving the authorities who prosecute violations of elections and related laws.
October 24, 2008 10:44 AM | Reply | Permalink
The McCain campaign can't even go clothes-shopping without fraud:
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/104410/an_unexpected_twist:_palin's_$150,000_wardrobe_doesn't_add_up/
October 24, 2008 10:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
Is this your homework, Larry?
October 24, 2008 10:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
This is outrageous and unlawful. It should be prosecuted.
October 24, 2008 10:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
This kind of thing is on the level of being stalked by creeps -- it's lowest of low-life and ugly.
Look at Rogers' face: does he look like someone with an IQ worth mention? Does he look like a lawyer, or a stupid-assed clown? He needs his ass kicked LEGALLY.
October 24, 2008 11:07 AM | Reply | Permalink
Did they try to intimidate men too or just women?
October 24, 2008 11:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
STAY ON THIS STORY, TPM!!!
Hopefully, the Hispanic community is mobilizing even as we speak to spread the word and get other people who've been "contacted" to come forward.
These people need to go to JAIL!!!
October 24, 2008 11:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
The Obama campaign should file voter intimidation charges against Rogers.
October 24, 2008 11:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
These people are bold and think they are above the law. The Obama campaign at least now now who they are. I hope that after this campaign, win or lose that these people are prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Roger should be disbarred. Those folk who have been contacted on his behalf could file a complaint with the Texas Bar Association.
October 24, 2008 11:41 AM | Reply | Permalink
The Latino community needs to be invited to hear what this man has to say when he approaches these people. They should call all their neighbors to come over to listen to what he has to say. There should be video cameras of the meeting too. It's all about transparency and proof. If he is anything resembling legitimate, he should be able to go on video. I suspect he will get in his Silverado and drive away.
I wonder how "angry" he would be if these senior ladies had a few strong men by their sides during these interrogations. And what right does he have to expect them to show ID, anyway?!?!?
October 24, 2008 12:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sending people out to harass voters is unacceptable in a civilized society -- but they're not civilized, they're Republicans, a well-known criminal organization whose members band together under a code of inbred racism and small-minded selfishness. And values! The values of the KKK.
October 24, 2008 11:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
Don't let anyone stop you from voting. Call the hotline # 1-866-OUR-VOTE (1-866-687-8683) for advice before you go to vote or for help if you are turned away at your election location. When you go to vote, take good ID, your cell phone, note paper & pencil. And carry the hotline # with you. For more information on protecting your vote, check out this story: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/myra-armstrong/easy-steps-to-ensure-your_b_136904.html
October 24, 2008 11:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
New Mexico has a good governor. Maybe if we all email him about this he can begin to look into it. What a bunch of creeps!
October 24, 2008 12:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
here's some more about Iglesias
let's hope Obama hires people like this Republican Hero.
October 24, 2008 12:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
According to records maintained by the New Mexico Regulation & Licensing Department, only one private investigator with the named "Al Romero" is a licensed private investigator in New Mexico.
Per NM RGL:
Alfredo Romero
Lic# 2161
Effective: 7/25/07
Expires: 6/30/09
No other information is provided. Another oddity is that Alfredo Romero's license # is four digits while the license # of the other private investigators and security guards listed is five digits.
October 24, 2008 1:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Intresting the period of his license (assuming it valid): sufficient to voer the election from June 2007 through 11/4/2008. I ownder if he'll be renewing it before 2012.
October 30, 2008 1:41 AM | Reply | Permalink
Okay. This is legally actionable harassment, isn't it?
It is a beautiful illustration of one "angle" used by the suppress the vote squad against the least powerful. They are happy to kick people when they are already down; those victims are the least likely to fight back. Formidable opponents are scary and avoided at all costs.
Glad they blew this one. If the ACLU isn't on it as I type, they ought to be by the end of the day.
October 24, 2008 1:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hmm...a number of Romeros are listed as private investigators licensed to carry firearms, according to NM RGL. But not Al Romero.
I wonder if Al Romero showed his p.i. license to any of these people and whether he carried a gun.
Is Al Romero a member of a goon squad organized to "rough up" minority and poor voters? Somebody better keep an eye on all of those Romeros come Election Day.
October 24, 2008 2:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hmm...a number of Romeros are listed as private investigators licensed to carry firearms, according to NM RGL. But not Al Romero.
I wonder if Al Romero showed his p.i. license to any of these people and whether he carried a gun.
Is Al Romero a member of a goon squad organized to "rough up" minority and poor voters? Somebody better keep an eye on all of those Romeros come Election Day.
October 24, 2008 2:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
If so, then it would appear to be criminal rackteering.
How's it feel to be a thug, Rogers? Okay with you? Okay with the NM Bar Ass'n?
October 30, 2008 2:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
If so, then it would appear to be criminal rackteering.
How's it feel to be a thug, Rogers? Okay with you? Okay with the NM Bar Ass'n?
October 30, 2008 2:08 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm calling that asshole tomorrow morning.
Contact Patrick J. Rogers
505.848.1849 (Direct Line)
505.848.1800 (Alternate Phone)
patrogers@modrall.com
Address
500 Fourth Street NW
PO Box 2168
Albuquerque, NM 87103
Assistant
Norma Lockhart
505.848.1800 ext. 1609
normal@modrall.com
October 29, 2008 10:50 PM | Reply | Permalink