True The Vote

Tea Partiers and New Black Panthers To Square Off At Polls In Texas

Ryan J. Reilly | November 1, 2010, 1:15PM

Members of the New Black Panther Party, and a Tea Party rally.

Members of the fringe group the New Black Panther Party have announced they intend to be at the polls in Harris County, Texas tomorrow. So has the Tea Party-backed group True the Vote -- with more than 1,000 poll watchers, they say. Both sides have already traded accusations of voter intimidation -- but, despite all their press coverage, neither will likely play a deciding factor at the polls tomorrow.

The face off between poll watchers alleging massive voter fraud in Harris County and many voters in minority neighborhoods of Houston during the early voting period have already been racially tinged. New developments indicate it will only get worse.

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voter fraud

Rep. Jackson-Lee, TX Tea Party Poll Watching Group Trade Accusations (VIDEO)

Ryan J. Reilly | October 26, 2010, 11:26AM

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)

True the Vote, the anti-voter fraud initiative started by the Texas Tea Party group King Street Patriots, says Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Texas) has been electioneering outside of polling places.

Jackson-Lee, on the other hand, says she has been concerned by allegations of voter intimidation by poll watchers in Harris County, where True the Vote has launched an aggressive anti-voter fraud campaign.

Yohannes Tsehai, Jackson-Lee's chief of staff, told TPMMuckraker that their office reached out to both the Department of Justice and the Harris County Attorney's office. As TPMMuckraker reported, DOJ is gathering information on the allegations.

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voter fraud

DOJ Probes TX Voter Intimidation Complaints During Tea Party Anti-Voter Fraud Drive

Ryan J. Reilly | October 19, 2010, 10:34PM

Catherine Engelbrecht of True The Vote

Poll watchers in Harris County, Texas -- where a Tea Party group launched an aggressive anti-voter fraud effort -- were accused of "hovering over" voters, "getting into election workers' faces" and blocking or disrupting lines of voters who were waiting to cast their ballots as early voting got underway yesterday.

Now, TPMMuckraker has learned, the Justice Department has interviewed witnesses about the alleged intimidation and is gathering information about the so-called anti-voter fraud effort.

"We are currently gathering information regarding this matter," Justice Department spokeswoman Xochitl Hinojosa said in a statement confirming the Civil Rights Division's involvement.

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