True The Vote

Eyewitnesses Report Intimidation By Texas Poll Watchers

Ryan J. Reilly | October 21, 2010, 11:34AM

When Maureen Haver went to the polls in Moody Park -- a historically Hispanic neighborhood in Houston -- she saw three poll watchers. She told TPMMuckraker that she recognized one of the poll watchers as a member of the Tea Party group called the King Street Patriots. There were two others that were talking about the Tea Party, she added.

Haver is the Houston Director of Texans Together which has a project called Houston Votes, which has been targeted by an anti-voter fraud effort called True the Vote with connections to the Tea Party group the King Street Patriots. Haver says that, at her voting place, she saw a Hispanic woman come in who only spoke Spanish enter, and a poll worker was showing her how to use the voting machine.

"The two poll watchers hovered behind, and then after the poll worker left to let the woman vote, both of the poll watchers stood behind this woman the entire time while she was voting," Haver explained.

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King Street Patriots

True The Vote: Voter Intimidation Claims Come From 'Partisan Operatives'

Ryan J. Reilly | October 20, 2010, 5:24PM

True the Vote, the Tea Party affiliated organization that was founded explicitly to combat what they say is the widespread issue of voter fraud, posted a message on their website on Wednesday responding to allegations that poll watchers intimidated voters.

"Claims by partisan operatives and bloggers with an agenda that voter intimidation was conducted by True the Vote are false and libelous, and they should be retracted immediately," said the statement. "True the Vote has never, and will never, condone or promote voter intimidation at a polling place."

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New Black Panthers

Tea Partiers: Minority Voting Drive Is The New Black Panther Party (VIDEO)

Ryan J. Reilly | October 20, 2010, 4:29PM

Catherine Engelbrecht and members of the New Black Panther Party

At a meeting of the King Street Patriots in August, the president of the Tea Party group claimed that the fringe New Black Panther Party had set up an office in Houston, eliciting gasps from the audience.

But what was that residential looking building shown in an image displayed at the presentation in reality? The headquarters of Houston Votes, which was running a voter registration drive in minority neighborhoods.

So where did Catherine Engelbrecht, the head of the Tea Party group, come up with that connection?

"From absolutely making it up," said Jim George, a lawyer representing Houston Votes, told TPMMuckraker. "It's just like 'I understand you're a member of the Klu Klux Klan' -- simply making it up."

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King Street Patriots

Voter Registration Group Targeted By TX Tea Party Group Received Threats (VIDEO)

Ryan J. Reilly | October 20, 2010, 2:35PM

A group trying to register voters in Houston received threats and emails containing racist slurs after being targeted by a local tea party group accusing it of "voter fraud."

In emails obtained by TPM, the group Houston Votes was accused of being "a bunch of white guilt ridden assholes, NIGGERS and greasy mexican spics," "fraudulent Marxist pigs," and "American hating A-holes."

"We received a couple of threats and several harassing e-mails," Maureen Haver of Houston Voters told TPMMuckraker. "There have been several efforts, I think, just trying to race-bait and stir racial tension and part of that I think is just based on what we've received in messaging from them."

"It's really had a chilling effect on our office," said Haver, adding that one of the e-mails was reported to the FBI.

Here are some of the e-mails, which Houston Votes provided to TPMMuckraker:

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