Minnesota: November 2010

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Minnesota: November 2010

Minn. Pol With Gun Outside Abortion Clinic Says He Was Just In Area 'Checking On' His Girlfriend

Rachel Slajda | November 24, 2010, 12:10PM

Rep. Tom Hackbarth (R-MN)

A security guard at a St. Paul Planned Parenthood clinic called the cops last week after he spotted a Republican state lawmaker with a loaded gun in the parking lot. But the pol says he was only "checking on" his online girlfriend, who he thought may be on a date with another man -- a claim police have not been able to corroborate because the man did not have a phone number or address for the woman.

According to the police report, a security guard reported the man, Rep. Tom Hackbarth, after he saw him get out of a pickup truck in the parking lot with a loaded gun in a hip holster. The guard saw him walk into an alley near the clinic.

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Topics: Abortion, Minnesota, Planned Parenthood, Tom Hackbarth

voter fraud

Election Judges Dealing With Aggressive Poll Watchers In Minnesota

Ryan J. Reilly | November 2, 2010, 2:06PM

A polling place in San Francisco, CA

In Hennepin County, Minnesota -- one of the counties where conservatives groups have implemented an anti-voter fraud campaign called Election Integrity Watch -- election judges have had firm exchanges with overly aggressive poll watchers who did not seem to know their the role.

"I think we were very firm, we had to be very firm with some of the polling place challengers who wanted to have more range in the polling place than the law permitted them to," County Elections Manager Rachel Smith told TPMMuckraker. She said challengers were "having some questions" about where in the polling place they were allowed to stand.

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Topics: Minnesota, voter fraud, voter intimidation

Minnesota

MN Anti-Voter Fraud Group: Ignore Judge's Ruling Against 'I.D. Me' Buttons

Ryan J. Reilly | November 2, 2010, 7:22AM

Minnesota Majority, one of the groups behind the anti-voter fraud initiative in the state called "Election Integrity Watch," told supporters in an e-mail last night to go ahead and wear their "Please I.D. Me" buttons and Tea Party apparel to the polls today despite a federal judge's ruling yesterday that such items would interfere with the elections process.

The e-mail said that anti-voter fraud advocates will "have a decision to make" if an election judge questions the items they are wearing. "You can simply remove or cover the challenged item and you'll be allowed to vote, or you can refuse and demand your right to vote and the election judge will allow you to vote, while also recording your name and you could be charged with a petty misdemeanor," says the e-mail.

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Topics: 2010 Elections, Election Integrity Watch, Minnesota, Minnesota Majority, voter fraud, voter intimidation

Minnesota

Federal Judge To MN Conservatives: You Can't Wear 'I.D. Me' Buttons At Polls

Ryan J. Reilly | November 1, 2010, 3:12PM

A button from ElectionIntegrityWatch.com

A federal judge ruled on Monday that conservatives in Minnesota rallying against voter fraud will not be allowed to wear their "Please I.D. Me" buttons to polling locations, according to the Associated Press.

Minnesota Majority, one of the groups that is taking part in the Election Integrity Watch group, sued last week because of a ban on their pins at polling places. County Attorneys in two counties in Minnesota said those buttons count as campaign material. Minnesota Majority countered that their buttons were protected by the First Amendment and that the voter I.D. issue was not on the ballot -- and thus the buttons weren't a violation of electioneering laws.