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Things get ugly at early voting locations florida { October 28 2004 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.local10.com/politics/3870367/detail.htmlhttp://www.local10.com/politics/3870367/detail.html
Things Get Ugly At Early Voting Locations
Both Sides Claim Voter Intimidation
POSTED: 5:36 PM EDT October 28, 2004
UPDATED: 2:57 PM EDT October 29, 2004
MIAMI -- The election is growing close, and the heat is on -- especially in South Florida, where thousands of absentee ballots are missing, and now there are claims of voter intimidation.
Vote Harass PIC Democratic demonstrators tried to shout down Republicans who called a press conference outside the Miami-Dade County Government Center Thursday. /2004/1029/3872181.jpg/2004/1029/3872181_40X30.jpg/2004/1029/3872181_60X45.jpg/2004/1029/3872181_80X60.jpg/2004/1029/3872181_120X90.jpg/2004/1029/3872181_200X150.jpgThursday, South Florida Republicans and Democrats traded charges of voter intimidation at early voting locations.
See What Happened
Teams of out-of-town lawyers are here, and already charges are flying that these so-called legal observers are over-stepping their bounds.
Outside the Miami-Dade Government Center, Democratic demonstrators tried to shout-down Republican party officials and legislators who had called a news conference to make allegations of voter fraud and voter intimidation by supporters of Sen. John Kerry.
Take A Look At This Slideshow Of The Confrontation
When the demonstrators backed off, Republican Party Chairman Ed Gillespie accused Democratic operatives of forging registrations and insulting Bush supporters.
"I would like to encourage the Kerry campaign and the Democratic Party to urge their supporters not to engage in these kinds of tactics so that we can have fair and honest election in Florida," Gillespie said.
But at the Lemon City Library, it was Republican legal observers who came under fire.
Robert McNeal is one of a small army of attorneys who have descended on Florida and can easily be spotted at the polling places.
Some people are not happy about their presence and accuse them of using bad tactics. Robert Koenig said he was just talking about Theresa Heinz Kerry with another person while inside waiting to vote when he was harassed.
"The gentleman (McNeal) took pictures of me with his cell phone, telling me was breaking election laws," Koenig said.
"Insane." McNeal, an attorney for the Republican Party, said. "I don't have a camera. How can you take pictures without a camera?"
McNeal told Local 10 that he is an election law attorney from Chicago here working for the Republicans.
When asked what he was doing here, McNeal said, "Observing to make sure there is no electioneering going on and we saw electioneering going on in this particular polling station today."
Koenig scoffs at that.
"I informed him I wasn't in the polling area," Koenig said. "It is a separate area inside and I wouldn't be able to talk in there. But outside the area, if I am having a private conversation with another citizen, I'm allowed to do that."
Lucie Tondreau, a Haitian activist at the Lemon City Library, said she has been hassled even though she is just trying to help Haitian voters who had language difficulties.
"The Republican lawyers are accusing myself and many other people who are here to assist voters that we are telling people who to vote for," Tondreau said.
Elections Department Spokesman Seth Kaplan says these legal observers who want to be in the polls on election day have to register, but now during early voting, the rules are different.
"During the early voting period it's a little more flexible. In fact, people can be observers on behalf of whomever and they don't pre register with us."
There are still rules for observers: they may not solicit voters inside the library; they may not interfere with the voting process; and they may not approach voters inside the voting room.
Copyright 2004 by Local10.com.
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