Remember these headlines?
SOME HARRIS COUNTY EARLY VOTERS UPSET BY POLL WATCHERS: COMPLAINTS COMING MAINLY FROM MINORITY PRECINCTS – HOUSTON CHRONICLE
KING STREET “PATRIOTS” VOTER INTIMIDATION CONTINUES AT POLLING STATIONS AROUND HOUSTON – HOUSTON PRESS
JUSTICE DEPT. DEPLOYING HUNDREDS TO MONITOR POLLS – CBS NEWS
Those headlines were the result of a fairly small number of King Street Patriot “poll watchers” deployed to minority polling sites around town. Stop and think about what kind of chaos would ensue if they had one million poll watchers.
According to recent media reports, that’s exactly what they’re planning.
We undoubtedly have an opportunity to win countywide in 2012 but it’ll be a lot harder if our polling sites are packed with these Tea Party zealots dead-set on intimidating our voters.
We’re in the middle of a major legal battle against these “Patriots” and we need your help. On Wednesday we’ll be in Houston for a fundraising reception; you can pitch in to aid in our fight against this group by clicking here to purchase a ticket.
Make no mistake – this group is a serious threat and this lawsuit has potentially powerful ramifications. These “Patriots” are represented in court by James Bopp, Jr., who is infamous in Republican legal circles for being the architect of the Citizens United case.
While the “Patriots” exist to help Republican candidates through their voter intimidation program, Bopp’s involvement is part of his stated quest to “dismantle the entire regulatory regime that is called campaign finance law.”
The King Street Patriots, as a nonprofit corporation, are not legally allowed to engage in the kind of partisan political activities they’ve been using that are clearly intended to benefit Republican candidates. Our lawsuit would force them to obey the same laws every other political entity in Texas has to adhere to.
If we’re successful, these “Patriots” will no longer be able to raise unknown amounts of money from undisclosed donors in order to conduct their vote suppression schemes. But if they are successful, there would be nothing stopping corporate mega-donors from pouring millions of dollars into the voter intimidation programs of so-called “Patriots” – without anyone ever knowing who is funding it all.
This fight is incredibly important and nowhere will the ramifications be more strongly felt than right here in Harris County. If you are not able to purchase a ticket to our reception, I hope you will consider making a contribution of any amount to our effort to stop this extremist group.
Democrats won countywide by slim margins in 2008 and we can do it again in 2012, but not if we allow these Tea Party extremists to flood our poll sites with an army of corporate-funded “Patriots”.
Thank you,
Boyd Richie
Chairman, on behalf of Your Texas Democratic Party
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