By Stephanie Brien and Paul Sloth
Journal Times | Posted: Tuesday, November 4, 2008 12:00 am
Prior to John McCain's concession, Racine County Republicans were reportedly considering a challenge to hundreds, maybe thousands of ballots cast in the City of Racine on Election Day.
It was not clear late Tuesday what the Republican presidential candidate's concession would mean for any potential challenge.
Election observers for the Republican Party of Racine County questioned activities at more than one polling place in the city Tuesday, where they said supporters of Sen. Barack Obama were helping register voters and answering voter questions. There were reports of this activity from Fratt Elementary School, 3501 Kinzie Ave., and Festival Hall, 5 Fifth St., election observers said. Other than those two places, Republicans did not say where else this might have happened.
According to the state's Government Accountability Board, campaign observers cannot legally help register voters or assist them in voting.
"They shouldn't be doing that because poll workers register people to vote at the polling place. No one else," said Kyle Richmond, spokesman for the Government Accountability Board. "Everybody has their roles and we can't have campaign workers hanging out."
Douglas Cannon, a Chicago attorney working for the Republican Party here and an election observer, said before John McCain conceded late Tuesday that he would be conferring with state Republican Party officials to determine what action, if any, to take regarding the alleged illegal activity. That could include seeking injunctive relief, filing an official complaint or a lawsuit in federal court.
"We're not trying to take away anybody's ballot that was cast appropriately," Cannon said Tuesday afternoon at the Republican Party headquarters on Washington Avenue.
Also prior to McCain's concession, state Republican Party leaders said they would wait until this morning to determine whether they would challenge the ballots.
Subhed: AT THE POLLING PLACE
Three campaign observers at the Festival Hall polling place, 5 Fifth St., said they were working with the Obama campaign. But they said they were not talking to voters about who to vote for or even asking their opinions. They said they were there to help the line run smoothly and answer questions so that people would not have to wait if they did not have proper materials to register.
"If we catch them before they wait in line, we can help them," said Nicala Aiello, who was helping register voters.
Two of the three said they were deputized to register people to vote and the third said she was helping direct people where to register and vote.
"I feel my right to right to register people is violated," said Angela Knuckles, who was working with Aiello.
But, even if the campaign workers were deputized, Richmond said they legally could not register people to vote after Oct. 15.
The Obama campaign received guidance from the Government Accountability Board before Election Day as to what volunteers could do at polling places, said Phil Walzak, Wisconsin communication director for the Obama campaign. Then, the board provided guidance on what volunteers could do inside and outside of polling places, Walzak said. At that point the campaign immediately complied with the ruling, he said.
According to state statute, observers may not engage in conversation with election officials or other electors concerning a candidate, party or question on the ballot, said City Attorney Rob Weber. He was at Festival Hall Tuesday helping determine what to do about volunteers helping register voters.
That state statute includes helping people register to vote and answering questions about what materials they need to register, Weber said, following advice he received from the Government Accountability Board.
Subhed: EXTENT OF PROBLEM
Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, said befor McCain's concession that he and other party leaders hadn't had a chance to determine whether the party will challenge ballots from polling places where workers for Obama helped register voters.
"We're not going to make a decision tonight," he said.
Cannon said earlier Tuesday that the number of ballots could be in the hundreds, maybe thousands.
Priebus said it took some time, but city election officials fixed the situation after the state's Government Accountability Board intervened.
"People can go and observe the election process at the polling place, but people cannot participate in the election process," Priebus said. "Now it's a matter of trying to figure out how extensive that problem really was."