In the 2008 elections the Republicans understood their path to victory was voter suppression. In particular voter suppression of new black voters.
“The King and Queen of Voter Suppression: “King Terence and Queen Carol” rode to rescue the Chester County Republican Committee from the Obama Huns.
Terence Farrell voted in Lower Oxford. Without his participation the polling place could not have been moved. The reason he gave for moving the polling place from Lincoln University was that a white woman in Lower Oxford did not feel safe at Lincoln University.
It was the Chester County Republican Party’s way of preventing Lincoln University students from voting for Barack Obama in 2008.
Terence Farrell and Carol Aichele designed the most egregious violation of voting rights in the Northern States:
SEE:
MONDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2014
“As a Chester County Commissioner, Kathi Cozzone has worked hard to protect voter's rights--just ask the Lincoln University students and residents assigned to the Lower Oxford East Precinct. Cozzone, one of three Chester County Commissioners and the lone Democrat, voted her conscience in September 2008 when the Board of Elections considered a petition signed by both local Democrats and Republicans to relocate the polling place from a smaller, inadequate facility to a previously used site in a gymnasium on the nearby Lincoln University campus. Listening to the concerns of her constituents, she voted in favor of the move because the proposed location was safer, more accessible, and overall better equipped to accommodate the 1,000+ voters who were expected to turn out in November. Cozzone explained her decision to the Daily Local:"I think that moving it to Lincoln University gives us the opportunity to provide a safe environment for the voters, to provide a timely environment for the voters and to get all the voters to vote."
However, Republican Commissioners Carol Aichele (now PA's current Secretary of the Commonwealth) and Terence Farrell both voted against the move for partisan reasons but cited flimsy excuses and exaggerated "concerns" about the relocation plan to justify denial of the petition. There were 1,556 ballots cast at the Lower Oxford East polling place on Election Night 2008 --- over 500 more than initially projected. Wait times were from six to eight hours because there were only six voting booths, one ballot scanner and one restroom. In April 2009, there was a similar proposal and the Republican Commissioners collectively chose to ignore the legitimate concerns of the people while, once again, Commissioner Cozzone was the only dissenter. Subsequently, the County was sued (see English, et al. v. Chester County) because of the extremely long wait times and hazardous conditions at the polling place, and was settled in favor of the Plaintiffs, wasting thousands of tax dollars on a lawsuit that could have easily been prevented.
In an August 2010 Daily Local Article, Commissioner Cozzone remarked on the outcome of the case: "When all was said and done, the right resolution to the issue of Lower Oxford East's polling place was reached. The recent settlement will allow all the precinct's residents to vote in a location with good parking, plenty of space and a safe place to wait in line. While I am pleased with the settlement, I would be remiss if I did not point out that this outcome was available to the County before legal action was taken, and taxpayer money was spent."
Aside from better accessibility for voters, Commissioners Aichele and Farrell should have listened to Cozzone because moving the polling place back to Lincoln University was not only the right thing to do, it would have been more fiscally responsible to take care of the issue before a lawsuit was filed.
In complete contrast to Cozzone's history of standing up for Voting Rights,Senator John Rafferty has consistently voted to disenfranchise voters in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
MORE AT
DAILY KOS
PA State 44th Senatorial District Race: Voter Protector vs. Voter Suppressor
By SpringCityPADem
Monday May 12, 2014At least Carol Aichele is not secretary of state with control over elections in Pennsylvania anymore.
Voter suppression is a primary Republican election strategy. We might not see it on the scale of the Lower Oxford Polls. But we will see Republican Party voter suppression again in the 2016 elections in Pennsylvania.
Voter suppression could be subtile:
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2013
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