Obama's Election Protection

[FourScore]

Prepared.
by georgia10
Tue Oct 21, 2008 at 07:50:04 AM PDT

Wonkeymuse brings us this report regarding the army of lawyers the Obama campaign is deploying as part of its election protection efforts:

Oct. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Barack Obama and John McCain have a litigation game plan to accompany their election strategy.

Both candidates have armies of volunteers to ring doorbells and get voters to the polls. They are also forming squadrons of lawyers who are filing challenges and preparing in case Election Day doesn't settle the contest for the White House.

Both sides traditionally have programs whereby lawyers volunteer to both monitor polls on election day and provide assistance in post-election disputes, if necessary. The McCain campaign has launched such a program, but it's unclear just how many lawyers have signed up. We are learning more about the Obama campaign's efforts in one battleground state:

In Florida, Democratic lawyer Charles H. Lichtman has assembled almost 5,000 lawyers to monitor precincts, assist voters turned away at the polls and litigate any disputes that can't be resolved out of court.

``On Election Day, I will be managing the largest law firm in the country, albeit for one day,'' said Lichtman, 53, a Fort Lauderdale corporate lawyer and veteran of the five-week recount after the 2000 election when Florida eventually delivered the presidency to George W. Bush.

And in Georgia, both the McCain campaign and the Obama campaign have coordinated "SWAT" teams of lawyers to keep an eye on things, with the Obama campaign though dedicating more lawyers to the Georgia cause:

ATLANTA - With plans for "SWAT teams" and lawyer-filled "boiler rooms," attorneys for the Democratic and Republican parties are gearing up for what may be make-or-break legal challenges on Election Day.

The Georgia Democratic Party will deploy about 450 volunteer attorneys to monitor polls across the state, said Michael Jablonski, the party's general counsel.

In the event of widespread voting problems, boiler rooms of attorneys stationed in different regions will coordinate necessary legal responses, he said.

Polls of Georgia voters show a tilt toward the GOP's top candidates. Therefore, the state Republican Party plans to commit less manpower to Georgia - about 100 attorneys - and instead will dispatch teams of lawyers to assist GOP efforts in battleground states of Ohio, Colorado and perhaps North Carolina, said Randy Evans, the party's attorney. Legal SWAT teams will be in place to descend on problem polling places, he said.

So what do these volunteer lawyers do on election day? They monitor the situation and are ready to step in when poll workers misapply the law or when other election problems arise. They know the rules, cold, and will keep an eye out for both voter intimidation and suppression as well as more non-nefarious issues, like voting machine glitches or the provisional balloting process.

If you're know you have the right to vote but are challenged by at the polling place, it's the volunteer lawyer that will step in and fight for you against the Republican challenge. In short, think about the situation as if every voter walking into a polling place--Republican and Democrat alike--has their own personal lawyer, just in case a problem should arise.

Other lawyers are "on call" ready to file motions in court to extend polling hours if necessary, or the enjoin certain action they believe violates the law.

That's one aspect of the job. The other is to be available in case you're needed for post-election litigation and legal issues. We're talking recounts, audits, etc.

Bob Bauer is the general counsel of Obama's campaign. Learn the name. I'm sure we will see it come up frequently over the next two weeks. He has promised a "ferocious response" to efforts to tamper with the electoral process, and he has more than enough dedicated attorneys available to take such action where necessary.

http://www.dailykos.com/