This playbook is 44 years old

 

            SHARED FOR EDUCATION AND INFORMATION ABOUT HISTORICAL 

            VOTER INTIMIDATION THAT WAS SUCCESSFUL IN DISCOURAGING 

            VOTERS AND SUPPRESSING THE VOTE! 

            LET'S NOT REPEAT HISTORY!

If you think a campaign of fear at the polls sounds far-fetched, let me tell you about 1981. That year, in New Jersey, armed off-duty officers wearing "National Ballot Security Task Force" armbands patrolled polling places in Black and Latino neighborhoods. They didn't need to arrest anyone. Their presence alone frightened enough voters away to help swing a close race for governor. It worked so well it took a federal court order to stop it from happening again. That is the playbook being dusted off right now — just with ICE agents instead of armbands. And the data says it still works: a peer-reviewed study found that when police were stationed at polling places in a recent election, Black voter participation dropped by 32 percent. The only thing that has ever reliably beaten this kind of intimidation is presence — trusted people, from the community, standing with voters so they know they are not alone and not in danger. That is the entire design of Operation: Vote Safe, in six battleground states. We're raising $25,000 by tomorrow night to fund those organizers. Chip in $25 tonight to help us fund the people who beat a fear campaign. If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: They have a 44-year-old playbook. Let's make sure it fails this time. With determination, Steve Schmidt Save America Movement DONATE »

Paid for by Save America Movement and not authorized by any candidate or candidates' committee. Save America Movement                                                                 600 Pennsylvania Ave SE Unit 15180 Washington, DC 20003 United States www.thesaveamericamovement.org•Privacy Policy