There have been hundreds of comments about the CT Senate primary and "Diebold machines," even though Connecticut's old-fashioned lever-style machines make this a moot point this year.
But something just clicked when I heard that the Lieberman campaign would be paying 4000 out-of-staters to come campaign for Joe in the final days.
I am very concerned that we might have a scam in the works, and I want your take. Follow me over the flip, s.v.p.
Lieberman's strength in the state comes from his relationship with the party machine, so it was strange to hear that he
routed around the known leaders in the party apparatus in order to bring in hired guns from out of state. His delegates alone -- let alone those in the community they can move -- total over 1000 people, so to jettison this base of knowledgeable local support seems like an impulsive, amateur move. And I have been as surprised at the signs of amateurism coming out of the Lieberman camp as anyone.
But then I remembered that three weeks ago, the Lieberman campaign put out the call:
Senator Lieberman is a national figure, and our fight for Connecticut's future has taken on national importance. Volunteers are signing up from around the country to help re-elect Joe, and most of these folks will be driving up and flying in the weekend before August 8th. Can you help these hard workers by giving them a place to stay?
Let us know if you can contribute supporter housing for a volunteer!
These volunteers are giving up vacations and weekends to fight for the future of Connecticut. Please welcome them while they're here.
Let us know if you can contribute supporter housing for a volunteer!
This out-of-state strategy predates Lieberman's new "paid field consultant" - whatever is going on, I don't think it's a campaign screw-up.
At the risk of being alarmist, I think that we have to be alert about the potential of Lieberman's new field staff to influence this race in a novel way.
Connecticut allows new voters to register in person up until noon the day before the primary, or by mail up until this Thursday. The registration form does not require proof of residency. (PDF link)
My worry is that these paid staffers, each with a local address of a Lieberman-supporting household, might register en masse and provide a several percentage-point swing in the outcome on August 8th.
So my questions:
Do you know someone who volunteered to host volunteers (either you or one of your friends / neighbors)?
Would you be willing to host a Lieberman "paid volunteer" or two for scientific purposes?
If you know an address that's hosting Lieberman volunteers, or have a Lieberman campaign HQ in your town, would you be willing to check the local town hall to see if a number new, out-of-state voters are registered at one of these addresses?
If there happens to be an influx of paid voters on the state rolls, Tuesday's activities at polling places will have to adapt to confront them. Connecticut voters who want to participate in the process for the first time are one thing - voters who show up at the polls on receiving an $800 check (the pay for the week) are quite another.
My apologies for a moment of hysteria on this point: but I'd rather be vigilant in advance than be a "fraudster" after the fact. The reality is, if we see an explosion of Jersey-born 18-20 year olds registering this week, it'll be hard to prove fraud once the ballots are in the mix. We've seen too much of this in 2000 and 2004 to pretend like these strategies aren't part of the game for those who are desperate for power. A good fighting defense has to be part of our ground game if we want our votes to count.