Richmond Times-Dispatch, November 7, 2006:
The FBI is looking into possible voter intimidation in Virginia's hard-fought U.S. Senate contest between Republican incumbent George Allen and Democrat Jim Webb.
Just ahead of today's election, state officials alerted the U.S. Justice Department to several complaints of suspicious phone calls to voters about where they cast ballots and their preferences for the Senate.
Jean R. Jensen, secretary of the State Board of Elections, said yesterday that she was subsequently contacted by an agent in the FBI's Richmond office. The FBI is the investigative arm of the Justice Department.
UPDATE with more news stories at end of diary.
::: Background below :::
MAY I JUST SAY THAT even though I'm 3,000 miles away, I'm OBSESSED with this senate race in Virginia.
George Allen has to be one of the most loathsome, dishonest, racist, incompetent, corrupt, and law-breaking politicians I've ever seen.
Jim Webb is such a bright contrast, and has such DEPTH of experience -- from combat to the Reagan administration to literature to REPORTING from Afghanistan and other danger zones. (He talked about his reporting experiences at his Saturday rally, shown on C-Span this weekend. I loved his speech so much I rewound it via my DVR and saved it -- I'm getting so crafty and clever with my DVR.)
Go get the bastards, G-MEN!
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For some reason, the diary editor -- it's so picky! -- didn't allow me to use the actual LINK to the story, so I linked to the Richmond newspaper's home page, which does have a link to the full story.
Now, from stories I posted on Allen/Mehlman's criminality over at No Quarter:
As you know from the currently recommended diary, "Jim Webb Campaign files complaint with DOJ," the Webb campaign filed a complaint. Thereafter, the Virginia state Board of Elections found widespread instances of voter suppression.
This is the story from yesterday's American Chronicle:
Sec. of Virginia State Board of Elections Finds Widespread Incidents of Voter Suppression
Threats of Incarceration, Changed Polling Locations, and Fliers to "Skip the Election."
Over the past several days, voters throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia have filed complaints of incidents aimed at suppressing voter turn out in heavily Democratic and African American neighborhoods. Today, the Secretary of the Virginia State Board of Elections Jean Jensen concluded that the incidents appear widespread and deliberate. ...
And here's more via HuffingtonPost on the robocalls hitting Virginia voters:
Tim Daly from Clarendon got a call saying that if he votes Tuesday, he will be arrested. A recording of his voicemail can be found online at Webb's site.
The transcript from his voicemail reads:
"This message is for Timothy Daly. This is the Virginia Elections Commission. We've determined you are registered in New York to vote. Therefore, you will not be allowed to cast your vote on Tuesday. If you do show up, you will be charged criminally."
Daly has been registered to vote in Virginia since 1998, and he has voted for the last several cycles with no problem. He has filed a criminal complaint with the Commonwealth's attorney in Arlington.
George Allen, maybe on the next Election Day, you'll be out hunting with Dick Cheney, shooting confused birds just released from their tiny cages. It's more your style than what should be a dignified, key-issues U.S. Senate campaign.
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UPDATE: More news stories
+ "FBI Eyes Possible Voter Intimidation In Virginia - Report,"
Nasdaq
+ "Voter intimidation in Va.?," MSNBC
+ "Race across Virginia," Daily Press, Hampton Roads, VA