Suppressing the Black Vote in FL

["Paul Tiger" <paul.tiger@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/16/opinion/16herbert.html?th

Suppress the Vote?
By BOB HERBERT

The big story out of Florida over the weekend was the tragic devastation
caused by Hurricane Charley. But there's another story from Florida that
deserves our attention.

State police officers have gone into the homes of elderly black voters in
Orlando and interrogated them as part of an odd "investigation" that has
frightened many voters, intimidated elderly volunteers and thrown a chill
over efforts to get out the black vote in November.

The officers, from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which reports
to Gov. Jeb Bush, say they are investigating allegations of voter fraud that
came up during the Orlando mayoral election in March.

Officials refused to discuss details of the investigation, other than to say
that absentee ballots are involved. They said they had no idea when the
investigation might end, and acknowledged that it may continue right through
the presidential election.

"We did a preliminary inquiry into those allegations and then we concluded
that there was enough evidence to follow through with a full criminal
investigation," said Geo Morales, a spokesman for the Department of Law
Enforcement.

The state police officers, armed and in plain clothes, have questioned
dozens of voters in their homes. Some of those questioned have been
volunteers in get-out-the-vote campaigns.

I asked Mr. Morales in a telephone conversation to tell me what criminal
activity had taken place.

"I can't talk about that," he said.

I asked if all the people interrogated were black.

"Well, mainly it was a black neighborhood we were looking at - yes,'' he
said.

He also said, "Most of them were elderly."

When I asked why, he said, "That's just the people we selected out of a
random sample to interview."

Back in the bad old days, some decades ago, when Southern whites used every
imaginable form of chicanery to prevent blacks from voting, blacks often
fought back by creating voters leagues, which were organizations that helped
to register, educate and encourage black voters. It became a tradition that
continues in many places, including Florida, today.

Not surprisingly, many of the elderly black voters who found themselves face
to face with state police officers in Orlando are members of the Orlando
League of Voters, which has been very successful in mobilizing the city's
black vote.

The president of the Orlando League of Voters is Ezzie Thomas, who is 73
years old. With his demonstrated ability to deliver the black vote in
Orlando, Mr. Thomas is a tempting target for supporters of George W. Bush in
a state in which the black vote may well spell the difference between
victory and defeat.

The vile smell of voter suppression is all over this so-called investigation
by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Joseph Egan, an Orlando lawyer who represents Mr. Thomas, said: "The Voters
League has workers who go into the community to do voter registration, drive
people to the polls and help with absentee ballots. They are elderly women
mostly. They get paid like $100 for four or five months' work, just to
offset things like the cost of their gas. They see this political activity
as an important contribution to their community. Some of the people in the
community had never cast a ballot until the league came to their door and
encouraged them to vote."

Now, said Mr. Egan, the fear generated by state police officers going into
people's homes as part of an ongoing criminal investigation related to
voting is threatening to undo much of the good work of the league. He said,
"One woman asked me, 'Am I going to go to jail now because I voted by
absentee ballot?' "

According to Mr. Egan, "People who have voted by absentee ballot for years
are refusing to allow campaign workers to come to their homes. And
volunteers who have participated for years in assisting people, particularly
the elderly or handicapped, are scared and don't want to risk a criminal
investigation."

Florida is a state that's very much in play in the presidential election,
with some polls showing John Kerry in the lead. A heavy-handed state police
investigation that throws a blanket of fear over thousands of black voters
can only help President Bush.

The long and ugly tradition of suppressing the black vote is alive and
thriving in the Sunshine State.



Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company