Warning against voter intimidation

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas — Beware of plain clothed police officers helpfully escorting you from your car to the polling facility. These smiling wolves, offer to accompany you through the pundits, candidates and their supporters so that your journey can be accomplished without a bother.

But there is a catch, "Ma'am, let me escort you to your destination as I keep the riffraff from bothering you."A large bellied bald man says. "As I am an active police officer for the Montgomery County's Sheriff Department let me tell you about my boss who is running for this county's sheriff. He is also supported by the only law officers group that matters as the only replacement we can imagine".

I paraphrased this interaction but only slightly. Who is this large man that claims to be a deputy of the Montgomery sheriff a department? Well he is in fact most likely a deputy of Montgomery's Sheriffs department. Why is he escorting you from your car to the polling place? He is doing this to use his bulk to stand between you and the other candidates,their supporters and other tea party staff so that he can expound on the benefits of hiring his boss over the other guy. His boss being Rand Henderson and the other guy Jim Napolitano. Is this ethical behavior? No. Is this voter intimidation? Yes.

I was recently accosted by this helpful stranger as I left my car to do my civic duty. I wondered what was up and what was his motivation to "help me". It only took a few steps and the jig was up. Ohhhhh... I thought, he is shilling for his boss. Over the course of walking the parking lot to the restrictive line in front of the polls, I heard miss truths and blatant misrepresentations from him about his rand. I also heard lies about Jim Napolitano that were laughable and, were I not a well informed voter, I might have been swayed. However, I am not uninformed. The group that Henderson's lackey is saying supports only him is only in The Woodlands. And the few officers who make up this group all work for Rand. Sneaky, sneaky.

When a group that supports a candidate is made up of only a few of the people it states as members, that just is sadly misleading. Saying that Jim Napolitano isn't aware of local laws and statutes is sadly not true. As the Chief of Police for the past three years for the City of Montgomery and having been in the Secret Service many years before that, Napolitano is more aware of the ins and outs of more local laws than that beat cop any day, as he has to be as the Chief of Police.

It is just this kind of voter intimidation and harassment that is keeping people from the polls. Something has to change. This is only my personal experience. But, having volunteered since then, after this exposure on my first ever voting experience, I have seen it played out, over and over again.

There should be ethics in politics at least at our local polling place. This isn't Houston after all or even Austin. I voted for Jim Napolitano by the way. But I and he would encourage you to make up your own mind after you looked into the facts and possibly even talked to the candidates. Just a thought. Change these gorilla tactics and give us voters the respect we deserve and we may surprise you and vote a great person to lead you into a new direction that takes the scariness out of police who honestly just want to help.

See related links:



see related links:

Election Ethics Violations

Women voters harassed and intimidated at the polls by sheriff employees