what the hell?

[acroyear70]

Officials find source of fake election flier, won't press charges | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com:Calling it a "joke that got out of control," a top state election official today confirmed that the person responsible for a phony election flier circulated in Hampton Roads has been identified

Comments

[thatwasjen]

ITA.

And there's no option, is there? It's not like the ACLU or Democratic National Committee can sue in the state's place, is it?

[acroyear70]

actually, there may be some recourse for suing the state itself but those rarely win. The ACLU couldn't sue the perp unless there's actual (un-faked) proof that someone showed up to vote tomorrow. But there's that whole "standing" thing - no victim, no crime seems to be the state's stance on it.

Beyond that, it is up to the locality to react to this by dismissing the head prosecutor at the polls when his own election comes up...but nobody remembers things like this when those elections roll around.

[voltbang]

So if a democrat in VA didn't vote today, there's something useful they can do tomorrow. Go to their polling place, look lost and confused. Ask the most official person there where you are supposed to go to vote. Then call the hotline to report voter fraud.

[dawntreader90]

that's so wrong!!! "there's no criminal intent" is the excuse given for not pressing charges.

well, there's no "criminal intent" when a bunch of teenagers steal a stopsign on a lark, or throw shit off an overpass either. but serious consequences can occur as a result and you can JUST BET that if it said "republican should vote on the 5th" that screams of "OMG VOTER FRAUD ACORNZ!!!111" would be ringing across the nation.

wtf!? this is so unfair!

[blueeowyn]

And didn't one of the sets of things go out with official logos? Isn't that some sort of crime (I can imagine what would happen if someone used the official White House Logo on a Vote Against Prop 8 pamphlet).