CASA Attempting to Queer Petition Drive

Tens of thousands of Marylanders have signed on the proverbial dotted line to let their elected representatives know that subsidizing college tuition for illegal aliens IS NOT the best use of their tax dollars.  Liberal groups like the ACLU and CASA de Maryland are doing everything possible to STOP this measure from going on the 2012 ballot.  These actions include court challenges and harassment of people wanting to sign the petitions.

Because of the tactics of groups such as CASA, this battle is having to be fought on two fronts.  Del. Neil Parrott (R-2B) has been leading the movement to get petitions signed (through MDPetitions.com).  Del. Mike Smigiel (R-36) has been leading the battle to make sure that every name is counted and fighting the lefts attempts to queer the process through court challenges and harassment.

The ACLU, who always claims to want every name and every vote counted when in support of a leftist cause, is leading a court challenge to void the 17,000 (to date) signatures delivered with electronically generated petitions.  While showing a photo ID at the polls is simply too great a burden for the left, having a petition that has the voters name and address (but not their signature) electronically generated is somehow fraudulent.

CASA de Maryland is supported (in part) by your tax dollars.  Yet, they are spending who knows how many thousands of dollars to harass petition signers and attempt to queer the petition count by taking possession of the signed petitions.

On his blog, Smigiel explains what CASA is up to:

Delegate Parrott called to tell me of a new problem he was having with the State Election Board wanting to allow the illegal immigrant support group, CASA de Maryland, (CASA) to take possession of the 67,000 petition signatures so they could be copied at a local copy center.

Smigiel offered two alternatives to allowing CASA representatives from physically taking possession of the petitions:

• Having the Board of Elections personnel make the copies and charge CASA per copy. (this is what would happen if you or I wanted copies)
  
• Hire a bonded company to make the copies and bill CASA.

The election boards response to Smigiel challenging this was one of “incredulity”:  “The ACLU in particular had been allowed to do this in the past.”

In addition to the possibility of petitions being “misplaced” by CASA, there is a chain of custody issue for the expected court challenges.

Once CASA receives the names, there is also the possibility of harassment.  “They wouldn’t do that!”, you may say.  Well … they are already harassing potential signatories nearly everywhere that the citizens set up to gather signatures.

CASA, working with Fieldworks, is paying individuals $12 / hour to go to signing sites and harass people who go up to tables to sign.  Fieldworks has been advertising for employees in Maryland to do this work:

Campaign Jobs in Maryland (301) 327-4013 or check out the craigslist ad http://tiny.cc/dotui http://fb.me/O7YzAeH1

With the campaign coming to an end they have taken the ad down.

In an interview with Smigiel on Sunday, he poses several new arguments (in addition to the ones posted on his official blog).  Smigiel says that gathering signatures for a petition like this is analogous to voting.  Signers are “voting” to put the “Maryland DREAM Act” on the 2012 ballot.  However, by releasing copies of petitions to a group like CASA, those who signed the petitions are losing their right to a (at least partially) secret ballot.  “When you go to vote, do we know HOW you voted?”, asked Smigiel.

Allowing CASA representatives to harass signers is also similar to voter intimidation according to Smigiel:

“Right now there are two people under indictment in Maryland for using robocalls to spread false information about an election.  Why are people contracted by CASA (through Fieldworks) allowed to intimidate people who want to sign a petition?  Why are those people allowed to distribute false information?”

Smigiel makes a series of strong arguments.  I think that we are learning (once again) that there is a double standard in the Once Free State.  Regardless, there are THREE DAYS remaining.  We need to gather as many signatures as possible.  If groups like CASA are going to strip us of our rights, they are in for a real battle.