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this post was submitted on 04 Nov 2024
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Today I Learned
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I called the top number (the "NATIONWIDE" number).
They were very prompt. I asked them if someone - regardless of political leaning - were to call, what they would actually do, and how this would be a better solution to other services like the ones listed by OP.
One thing is there's no real-time solution available anywhere in the U.S., from what I can find, nor what they are aware of.
Next, when we call, they will route your call to the proper escalation path, depending on the nature of the call. This also means that if you're being intimidated, they will reach out to the law enforcement for your polling station (city/county/state as needed). This is regardless of your political leaning. They would be contacting the proper authorities on behalf of the Democratic National Support Hotline, which carries a bit of weight, as they do have an army of lawyers at their disposal, for if it's not resolved in a timely fashion.
I was on hold for a while to get a better understanding of how things worked, to see if this was, in fact, a valid and viable option.
Yes, it IS partisan org, but they state they will not play partisan politics with intimidation.
TL;DR: they are there to do something the government can't/won't - provide immediate resolution to voter intimidation regardless of your political leaning.
You called a political organization, and reached someone who is trained to tell you the sort of thing you wanted to hear.
The election authorities need to know about vote interference immediately. If you witness it, call the authorities directly.
It's possible that the political org you called might be helpful as an extra measure, if you have additional free time to contact them as well. It's also possible that they will reassure you and promptly drop your report in the proverbial trash if the interference you reported aligns with their interests. It's impossible to know, no matter what they say. Either way, they are no substitute for calling the authorities.
I agree, but every avenue at our disposal are forms. They will receive them, and I encourage that people DO report them to the FBI and Justice department. What I'm also saying is that those methods async, while this one is offering real-time assistance.
I would never say "don't notify the authorities". I am just saying that if you can put some weight behind your report and get it resolved while you are there, that's a good thing too.
You assuming that because they are a political org, they will play partisan politics, so to ignore them out-of-hand makes me wonder what you would do in their position.
Not all people are evil, and again, I'm not saying not to report to the proper authorities. I'm just saying that reporting to the proper authorities may take weeks or months, where this may help you in minutes or hours - in time for the vote.
This is untrue. A phone number is prominently shown on the very first official link I tried: the Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice's Criminal Division. There are more phone numbers at the various state election offices.
No. I have assumed no such thing. I am pointing out that they are not the authorities, and since they are not, a report to them is not a report to the authorities. They might play partisan politics, or they might not. They might remember to pass your report on to the authorities at some point in the future, or they might forget. There's no way to know, and it doesn't matter.
Report directly to the authorities. It's fine to also report to someone else, but they are no substitute. Definitely report to the authorities.
100% agree with this. You reported the post in politicalmemes with this as the reason:
What was the misinformation? The title says "[META] Where to call if you witness anyone intimidating or harassing at polling places." and the image clearly states who is behind it.
If you can state that they aren't there to help, and provide proof, I'll back down, but the fact that you came at it as "lies", that's a bold claim.
Again, contact authorities, but there's nothing wrong with having other avenues to assistance.
I saw the original post in TIL, not in a political community where it may be (slightly) more acceptable. It’s never ok to divert reports of criminality away from the authorities and towards political organisations. And listing a bunch of phone numbers of a political organisation without stating their affiliation is misleading.
The misinformation is directing people to report election interference using phone numbers belonging to a political organization, rather than the election authorities. A call to those numbers is not a call to the authorities. The post directs people away from the appropriate channels. It is therefore misleading.
[Edit: I acknowledge that it might have been well-intended. It is still misleading.]
The presence of a domain name printed at the bottom of the list of phone numbers, which most people will not carefully consider (or in many cases even notice), doesn't make it okay.
I said no such thing. Please don't put words in my mouth.