County Turnout "Brisk," Voter Suppression Not!

As of 2:45 p.m. yesterday, Delaware County Republican Chairman Andy Reilly was reporting no major voting problems or glitches. Turnout is "brisk," and that's neither too bad nor too good for either presidential candidate.

Reilly said he remains "optimistic" about Romney's chances in Delco. Four years ago, McCain lost the county by 64,000 votes. Reilly said if the GOP can cut that margin to 20,000 or less, Romney had a decent chance to win Pennsylvania. He will need the help of apathetic Obama supporters in Philadelphia. If Philly turns out like they did in '08, 650,000 to 700,000, odds favor the incumbent Democrat. But if only 400,000 turn out -- look out.

Reilly also reported that the county worked things out nicely with the U.S. Justice Department. Yesterday, we reported that Voting rights section of DOJ wanted to send federal monitors into a polling place in Thornbury Township, apparently concerned that the rights of Cheyney University students might somehow be oppressed.

At a meeting between county officials and DOJ yesterday, Reilly said he asked if there had been any complaint or problem reported to to DOJ that justified concern. He said he was told no, that this was just a routine request.

Reilly said the federal agents were told they would be welcome inside the polling place but only with a court order or an official designation by the U.S. Attorney General himself that the polling place was somehow suspect.

No court order or designation was forthcoming. So instead, according to Reilly, a couple of federal agents did show up at the township building and stood outside the polls for a couple of hours. They asked exiting Cheyney students - all of them - if they had any problems voting. None were reported, according to Reilly.

"A great use of taxpayer funds," said Reilly, "exit polling."

In Ohio, in the walk up to the election the Cincinnati Enquirer raised grave concerns about "white people" showing up at polling places in "minority communities."

Especially in minority communities, they say, the mere presence of a white person who looks and perhaps acts like an election official can have a chilling effect on some voters, particularly if the person seems to be paying close attention to how a voter is processed at the polls.

Anyone who dismisses the fact that such attitudes persist in 2012, they add, is probably not black.

They writer of this piece does not immediately identify who "they" are. But "they" - and he - are obviously numbskulls to think that black people are so afraid and intimidated by white people who show up in minority communities to do a job. Anyone who thinks so is probably a white liberal who doesn't know many black people.

What "they" would say about white federal agents quizzing black college students on their voting experience we shudder to imagine.