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NAACP to Monitor Elections in 10 States
Oct 16, 12:01 PM (ET)
BALTIMORE (AP) - The NAACP said Monday that it will monitor voting in 10 states next month, sending observers to polling places, taking citizen complaints and notifying the Justice Department of any serious problems.

The states were chosen based on those with pivotal elections, states with concentrations of black voters, and those with a history of polling problems, according to the Baltimore-based civil rights organization.

President Bruce Gordon urged voters to persist in trying to cast ballots.

"While the NAACP will take steps to counter obstacles to voter participation, we are encouraging our communities to cast their votes, even if it requires extra effort," he said in a statement released before a news conference at the group's headquarters.

"Civil rights activists went to extraordinary lengths to earn the right for black Americans to vote. Some lost their lives. We owe it to them and ourselves to honor their sacrifice by voting, no matter what challenges we face."

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People plans to have hundreds of volunteers monitoring elections in Maryland, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas.


From the Editors:

Not that it’s a bad idea to monitor elections in the beforementioned states. In fact, we applaud one of the nation’s oldest and most respected civil rights organizations in doing so. Ohio’s shenanigans last presidential election, for example. However, after reviewing the criteria as explained in the above wire report and then reviewing the states to be monitored, we are curious why Illinois was not included.

The criteria included states with “pivotal elections ... concentrations of black voters, and those with a history of polling problems.”

When you think northern state with a lot of black people living in concentrations, pivotal elections for the picking, and a rich history of corruption and electoral irregularities, immediately, Illinois comes to mind.

Mort Sahl remarked that he wanted to be buried in Chicago so that he could remain active in politics after he was dead. Like no other place in the U.S., Illinois has the reputation for the wildest, woolliest and worst civic leadership in the history of our great republic. The current governor is under federal indictment and the last governor is facing a prison term.

It has the current governor facing a serious contender, Denny Hastert’s district (paging Tom Foley?), a downstate Republican embroiled in the page scandal.

As for African-Americans, Illinois has a’plenty. In fact, of the rest of the northern states selected, Illinois has more people and a higher percentage of black residents. Here’s the numbers:

U.S. Census Estimates 2004
(National average per state is 12.8 percent)

Illinois (not selected)
2004 pop. 12,763,371
Black persons, percent- 15.1%

Pennsylvania
2004 pop. 12,429,616
Black persons, percent - 10.5%

Ohio
2004 pop. 11,464,042
Black persons, percent - 11.9%

Michigan
2004 pop. 10,120,860
Black persons, percent - 14.3%

We can only wonder why.