PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

a protest story
by tim grier Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2005 at 7:10 PM
tim_grier@hotmail.com

This is my version of the day's events, along with a little tidbit about the guy who is trying to hold me accountable for my actions.

My name is Tim Grier, and recently I was in the news for protesting at the last election in Pennsylvania. Here's the story.

I went to vote with the intention of taking my time, with the intention of causing the line to back up. Personally, I am tired of being told to choose the puppet on the left or the puppet on the right.

After 15 minutes in the voting booth, I was directed by a constable to 'hurry up and vote'. He asked me if I was going to come out, and I told him I would after I voted. This went back and forth for a few minutes when I realized the constable telling me to hurry up and vote was also running for judge of elections, unopposed!

At that point I didn't know what to do. I was sure that it wasn't right, and even if it was legal, it sure as s**t shouldn't be! So I just hung out. The constable called the Director of Elections, Len Piazza, and handed me the cell phone in the voting booth. Mr. Piazza asked me if I was going to leave, and I replied, "When I vote". He repeated his query; I repeated my answer... over and over... until he said you have 3 minutes. I said, 'okay'.

Five minutes later I was still in there. The constable (who, remember now, is on the ballot) called Mr. Piazza again, and again the phone was passed to me. I was asked, "Are you going to leave?" and I replied, "When I vote." Again we went back and forth. Until he said that he was sending the sheriff. I said. "You do what you have to do." I didn't move.
He never told me to leave as he alleges in the media. That is the basis for the whole (possible) case that the county has against me.

I waited 10 minutes for the sheriff. They never showed. So I left... people were getting fidgety, and I didn't want a sheriff's deputy to show up and put a few rounds through the voting booth curtain. I never voted. The constable ordered me not to leave the premises, as "the sheriff was on his way". When I challenged him by asking him if he had the authority to detain me and he responded 'no', I walked away. He followed me home. He dialed 911 to report my location. The police showed up, ran my license, found out I had no warrants, and drove off.

I was never arrested. I have not even been charged, although the county elections board consisting of the three county commissioners and Mr. Piazza voted to ask the District Attorney to investigate my actions and charge me if possible "in order to prevent future protestors from becoming emboldened". They are sure taking their time with this one... hmmm... maybe because MY rights have been violated??!?? My complaint that I formally made to the elections office that afternoon regarding someone on the ballot ordering me to hurry up was dismissed because "it did not warrant further attention".

Please note, Mr. Piazza is the same elections director that admitted he didn't do enough in the May primary to get workers to understand how to reset the voting machines and an untold number of independants that came out to vote on the Growing Greener initiative did not have their votes counted.

Here is that story from the local corporate news machine:

Times Leader, The (Wilkes Barre, PA)

May 18, 2005

MACHINE GLITCH CAUSES PROBLEMS FOR INDEPENDENTS

Author: Ian Campbell Times Leader Correspondent

Registered independents and third-party voters wanting to pass judgment on the statewide Growing Greener ballot initiative faced problems with the county's voting machines in at least two polling places, according to Voter Services Director Leonard Piazza...

The problem... stemmed from a larger than usual number of independents that came out to vote for the ballot issue... staff moved one lever at the side of the machine, but then failed to set another lever at the front of the machine.

He could not say Tuesday night what percentage of independent voters had been affected by the problem, but he said he had been aware that it was going to happen, and tried to make sure all 1,500 election staff were aware of the steps needed to prevent it from locking the machines.

"It won't happen next year, because the new machines will be able to deal with something like that. This is nominal behavior we expect from 70-year-old machines," he said.

Isn't that interesting? First Mr. Piazza says that workers failed to reset the machine properly because they weren't properly trained by him, and then he says this type of problem is to be expected from old machines!

PEACE! t.g.

Pupets
by pjd Thursday, Dec. 08, 2005 at 10:40 AM

"Personally, I am tired of being told to choose the puppet on the left or the puppet on the right."

Actually, in all to many election, both puppets are oon the right. That certainly is the case in presidential and most US-senatorial elections.