The Attorney General's Office
N.H. Attorney General's office busy with election complaints
CONCORD, N.H. - The attorney general's office received a flurry of complaints Tuesday morning from voters ranging from the length of the voter lines to not knowing how to vote.
State GOP Chairwoman Jayne Millerick was among those calling in, saying she got reports that members of a liberal voter group called Moveon.org were trying to persuade voters to cast ballots for Democrats.
Eli Pariser, a spokesman for Moveon.org, said his group trained tens of thousand of volunteers and made sure they were aware of the laws and understood the importance of following them.
He said the complaints are part of a Republican smear campaign planned in advance.
''There is always the possibility that there are a few bad eggs and we're investigating each situation, but what this appears to be is a case of intimidation,'' Pariser said.
At the St. John's Church polling station in Concord, a member of Moveon.org was barred from observing because he lacked the proper paperwork. A representative of the group eventually was allowed in to observe.
''I follow the laws. It gets me in trouble sometimes, but I'm not here to make friends,'' said Greg Banks, moderator of the polling station.
In Canterbury, Clerk Cheryl Gordon said the town moderator had to ask Moveon.org organizers to move after voters complained the organizers were asking them their names as they entered the poll at Canterbury Elementary School.
''They had a table outside and said, 'You check in here,''' said Gordon. ''There were a lot of people upset.''
At the group's table behind yellow tape outside, Moveon.org member Patrice Ficken of Canterbury said the problem was a misunderstanding and quickly resolved.
''What we're trying to do is check off lists of people we identified in advance to see if they voted (for Kerry),'' she said.
Moveon.org members said they tried to listen inside, but couldn't hear the names as they were checked off the official lists. So, they moved outside, Ficken said.
''People were confused who thought we were the check-in spot,'' she said. ''I appreciate the need (of officials) to be careful.''
She said they moved back and asked voters as they exited if they were on the Moveon.org list. She said they planned to call voters on the list who failed to show up to encourage them to vote.
''We're trying to be respectful,'' she said.
Assistant Attorney General Bud Fitch said his office looked into the GOP complaints and found that at some polling places, exit pollsters were wearing or carrying partisan information. He didn't specify whether they were Moveon.org members. At the polls, Fitch said moderators ordered the workers either to remove their stickers or sent them outside.
Exit pollsters are allowed inside or outside polling places, depending on space, but they can't wear or carry anything that associates them with a partisan group.
''Where there's an exit route, any organization that wants to do exit polling is allowed to do that,'' Fitch said,'' as long as they are talking to people who have already voted.''
The state Democratic Party said it received a call from a concerned voter that a phone message was left on his answering machine, claiming that Kerry was doing so well that he didn't need to vote Tuesday. The caller did not leave a name or organization.
Back at the St. John's polling station, a group of legal observers rushed in and out of the room, whispering into cell phones while frustrated voters waited in long lines, some being delayed by decisions required by Banks, the moderator.
One voter stormed out, telling Banks she would file a complaint against him while election workers, lawyers, and activists debated who could observe the proceedings and from where. The voter declined to say what the problem was.
By Jayne Millerick State GOP Chairw