“ICE at the polls” is a mostly empty threat, because there are only about 22000 ICE agents, and the USA has about 4-5 times that many polling places for voting. They don’t have enough agents to put even one at every polling place. Yes they could target the “blue” areas and ignore the “red” areas, but still they just don’t have enough agents to stop Americans from voting.
In a close election, tipping a few tens of thousands of votes in the right state could in fact alter the outcome. So they’d target the closest swing state, and pick precincts with large minority populations.
Exactly this. The dweebs in the Republican Party will strike with near-surgical precision. It doesn’t take much to tip elections in our bullshit system.
Maybe, but I don’t think “tens of thousands” would be blocked from voting through ICE simply being at the polling locations. Maybe that would be possible through spreading fear that they might be there, that sure sounds a lot like what’s happening with this post.
If ice starts randomly detaining people before they can vote for “suspicion of being an illegal immigrant with fake documents”, they could actually have an impact?
That’s not even counting states that have mail in voting with dropboxes. Yes, they’re trying to restrict mail in voting but it all seems like it’s around postmark dates which do not apply to drop boxes (the drop boxes have the same deadline as voting in person). Good luck putting an agent at every dropbox in the country, it’s just not going to happen.
“ICE at the polls” is a mostly empty threat, because there are only about 22000 ICE agents, and the USA has about 4-5 times that many polling places for voting. They don’t have enough agents to put even one at every polling place. Yes they could target the “blue” areas and ignore the “red” areas, but still they just don’t have enough agents to stop Americans from voting.
In a close election, tipping a few tens of thousands of votes in the right state could in fact alter the outcome. So they’d target the closest swing state, and pick precincts with large minority populations.
Exactly this. The dweebs in the Republican Party will strike with near-surgical precision. It doesn’t take much to tip elections in our bullshit system.
Maybe, but I don’t think “tens of thousands” would be blocked from voting through ICE simply being at the polling locations. Maybe that would be possible through spreading fear that they might be there, that sure sounds a lot like what’s happening with this post.
ICE concentrating on Atlanta would be enough to keep Georgia red.
And they wouldn’t need 22,000 agents to do it.
Pretty sure this was an age-old favorite conservative tactic in the Jim Crow South - station sheriffs, etc at polling locations.
This is why the conservatives looooooove the idea.
If ice starts randomly detaining people before they can vote for “suspicion of being an illegal immigrant with fake documents”, they could actually have an impact?
In red states they’re not above pulling some bullshit like cutting polling places in urban areas by 50% or more.
Yup and elections are ran at the local level not federal. They’d need millions of ICE losers spread thin throughout the country.
Wanna get deputized as an ICE agent for election day? You can even bring your own gun!
That’s not even counting states that have mail in voting with dropboxes. Yes, they’re trying to restrict mail in voting but it all seems like it’s around postmark dates which do not apply to drop boxes (the drop boxes have the same deadline as voting in person). Good luck putting an agent at every dropbox in the country, it’s just not going to happen.
yup. I did dropbox due to them delaying putting postmarks on the envelope to begin with and even happier with the other shenanigans they are trying.