Republican operatives have been engaging in dirty tricks all over the country in order to prevent people from voting. In Ohio, they challenged large numbers of newly registered voters in the hopes of keeping them from casting ballots. How? By sending out registered letters and concluding that if any weren't accepted, it meant that the person didn't really live where they claimed.

An absurd position? Absolutely — but they tried it anyway and those who filed the challenges may be prosecuted, as the Akron Beacon Journal explains:

The challengers, all older longtime Republicans -- Barbara Miller, Howard Calhoun, Madge Doerler and Louis Wray -- were subpoenaed by the elections board and were present at the hearings. Akron attorney Jack Morrison, a Republican, volunteered to represent the four. Democratic board member Russ Pry suggested that the four could be subject to criminal prosecution for essentially making false claims on the challenge forms. The form states that making a false claim is subject to prosecution as a fifth-degree felony.

On Morrison's advice, Miller then refused to take part in any hearings after Herold's, invoking her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Wray filed a challenge against 25-year-old Barbara Jean DeWilde of Stow, but testified that he had no personal knowledge that DeWilde didn't live at her Stow address, other than information he received from Summit County Republican Party headquarters. DeWilde called the challenge ``a mockery of America's free election process.''

The label "mockery" is putting it mildly, I think. Republicans were filing challenges to voters based upon absolutely nothing of consequence. People who care about free elections will care about voter fraud, but only in a manner that doesn't cause more problems than it solves. If there is a good reason to challenge someone, that's fine. Here, however, there were no good reasons for the challenges.

Lisa McCraney of Tallmadge, whose husband RaShawn McCraney's registration was challenged, stepped up to the microphone and took to task those who filed the challenges. ``We work hard, just like you do, trying to make our living, trying to prove ourselves in this world to get to the point where we are 80 years old like you. But you signed your name to 200 documents of people you have never met a day in your life, challenging our right to vote.'' She finished talking to the four by telling them they needed to apologize.

Somehow, I doubt that any apologies will be forthcoming. These people have no shame over what they are doing. They seem to believe that they are justified in using unethical, even illegal (depending upon what the courts say), means to acquire power.

``Why'd you do it?'' one challenged voter shouted out at Calhoun. ``Who the hell are you?'' the man asked.

``What the hell do you care?'' replied Calhoun, an attorney.

Who the hell are you? Calhoun should realize that the person is a voter and, as such, deserves respect. By disregarding that, Calhoun expresses a fundamental disrespect not only for voters, but for the democratic voting process itself.

These weren't the actions of a few renegade Republicans. All of this was coordinated through Republican Party headquarters. It was an organized, deliberate effort to suppress people's votes. I hope that multiple charges are brought against all of those involved. It's probably the only thing that will reduce such behavior.

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