cases ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, version the challenges to be politically and racially charged,

and burdening the fundamental right to vote. As one court stated, "This Court recognizes that the

right to vote is one of our most fundamental rights. Potential voter intimidation would severely

burden the right to vote. Therefore, the character and magnitude of Plaintiffs' asserted injury is

substantial."178 It went on to note that the right to vote is paramount to any interest in

challenging other people: "...Plaintiff's right to cast votes on election day is a fundamental right.

The challengers, however, do not have a fundamental right to challenge other voters.179 These

decisions correctly overturned these caging and challenging activities because they violated the

Ralph Neas, President of the People for the American Way Foundation, emphasized the

seriousness of these tactics when he testified that "the 35,000 people that were threatened with

being challenged. That's not the spirit of democracy; that's the spirit of suppression. [The

Republican Party] did everything to minimize the vote in the urban areas and to engage in voter

suppression, and I hope the hearings really emphasize this. I think that prosecution is something

5.

Targeting Minority and Urban Voters for Legal Challenges

The Ohio Republican Party, which Secretary Blackwell helped lead as Chair of the Bush-

Cheney campaign in Ohio, engaged in a massive campaign to challenge minority voters at the

polls.181 The Republican Party lined up poll challengers for 30 of Ohio's 88 counties, and the

vast majority were focused in minority and urban areas.182 In addition to intimidating minority

voters, this scheme helped lead to increased delays and longer waits in voting lines in these areas.

This was a particularly damaging outcome on a day of severe adverse weather in Ohio. As a

federal court looking at these issues concluded:

Id. at 10 (internal citations omitted).

Id. at 12.

House Comm. on the Judiciary (Dec. 8, 2004) (statement of Ralph Neas) (emphasis added).

See Tim Jones, Court OK's GOP Bid to Challenge Voters, CH I C A G O TRIB., Nov. 2,

2004, at C14.

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