GOP CALLS FOUL
Mercer County Republican Chair demands investigation into BLM logo on county site urging voter registration »
TRENTON » The Mercer County Republican chairwoman has called for a federal investigation into why Black Lives Matter “political propaganda” was posted on what she contends is supposed to be a nonpartisan government website.
One of the three logos on the Mercer County Board of Elections voter information web page featured a raised fist with the words “Respect my Vote.”
The image is associated with an iconic photograph of Black track-and-field stars Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising their firsts on the podium following the 200-meter race at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. The athletes’ protest brought renewed attention to social issues that were impacting the U.S. at the time.
The logos — up as late as Wednesday night, according to Mercer GOP chair Lisa Richford — have been scrubbed from the county website without explanation.
“I heard it was taken down so somebody got the message,” Richford said by phone Thursday afternoon.
In a statement, she explained why she was upset with the BLM-inspired logo in the first place. She could not point to any specific state law on what she contends is tantamount to politically leaning messaging on government pages.
The state has an electioneering law that makes it a disorderly persons offense for people to distribute “circular or printed matter or offer[s] any suggestion or solicit any support for any candidate, party or public question within the polling place or room or within a distance of one hundred feet of the outside entrance to such polling place or room.”
“The site in question is providing directions to the public for voter registration and Vote By Mail (VBM),” she wrote. “We all know that it is against the law to promote political agendas when taxpayer dollars are funding the work of government. In this case it is particularly aggreges for a County employee to advance their own political agenda in what should be a sacred non-political forum.”
Anthony Francioso, chairman of Mercer County Board of Elections, a Republican, said he wasn’t aware of the apparent outrage over the raised fist logo until contacted by The Trentonian.
“On a personal level that doesn’t bother me,” the chairman said.
He couldn’t explain why the raised fist logo was scrubbed from the website but said that wasn’t his decision.
The Board of Elections has reached out to the Attorney General’s Office to determine whether the BLM
agenda in what should be a sacred non-political forum.”
Anthony Francioso, chairman of Mercer County Board of Elections, a Republican, said he wasn’t aware of the apparent outrage over the raised fist logo until contacted by The Trentonian.
“On a personal level that doesn’t bother me,” the chairman said.
He couldn’t explain why the raised fist logo was scrubbed from the website but said that wasn’t his decision.
The Board of Elections has reached out to the Attorney General’s Office to determine whether the BLMinspired logo is considered a political statement, he said.
Generally, Francioso said the county Board of Elections, which administers elections, attempts to appear “apolitical” although each appointed commissioner is a registered Democrat or Republican.
The party lines often become blurred and have been politicized in the past.
Former board chairwoman Joanne Palmucci drew heat for throwing a fundraiser for Trenton mayoral candidate Walker Worthy.
Richford also decried that decision as “inappropriate” and partisan.
Francioso said the board “tries not to do anything political so both parties feel comfortable with what the board is doing. Traditionally, we try to just steer clear of anything that would look like politically affiliation and basically be apolitical and not political. Times have changed, for the better, and we do need to know what can be posted.”
The Black Lives Matter movement became prominent after the death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, who was killed by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida, in 2012.
Since then, BLM has become a leading voice in advocating against the death of Blacks at the hands of police. It describes its mission as to “eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes.”
Some, including President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, have called the movement a “domestic terrorist” group claiming it is responsible for dividing Americans on the issue of racial equality.
Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City, later made a distinction between the organization and the slogan, which has been embraced by several organizations, including the NBA, following the death of George Floyd, the Black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis.
Asked about the separation between the group and the slogan, Richford said, “This is where the semantics come into it, but this is where the problem is. They’re being funded by socialists and Marxists, but this where they try to paint people out to be racist because they will not submit to the platform.
“This is not a racial issue with me. I have Black friends. But if I explain to them ‘All Lives Matter’ the conversation is over.”
Richford then conflated BLM with antifa, an antifascist militant group that Trump has cast as “anarchists” intent on burning down the country.
“Are you watching what’s going on nationwide and what they’re doing? The antifa. That’s the problem. Look what they’re doing.”
Richford went on to blame Gov. Phil Murphy for his “unreasonable” vote-bymail mandate amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Murphy ordered the Nov. 3 general election to be conducted primarily via vote-bymail ballots due to the ongoing public health emergency.
“We have seen the damage that fraudulent voter information and illegitimate ballots can do to sway an election and disenfranchise voters,” Richford said Thursday in her press statement. “We cannot allow this to happen here in Mercer County, New Jersey. We cannot allow a politically appointed partisan County employee the latitude to carry out the systemic party policy and impact the validity of the voting process.”
“We cannot leave this election to those who would taint the process,” Richford added. “It is obvious that we need Federal oversight here in Mercer County and I will be contacting the United States Attorney to call for a full investigation. We will make sure that the proper authorities are available here to ensure your votes are properly received and counted.”
Richford says the Mercer County Board of Elections website should be a “sacred non-political forum,” but the organization itself is overtly partisan.
Under state law, a county board of elections shall consist of four people who must be legal voters of the counties for which they are respectively appointed.
Two members of the county board of elections must be Democrats and the remaining two members must be Republicans, according to the state law known as Title 19, a deliberately biased framework in favor of the two largest political parties at any given time.
Party leaders like Richford have the power to nominate Republicans or Democrats to serve as members of the county board of elections.
The county board of elections may appoint office employees to paid positions as approved by the county’s legislative freeholder board.
Richford did not identify any state law that would prohibit the county board of elections or its office staff from encouraging U.S. citizens to get registered and vote, a constitutional civil right that must be respected.
With Richford demanding a federal investigation, The Trentonian has contacted a spokesperson for U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito of New Jersey seeking comment for this story.
“We have not received anything,” Matthew Reilly of the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Thursday evening via email when asked whether Richford had contacted the agency requesting a probe.