A group trying to register voters in Houston received threats and emails containing racist slurs after being targeted by a local tea party group accusing it of “voter fraud.”
In emails obtained by TPM, the group Houston Votes was accused of being “a bunch of white guilt ridden assholes, NIGGERS and greasy mexican spics,” “fraudulent Marxist pigs,” and “American hating A-holes.”
“We received a couple of threats and several harassing e-mails,” Maureen Haver of Houston Voters told TPMMuckraker. “There have been several efforts, I think, just trying to race-bait and stir racial tension and part of that I think is just based on what we’ve received in messaging from them.”
“It’s really had a chilling effect on our office,” said Haver, adding that one of the e-mails was reported to the FBI.
Here are some of the e-mails, which Houston Votes provided to TPMMuckraker:
“i hope everyone of you American hating A-holes are thrown in prison for cheating our country and trying to assure socialism.GO TO HELL.”
“I see you’re all into fraud. Why do you want to change Texas? You want it to be like a third-world nation? Texas is great – and you want to change it into a third world state. No thank you. Your fraud won’t work. You were caught red handed. Live with it. We know all about it.”
“Citizen’s from all over Texas will be coming to Houston to watch you fraudulent Marxist pigs. Be forewarned, you will be watched at every turn, and your corrupt Marxist organization will be targeted!”
“You liberial scumbags should be hung by the neck in public ! We are on to your voter fraud. Keep it up you MOTHER FUCKERS and you will soon be put down for a long dirt nap! Your nothing but a bunch of white guilt ridden assholes, NIGGERS and greasy mexican spics! The WAR is comming and we are going to dispose of each and every one of you while we take OUR (White) nation back.”
Houston Votes was targeted by the Texas Tea Party group King Street Patriots in their so-called anti-voter fraud effort “True The Vote.” At one meeting, King Street Patriots leader Catherine Engelbrecht even went as far to as to accuse the group of being the headquarters of the New Black Panther Party.
Texas Democrats has since sued Leo Vasquez, the Republican Tax Assessor Collector for Harris County, after he held a press conference accusing the group of voter fraud based on KSP’s claims — a press conference that, in fact, featured members of the the King Street Patriots.
True The Vote also put together a video raising the threat of voter fraud which features soaring music. “Think it can’t happen in your town? Think again!” reads one message. “Our elections are being manipulated. By the RADICAL LEFT,” the video says.
The video originally featured a doctored photo of an African-American voter holding a poorly photoshopped sign — featuring Comic Sans font — that read “I only got to vote once.” That part of the video has since been edited out.
Watch the edited video:
The U.S. Justice Department is currently gathering information about alleged incidents of voter intimidation in Harris County, where the King Street Patriots is reportedly part of a broad GOP effort to recruit poll-watchers.
(Ed. note: This story has been corrected.)
