I almost never link to Salon.com because you have to sit through a series of ads to get to the content, but they're running an article today by Farhad Manjoo that really should not be missed, and besides, today's ad is only one frame.

From the article—

The voter-intimidation campaign that Republicans mounted in Philadelphia was not an anomaly. Instead, it marked a routine occurrence in American elections, a national scandal that rarely makes the front page. The sad fact is that voter-intimidation efforts aimed at minorities have been carried out in just about every major election over the past 20 years. The campaigns are almost always mounted by Republicans who aim to reduce the turnout of overwhelmingly Democratic minority voters at the polls. Now, in what's shaping up to be a razor-thin presidential election, Democrats across the country are pointing to what occurred in Philadelphia as an example of what they have to fear from Republicans this election year.

If you're not signed up as a poll watcher or as a volunteer to ferry people to the polls, it's not too late. I have the feeling that in some precincts would-be voters are going to have to run a gauntlet to be able to vote.

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Count Every Vote 2004 is "recruiting and training domestic monitors to observe, document and report on the election process in Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Missouri."

Many local Democratic parties and independent organizations are doing likewise.