CBS News reports that Occupy protests are interfering with the Republican Party’s attempt to conduct an primary election for federal office.  The protests are forcing GOP vote counters to find a secret location.  It is clear that Occupy protesters will try to disrupt the 2012 elections.

The Iowa Republican party is moving its caucus night vote counting operation to an undisclosed location because of planned “Occupy Iowa Caucus” protests. State GOP chair Matt Strawn was critical of the protests and said it’s ironic that the Occupy movement is focusing on the Iowa caucuses.

“There’s really no more grassroots process in American politics than the Iowa caucuses,” Strawn said in an interview. “So it’s a little puzzling why they’d choose to disrupt that process.”  Strawn said the party is coordinating with local law enforcement to ensure smooth operations next Tuesday at the 1,774 precincts around the state.

“We’re taking additional safeguards when it comes to the counting and tabulating and reporting of the caucus night results to make sure they’re done in a timely and accurate fashion,” he said

I wonder what federal agency is charged with protecting the fundamental right to vote without threat of violence or interference.  It appears that the Obama DOJ is ignoring the escalating violence.  The Occupy protesters must fall within the same “off-limits” category as the Black Panthers as they look for voter ID laws to object to. 

Question to ponder:  Will there have to be actual violence in the polling place before the FBI and DOJ act decisively?  Waiting until election day is too late.