Illegal voter assistance may have occurred in the November 2010 general election in Worcester, Massachusetts.  “Neighbor to Neighbor illegally accompanied people into voting booths and told them how to vote,” according to the News Telegram.  The reaction of Secretary of State Bill Galvin’s office?  More pollworker training.  Full stop.

Poll “observers have said that Neighbor to Neighbor clearly favors certain types of candidates, and have said its status as a lobbyist group registered with the state, along with its website’s statements about its goals and purpose, was enough to preclude it from accompanying voters into the voting area.”

After charges of voter fraud by Neighbor to Neighbor, Worcester Mayor Joseph O’Brien took the side of the accused and suggested a motive behind the accusation.  What motivated the complaints?  Naturally, it was racism. 

O’Brien “acknowledged that he has received support from Neighbor to Neighbor, and said some people don’t like that the election was decided by voters who don’t look like them, or maybe speak a different language. “

Neighbor to Neighbor has a broad agenda, including preventing landlords and employers from refusing to hire people who have been arrested.  Whether or not federal election law was violated by Neighbor to Neighbor was not addressed by the News Telegram story.

More at PJ Tatler.