copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: Poll watchers in Philadelphia prevented from entering polling places. (Tweets, 2020-11-03)
Evidence (2020-11-03): A poll watcher was denied access to one polling site in Philadelphia because the person in charge of that particular polling place was not up to date on the law, which allows watchers to enter any site, not just the ward and division site specified on the watcher’s certificate, said a spokesperson for Philadelphia City Commissioners. The spokesperson also said that the same poll watcher went to another site and was allowed to go in, and there is "no evidence that it was a systemic problem."
Claim: Poll watchers in Philadelphia prevented from entering polling places. (Tweets, 2020-11-03)
Evidence (2023-08-25): A Philadelphia poll watcher for President Donald Trump was mistakenly turned away when he presented a valid certificate on Tuesday morning. After the video of his being turned away went viral, the Philadelphia City Commissioners said they would look into the matter, and he was later allowed inside the polling location. Read on to watch a video of what happened and learn more. [...] In the video below, you can see the poll watcher trying to enter a polling location in Philadelphia and being told that he was not at the right location. This video was first shared by Will Chamberlain of Human Events on Twitter, who told ProPublica that the incident happened in Philadelphia’s Point Breeze neighborhood. [...] Kevin Feeley, spokesperson for the Philadelphia City Commissioners office, later told Buzzfeed News that the poll watcher was turned away by mistake and allowed inside the polling location later. He said that the worker at the location was following an older law that watchers had to be assigned to specific wards, and the watcher had a different ward listed on his certificate. But that law is no longer valid.
Claim: Poll watchers in Philadelphia prevented from entering polling places. (Tweets, 2020-11-03)
Evidence (2020-11-11): "Nobody wants to report that Pennsylvania and Michigan didn’t allow our Poll Watchers and/or Vote Observers to Watch or Observe," Trump wrote in a Nov. 11 tweet tagged as "disputed" by Twitter. "This is responsible for hundreds of thousands of votes that should not be allowed to count. Therefore, I easily win both states." Nobody wants to report that Pennsylvania and Michigan didn’t allow our Poll Watchers and/or Vote Observers to Watch or Observe. This is responsible for hundreds of thousands of votes that should not be allowed to count. Therefore, I easily win both states. Report the News! [...] "Any laws around poll watchers apply equally to both major parties and any third parties," added Suzanne Almeida, interim executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania.
Claim: Poll watchers in Philadelphia prevented from entering polling places. (Tweets, 2020-11-03)
Evidence (2020-11-03): At one location in the city, certified poll watcher Gary Feldman was barred from entering. A poll watcher in Philly was just wrongfully prevented from entering the polling place#StopTheSteal pic.twitter.com/iJTFtRk0Id — Will Chamberlain (@willchamberlain) November 3, 2020 [...] MORE Bad things happening in Philly. Dem election officials have avoided transparency & accountability at every step. NOW they’re keeping our poll watchers so far from the counting tables there’s NO WAY to ACTUALLY observe. What are they hiding?? THIS MUST STOP!!! pic.twitter.com/r1YlkZokAa — Mike Roman (@mikeroman) November 3, 2020
Claim: Poll watchers in Philadelphia prevented from entering polling places. (Tweets, 2020-11-03)
Evidence (2024-05-07): The interview raised questions about what poll watchers are allowed to do "The role of poll watchers is to observe the elections process," said Jessica Corbitt, spokesperson for Fulton County, a jurisdiction that often has poll watchers. "They may not touch equipment or ballots." [...] Poll watcher requirements vary by state. Some states require poll watchers to be registered to vote in that county or state; other states have no residency requirements. States often limit how many poll watchers are allowed at each site. Political parties or campaigns usually appoint poll watchers. One rule is consistent: Poll watchers can’t interfere with the electoral process. They can only observe — without watching voters filling out their ballots.
Claim: Poll watchers in Philadelphia prevented from entering polling places. (Tweets, 2020-11-03)
Evidence (2020-11-04): A story circulating on social media deceptively claims "Bad Things Are Happening in PA." It overstates the significance of a video that shows a Republican poll watcher being denied access to a Philadelphia polling place on Election Day, and it falsely claims that there was an illegal political sign at another city location. [...] Chamberlain, Will (@willchamberlain). "A poll watcher in Philly was just wrongfully prevented from entering the polling place #StopTheSteal." Twitter. 3 Nov 2020. Roman, Mike (@mikeroman). "DEMOCRAT ELECTION OFFICIALS BANNING TRUMP POLL WATCHERS IN PHILLY. This is happening all over the City. The steal is on!" Twitter. 3 Nov 2020.
Claim: Poll watchers in Philadelphia prevented from entering polling places. (Tweets, 2020-11-03)
Evidence (2020-11-04): "A poll watcher in Philly was just wrongfully prevented from entering the polling place," Will Chamberlain, editor-in-chief of the conservative magazine Human Events, tweeted Nov. 3. His tweet includes a video that shows two people standing at a doorway and telling a third person that he cannot go in. "You are not letting me in?" the man asks the couple. "No," they replied. [...] Tweets claimed that poll watchers in Philadelphia were prevented from entering polling places. A poll watcher was denied access to one polling site in Philadelphia because the person in charge of that particular polling place was not up to date on the law, which allows watchers to enter any site, not just the ward and division site specified on the watcher’s certificate, said Feeley, a spokesperson for Philadelphia City Commissioners. The same poll watcher went to another site and was allowed to go in, according to Feeley.
Claim: Poll watchers in Philadelphia prevented from entering polling places. (Tweets, 2020-11-03)
Evidence (2020-11-19): The Trump campaign alleged poll watchers were blocked from doing their jobs "in many key battleground states," though it did not, in its emails, pinpoint one or more locations where this supposedly occurred. Giuliani, however, claimed Democrats in cities including Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Las Vegas, and Phoenix were behind the alleged conspiracy to undermine Trump's reelection. [...] Days before that decision, U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond asked a Trump campaign lawyer during a court hearing if poll watchers were allowed in the room where election workers were processing mail-in ballots in Philadelphia. [...] In sum, no evidence showed poll watchers were removed or prohibited from rooms were ballots were being counted in the Biden-Trump race, even though physical distancing rules may have affected the monitoring. In fact, one Republican lawyer representing Trump provided evidence to the contrary and acknowledged Republican poll watchers in Philadelphia were indeed allowed in ballot counting rooms.
Claim: Poll watchers in Philadelphia prevented from entering polling places. (Tweets, 2020-11-03)
Evidence (2020-11-03): The Trump campaign's national Election Day operations director, Mike Roman, retweeted the video early Tuesday morning, declaring "DEMOCRAT ELECTION OFFICIALS BANNING TRUMP POLL WATCHERS IN PHILLY. This is happening all over the City. The steal is on!" [...] A spokesperson for the Philadelphia City Commissioners' office stated the act was "an honest mistake." Kevin Feely said during a phone call with BuzzFeed News that the man had a different ward than what was written on his certificate. An older version of the law pertaining to poll watchers maintained such individuals must be assigned to specific wards, which was why the poll worker mistakenly turned the man away. [...] We rate this claim MISSING CONTEXT, because without additional context it might be misleading. It is true a poll watcher was turned away from a Philadelphia polling station due to a legal misunderstanding but he was allowed back in after the mistake was recognized. This appears to be an isolated incident; no other incidents have been reported to Philadelphia's Election Task Force.
Claim: Poll watchers in Philadelphia prevented from entering polling places. (Tweets, 2020-11-03)
Evidence (2020-09-29): "Today there was a big problem," Trump said on the debate stage. "In Philadelphia they went in to watch. They’re called poll watchers. A very safe, very nice thing. They were thrown out. They weren’t allowed to watch. You know why? Because bad things happen in Philadelphia, bad things." [...] The woman told The Inquirer she had been hired by the Trump campaign to monitor the West Philadelphia site and calmly stated she had a right to be inside. Once again: She did not. No poll watchers in Pennsylvania will be allowed until Nov. 3. [...] Trump said poll watchers were "thrown out" of a polling place in Philadelphia. But the incident we witnessed, and any others that occurred Tuesday, took place at satellite offices, not at traditional polling places. And they involved self-appointed observers, not licensed poll watchers.
Claim: Poll watchers in Philadelphia prevented from entering polling places. (Tweets, 2020-11-03)
Evidence (2024-05-23): Where poll watchers can be within the polling place - Poll watchers must remain outside the enclosed space of the polling place. [...] - Challenges must be made on a good faith basis - Challenges to a voter's qualifications must be lodged directly with the Judge of Elections - Poll watchers cannot interfere with the voter. Poll watchers are not permitted to approach voters in the polling place - Challenges cannot be based on race, national origin, appearance, surname, language, religion, or other characteristic not relevant to the qualifications to vote
Claim: Poll watchers in Philadelphia prevented from entering polling places. (Tweets, 2020-11-03)
Evidence (2020-11-04): A comparable claim was made by a conservative columnist who tweeted images of a sign with the names of Democratic candidates outside a Philadelphia high school being used as a polling location. According to AFP, the office of District Attorney Lawrence Krasner tweeted that the claim is "deliberately deceptive." After investigating, members of the Election Task Force found out that the sign was further than 10 feet from the poll center as established in the law. A viral Facebook post misleadingly suggested that voters in the Pennsylvania counties of York, Lebanon and Dauphin were prevented from voting by the state Department of Health due to potential COVID-19 exposure. The post further claimed officials threatened to arrest voters trying to exercise their franchise. FactCheck.org pointed out that the post, which was spread by a popular conservative radio host, was misleading for several reasons. "A poll watcher in Philly was just wrongfully prevented from entering the polling place," Will Chamberlain, editor-in-chief of the conservative magazine Human Events, tweeted Nov. 3. Chamberlain’s tweet was retweeted by Mike Roman, director of Election Day operations for President Donald Trump’s campaign. But Kevin Feeley, spokesman for the city commissioners, told FactCheck.org in a phone interview that "it was a mistake."
Claim: Poll watchers in Philadelphia prevented from entering polling places. (Tweets, 2020-11-03)
Evidence (2020-09-30): Crucial Quote "If [Trump supporters who aren’t certified poll watchers] come to Philadelphia on Election Day, the polls will be secure, and in order to be an official watcher you have to be certified, your party has to file for you to be there at the polling place legally, so we’ll have a list," Kenney told the Inquirer. "People are simply not allowed to stand around there and intimidate people." [...] Poll watchers could potentially be a source of more controversy this election than in the past, even in cases where they’re certified and allowed to be at polling locations. In addition to Trump’s inflammatory comments, this will be the first presidential election since 1980 in which the Republican Party is not bound by a consent decree, which previously prevented their poll watchers from employing "ballot security" tactics at polling places that could be interpreted as voter intimidation and dissuade Democrats from voting. While the Republican National Committee has said that their poll-watching effort will consist only of legal tactics—but will be much bigger than in the past, with up to 50,000 poll watchers—Democrats and voting experts fear that the consent decree being lifted could result in a new flood of GOP-based voter suppression tactics, particularly given Trump’s rhetoric. "I am very worried about it," Marc Elias, the attorney leading the Democratic Party's voting rights litigation, told 60 Minutes. "It's something that I think everyone who cares about voting rights needs to worry about."
Claim: Poll watchers in Philadelphia prevented from entering polling places. (Tweets, 2020-11-03)
Evidence (2024-05-21): Only a few courts have addressed newsgathering at and around polling places apart from exit polling. In 2013, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit rejected a challenge to a Pennsylvania statute that required people to remain at least 10 feet away from polling places, holding that there was no First Amendment right of access for newsgathering purposes. PG Publ’g Co. v. Aichele, 705 F.3d 91, 113–14 (3d Cir. 2013). However, in 2004, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit barred enforcement of a similar law in Ohio that restricted people from entering the polling place or "loiter[ing]" in the adjacent area outside. Beacon Journal Publ’g Co. v. Blackwell, 389 F.3d 683, 685 (6th Cir. 2004). The court held that the state was required to permit a news organization "to have reasonable access to any polling place for the purpose of news-gathering and reporting so long as [they] do not interfere with poll workers and voters as voters exercise their right to vote." Id. [...] - The public can enter polling rooms to watch procedures before the polls open and after all voters have cast their ballots. But the press cannot be in the polling room when polls are open. Fla. Stat. §102.031(3)(a). [...] - Only poll watchers, peace officers, and up to 10 persons waiting to vote may enter the polling place at any given time. 25 Pa. Stat. § 3060(a).
Claim: Poll watchers in Philadelphia prevented from entering polling places. (Tweets, 2020-11-03)
Evidence (2020-11-10): "THE STEAL IS ON," Michael Coudrey captioned an Instagram video posted that day. "Poll watchers locked out and the windows blocked in Wayne County, Michigan." [...] "Oftentimes, we would see one or more Republican watchers go to the table, which they have every right to do," said Jeffery Nolish, who volunteered at the request of the American Civil Liberties Union. "But we saw them not respecting the 6-feet rule and then asking questions and interfering with the process." [...] Fact check: Poll watcher turned away at Philadelphia polling station in misunderstanding
Claim: Poll watchers in Philadelphia prevented from entering polling places. (Tweets, 2020-11-03)
Evidence (2023-08-16): But there were several reasons why elections staff did not allow members of the public to arbitrarily enter their offices. The Trump campaign has no poll watchers approved to work in Philadelphia at the moment. There are no actual polling places open in the city right now. And elections officials are following coronavirus safety regulations, such as those limiting the number of people indoors. [...] Trump made the false claim earlier in the day on Twitter, first retweeting son Eric and then going further to accuse city officials of corruption. "Wow. Won’t let Poll Watchers & Security into Philadelphia Voting Places," he said. "There is only one reason why. Corruption!!! Must have a fair Election." [...] At least one woman claiming to be a Trump campaign poll watcher was barred from entering one of those satellite offices Tuesday in the Overbrook section of West Philadelphia.
Claim: Poll watchers in Philadelphia prevented from entering polling places. (Tweets, 2020-11-03)
Evidence (2020-11-03): A poll watcher was denied access to one polling site in Philadelphia because the person in charge of that particular polling place was not up to date on the law, which allows watchers to enter any site, not just the ward and division site specified on the watcher’s certificate, said a spokesperson for Philadelphia City Commissioners. [...] "A poll watcher in Philly was just wrongfully prevented from entering the polling place," Will Chamberlain, editor-in-chief of the conservative magazine Human Events, tweeted Nov. 3. His tweet includes a video that shows two people standing at a doorway and telling a third person that he cannot go in. "You are not letting me in?" the man asks the couple. "No," they replied. [...] A poll watcher was denied access to one polling site in Philadelphia because the person in charge of that particular polling place was not up to date on the law, which allows watchers to enter any site, not just the ward and division site specified on the watcher’s certificate, said Feeley, a spokesperson for Philadelphia City Commissioners. The same poll watcher went to another site and was allowed to go in, according to Feeley.
Claim: Poll watchers in Philadelphia prevented from entering polling places. (Tweets, 2020-11-03)
Evidence (2020-10-01): Trump falsely claims 'poll watchers' blocked from observing early voting sites in Philadelphia [...] President Donald Trump falsely claimed Tuesday night that "poll watchers" were blocked from entering voting locations in Philadelphia, bringing back to the forefront the legal battle his campaign and the Republican National Committee have been waging in Pennsylvania since late June. [...] "I'm urging my supporters to go into the polls and watch very carefully because that is what has to happen. I am urging them to do it. As you know, today there was a big problem. In Philadelphia, they went in to watch, they were -- they are called poll watchers. A very safe, very nice thing. They were thrown out. They weren't allowed to watch. You know why? Because bad things happen in Philadelphia. Bad things," Trump said during the final minutes of the debate, hours after he tweeted a similar claim, alleging "corruption" was the reason.
Claim: Poll watchers in Philadelphia prevented from entering polling places. (Tweets, 2020-11-03)
Evidence (2020-10-06): Why It’s Illegal: Not just anyone can show up and watch the polls. Most states limit who can serve as a poll watcher, often to appointed representatives of a candidate or a party and, in some cases, to neutral, nonpartisan observers. In some states, such as Pennsylvania, poll watchers must be registered to vote in the county where they seek to observe the polls. These limits help deter misconduct and ensure accountability. In addition to limiting who can serve as a poll watcher, most states have strict limits on what poll watchers can do. States including Georgia, Florida, and Michigan prohibit poll watchers from speaking to voters.footnote33_6rTo0vyc5xe9hk19cMh7nF59WxKZqQSH9R9LxBkU7fk_bdqDyEjwyWOP33Ga. Code Ann. § 21–2–408(d); Fla. Stat. Ann. § 101.131(1); and Michigan Department of State Bureau of Elections, The Appointment, Rights and Duties of Election Challengers and Poll Watchers (Sept. 2020), 12, https://www.michigan.gov/documents/SOS_ED_2_CHALLENGERS_77017_7.pdf. Many states allow poll watchers to challenge voter eligibility, but they must follow specified procedural and substantive limits. Poll watchers who abuse their roles may be ejected from the polling place.
Claim: Poll watchers in Philadelphia prevented from entering polling places. (Tweets, 2020-11-03)
Evidence (2020-10-02): President Donald Trump’s campaign has filed suit against Philadelphia, arguing that its policy of barring poll watchers from newly opened satellite election offices violates Pennsylvania law. "The Philadelphia County Board of Elections denied, and continues to deny, the campaign its statutory right to have watchers observe the voting process," Linda Kerns, a lawyer representing the Trump campaign, wrote in a letter to the city’s three commissioners. [...] One of the incidents Trump raised as evidence of fraud happened just hours before the debate, when a woman who said she was a poll watcher for Trump’s campaign was blocked by city officials from entering a West Philadelphia satellite election office.
Claim: Poll watchers in Philadelphia prevented from entering polling places. (Tweets, 2020-11-03)
Evidence (2024-06-26): Prohibited Activities - Electioneering: It is illegal for poll watchers to conduct campaign-related activities, also known as electioneering, while inside the polling place or within 10 feet of the entrance to the polling place.footnote17_0xfhQAlmEaJRD54zpX0xjBIe19qKBZhrqwXmMdMIs4E_dzEdUF2JBKwq1725 P.S. § 3060(c)-(d). See also Guidance.The secretary of the commonwealth advises that electioneering includes soliciting votes, posting or displaying written or printed campaign materials, and handing out pamphlets or other campaign paraphernalia.footnote18_3WTOrvm2h-B0vldVidTBa79jWghmiKFP7Q0mAdfYI_xFGNBgco0kGM18Guidance. - Interacting with Voters: Poll watchers are not permitted to approach voters in the polling place.footnote19_3WTOrvm2h-B0vldVidTBa79jWghmiKFP7Q0mAdfYI_sjAzDnHmemOU19Guidance. [...] Removal - The secretary of the commonwealth has expressly advised that the judge of elections, as part of the judge’s duties to maintain order at the polling place, is obligated to remove poll watchers who engage in prohibited activities, including those listed in the section above.footnote27_3WTOrvm2h-B0vldVidTBa79jWghmiKFP7Q0mAdfYI_jM6kpXCrWs5I27Guidance.The authority to remove disruptive individuals is broad.footnote28_3WTOrvm2h-B0vldVidTBa79jWghmiKFP7Q0mAdfYI_nkbzUDvaaegL28Guidance.
Claim: Poll watchers in Philadelphia prevented from entering polling places. (Tweets, 2020-11-03)
Evidence (2020-11-04): Poll watcher was refused entry (but later let in) One viral video showed a poll watcher being denied entry to a Philadelphia polling station. [...] Poll watchers used to only be allowed in a certain station, but they can now visit multiple sites across Philadelphia.
Claim: Poll watchers in Philadelphia prevented from entering polling places. (Tweets, 2020-11-03)
Evidence (2024-01-01): - polls watchers with valid watcher certificates; and - duly appointed overseers. [...] Visit the Department of State for useful poll watcher information: https://www.vote.pa.gov/Your-Rights/Pages/Poll-Watchers.aspx [...] The laws of Pennsylvania generally prohibit law enforcement officers, whether in uniform or in citizens clothes, from being within 100 feet of a polling place during voting hours, unless they are exercising their right to vote, are in a nearby police station, or have been summoned by election administrators to respond to a disturbance. Please call or visit the PA Department of State to report voter intimidation, election fraud, or other election crimes: 1-877-VOTESPA. If you feel unsafe you should call 911 immediately.
Claim: Poll watchers in Philadelphia prevented from entering polling places. (Tweets, 2020-11-03)
Evidence (2024-06-04): Poll watchers cannot go into the area where voters are actually casting their ballots, and should rarely come into contact with voters. According to Department of State guidance, poll watchers must report any potential problems to the election judge on-site at polling locations, who will then determine if the poll watcher’s claims are reasonable and merit follow-through. [...] State guidance on what poll watchers can do outside polling locations is less clear. There are some hard rules. For example, it’s a federal offense to block access to polling locations. [...] For example, state guidance prohibits watchers from electioneering — campaigning in favor of a particular campaign or party — if they’re within 10 feet of the polling place or inside it.