Atlas Aegis, a Tennessee based company, advertising to attract ex-military to watch polls and stay for a month. (Minneapolis: attorney, live)

[TheGrandViking]

https://www.startribune.com/attorney...tes/572804862/

Atlas Aegis, in a job advertisement that surfaced earlier this month, recruited for "security positions in Minnesota during the November Election and beyond to protect election polls, local businesses and residences from looting and destruction." The listing noted that the jobs were exclusive to U.S. special operations forces veterans.

The company is not licensed in Minnesota and has not disclosed what licensed entity it would work with. Its chairman, Anthony Caudle, recently told the Washington Post its guards would protect against "Antifas" and Black Lives Matter supporters who he said were intent on "destroying the election sites."

"Minnesota and federal law are clear: no one may interfere with or intimidate a voter at a polling place, and no one may operate private armed forces in our state," Ellison said in a statement Tuesday announcing the investigation. "The presence of private 'security' at polling places would violate these laws."

Appears to be an attempt at voter intimidation. Hopefully Ellison can get to the bottom of this and find out if others are behind this effort

[Glenfield]

Originally Posted by TheGrandViking

https://www.startribune.com/attorney...tes/572804862/

Atlas Aegis, in a job advertisement that surfaced earlier this month, recruited for "security positions in Minnesota during the November Election and beyond to protect election polls, local businesses and residences from looting and destruction." The listing noted that the jobs were exclusive to U.S. special operations forces veterans.

The company is not licensed in Minnesota and has not disclosed what licensed entity it would work with. Its chairman, Anthony Caudle, recently told the Washington Post its guards would protect against "Antifas" and Black Lives Matter supporters who he said were intent on "destroying the election sites."

"Minnesota and federal law are clear: no one may interfere with or intimidate a voter at a polling place, and no one may operate private armed forces in our state," Ellison said in a statement Tuesday announcing the investigation. "The presence of private 'security' at polling places would violate these laws."

Appears to be an attempt at voter intimidation. Hopefully Ellison can get to the bottom of this and find out if others are behind this effort

So are you envisioning something along these lines? Well rest easy because Eric Holder said there is nothing wrong with being armed and dressed in paramilitary outfits asking people who they’re voting for as they go into the polling place.

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/ar...on_106267.html

[TheGrandViking]

Originally Posted by Glenfield

So are you envisioning something along these lines? Well rest easy because Eric Holder said there is nothing wrong with being armed and dressed in paramilitary outfits asking people who they’re voting for as they go into the polling place.

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/ar...on_106267.html

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...ir-old-tactics

The 1981 “Task Force” amounted to one of the most egregious examples of election intimidation in America’s long history of voter suppression, but had a positive outcome. In the wake of those chilling events, the RNC was sued by the national and state Democratic parties. The case was settled out of court in 1982 at which point the RNC agreed to what was known as a consent decree.

Under its terms, the national Republican party pledged to abstain from poll watching unless it had obtained prior court approval. Party officials who broke that stipulation could be hauled before a federal judge and held in contempt.

or maybe along these lines

[Glenfield]

Originally Posted by TheGrandViking

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...ir-old-tactics

The 1981 “Task Force” amounted to one of the most egregious examples of election intimidation in America’s long history of voter suppression, but had a positive outcome. In the wake of those chilling events, the RNC was sued by the national and state Democratic parties. The case was settled out of court in 1982 at which point the RNC agreed to what was known as a consent decree.

Under its terms, the national Republican party pledged to abstain from poll watching unless it had obtained prior court approval. Party officials who broke that stipulation could be hauled before a federal judge and held in contempt.

or maybe along these lines

I know it seems like yesterday but 1981 a half a century ago. I hear Woodrow Wilson was a real trickster!

[TheGrandViking]

Originally Posted by Glenfield

I know it seems like yesterday but 1981 a half a century ago. I hear Woodrow Wilson was a real trickster!

Close, but you are off by half a century. Ronald Reagan was President.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodrow_Wilson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan

[Glenfield]

Originally Posted by TheGrandViking

Close, but you are off by half a century. Ronald Reagan was President.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodrow_Wilson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan

I wrote “a half a century ago” but clearly meant “a half century.” The reference to Woodrow Wilson was to a time that was equally irrelevant to the events of today as your citation of the events of 1981. I acknowledge that the satire may have been too subtle for you. And, yes, you caught me in a typo! I guess you win the internet sleuth award.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Originally Posted by Glenfield

I wrote “a half a century ago” but clearly meant “a half century.” The reference to Woodrow Wilson was to a time that was equally irrelevant to the events of today as your citation of the events of 1981. I acknowledge that the satire may have been too subtle for you. And, yes, you caught me in a typo! I guess you win the internet sleuth award.

Just to be clear, do you support the actions taken by this Atlas Aegis group?

[Glenfield]

Originally Posted by Cruz Azul Guy

Just to be clear, do you support the actions taken by this Atlas Aegis group?

All we know is they placed an ad for security personnel. We don’t know who hired them or specifically what the plan was other than someone was concerned about disruptions at polling places. Apparently, the company will not be sending personnel to Minnesota.

I have served as a poll watcher several times and have family members who serve as election judges. I know it’s always a struggle to get people to fill these roles, especially in off year elections. It’s also hard to find enough Republican poll watchers in Minneapolis just because the city is 75% Democrat. Perhaps the idea was related to some kind of perceived personnel shortage.

Do you have some facts about actions taken by this company beyond what’s been reported in the media?

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Originally Posted by Glenfield

All we know is they placed an ad for security personnel. We don’t know who hired them or specifically what the plan was other than someone was concerned about disruptions at polling places. Apparently, the company will not be sending personnel to Minnesota.

I have served as a poll watcher several times and have family members who serve as election judges. I know it’s always a struggle to get people to fill these roles, especially in off year elections. It’s also hard to find enough Republican poll watchers in Minneapolis just because the city is 75% Democrat. Perhaps the idea was related to some kind of perceived personnel shortage.

Do you have some facts about actions taken by this company beyond what’s been reported in the media?

No, but the fact that a Tennessee-based company is attempting to get this intimately involved with Minnesota election polling places is alarming to say the least. Seems pretty shady to say the least.

[Glenfield]

Originally Posted by Cruz Azul Guy

No, but the fact that a Tennessee-based company is attempting to get this intimately involved with Minnesota election polling places is alarming to say the least. Seems pretty shady to say the least.

Do you know for certain if they first reached out to someone to offer their services or were they contacted first by someone from Minnesota? Was their objective to get involved in politics per se or was it to fulfill a customer’s request? Do you have specific knowledge of exactly how this customer described the assignment and was it accurate? How many Minnesota based firms have their particular resources or expertise? Would you opinion on this be different if the company was based in Minnesota?