State to investigate poll changes

 

By James McGinnis, Courier Times,May 24, 2008

 

The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission said it will investigate allegations of voter discrimination by the Bucks County Board of Elections.

In April, the commission received a formal complaint concerning election polls moved out of the Creekside apartment complex in Bensalem. At that time, state officials said they weren't sure whether the allegations fell under the scope of their agency's charter or met conditions of timeliness.

A provision of the commission's charter also stipulates that complaints be filed 180 days after the alleged discriminatory act. The polls were moved more than a year ago.

“We have taken these matters into consideration, and, as of right now, we are going to investigate this matter,” Nancy Gippert, special assistant to the executive director of the commission, said Thursday.

Democratic Committeeman Bhavin Patel said he believes that county officials moved the Creekside polling place to another location about a mile away to discourage voting by recent American immigrants, many of them of Russian or Indian descent.

The Bucks County Planning Commission said it voted to move the polling place last year after receiving two complaints about violence at Creekside. Since the polls were moved, voter turnout has not declined, election officials have said, suggesting that no voters were discouraged.

It could be several months before the human relations commission makes a decision. The commission could order that the polls be moved back to Creekside. The county could appeal such a decision in state court.

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