Moore to film voting
2004-11-01 08:52
Washington - Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore announced that he is dispatching 1 200 people to literally watch the polls in Tuesday's presidential election in the United States.
The volunteers will be outfitted with video cameras to record any irregularities that might occur in the battleground states of Florida and Ohio.
In a statement, Moore said he was sending out the observers because he was worried that some voters might be intimidated and their votes suppressed.
In 2000, the tight election between Bush and former vice-president Al Gore came down to Florida, which, after five weeks of legal wrangling, went to Bush by 537 votes.
However, Democrats charged that Republican authorities in Florida threw out the ballots of many Democratic voters, including many blacks, who largely support the Democratic Party.
In this year's election, which is shaping up to be among the closest in US history, political observers fear a replay that could spread beyond Florida. Both parties have deployed thousands of poll watchers to root out any irregularities.
- SAPA