The town is requesting the assistance of the U.S. Justice Department in thwarting groups that may seek to intimidate voters, Town Manager Christopher Clark said today. The move came after Empower Massachusetts and Show ID to Vote, organizations with tea party ties, were at yesterday's special primary for the 6th Worcester District House seat, calling for voters to voluntarily show identification at the polls.

The town is requesting the assistance of the U.S. Justice Department in thwarting groups that may seek to intimidate voters, Town Manager Christopher Clark said today.

Empower Massachusetts and Show ID to Vote, organizations with tea party ties, were at yesterday's special primary for the 6th Worcester District House seat, calling for voters to voluntarily show identification at the polls.



Mr. Clark said he was offended by the groups' presence.



In Southbridge, the groups had two lawyers and volunteers filtering in and out on primary day, said Christen M. Varley, treasurer-director of Empower Massachusetts.



In the only contest on the primary ballot, incumbent state Rep. Geraldo Alicea defeated fellow Charlton Democrat Joanne E. Powell.



Mr. Alicea moves on to face Republican Peter J. Durant of Spencer, with whom Mr. Alicea tied in November, and independents Peter J. Boria of Charlton and Robert J. Cirba of Spencer, in the special election May 10.



The district encompasses Southbridge, Charlton, East Brookfield and parts of Spencer and Oxford.



Town Clerk Madaline I. Daoust said yesterday she witnessed “unnecessary challenges” geared toward mentally challenged people and Hispanics.



Lawyers Lauren F. Goldberg and Brian W. Riley, of Kopelman & Paige, were at the polls on behalf of the town. A message left with the Boston firm was not returned.



The town also called the office of the secretary of the state, which sent a lawyer to observe and make sure rights weren't violated, Ms. Daoust said.



Brian McNiff, spokesman for William F. Galvin, secretary of state, declined to discuss what the lawyer saw. Mr. McNiff said his office would also have an observer at the May 10 election, to ensure voter rights are protected.



The clerk said she was surprised by the level of observers from campaigns and the back-and-forth challenging from the groups. She said she wanted voters to know it wasn't the town being a hindrance.



“Some people left saying, ‘I'll never vote again,' ” she said. “We're not here to turn people away.”



The organizations erected a billboard downtown in a largely Hispanic neighborhood calling for the showing of identification, which upset Alejandra St. Guillen, executive director of Oiste, a Latino civic group based in Boston.



According to Mr. Clark, the billboard was an attempt to intimidate Hispanic voters.



The town manager said extra police officers were at the polls to make sure people would be able to get into the polling place. He said the groups' presence at the polls were attempts to intimidate poll workers and voters.



Mr. Clark said that, at one point, he intervened on what he perceived as a baseless challenge, and said the groups were “trying to turn the clock back” with regard to voter rights.



Last night, retired Worcester Juvenile Court Judge Luis G. Perez told a reporter he saw “tea party folks intimidating voters, challenging mental health issues and linguistic issues,” and especially Latinos. The judge, who served as a poll observer for Mr. Alicea, said he also saw people leaving the polls crying.



Ms. Varley, who started Empower Massachusetts last year, was livid at the allegations.



She said “nobody said boo to me” about intimidating or disenfranchising voters.

“I never saw anybody crying,” she said. “I don't believe it. I think they're full of it.”



Ms. Varley said her own observations were disturbing, including voters who couldn't speak English and “who don't know what their name is, and don't know where they live.”



She said she saw severely developmentally-challenged people “being dragged in, having ballots shoved in their hands.” Assistants filled in and turned in their ballots, she said.



Told that the groups' actions had the town manager calling for federal oversight, Ms. Varley said she was intimidated now.



“They're going to bring in the Justice Department? I'm a housewife, for Pete's sake, who said there needs to be a certain standard, a threshold. Voting is a privilege.”



Ms. Varley said the groups are asking the state to consider requiring everybody who casts a ballot to produce an ID, similar to legislation in 27 other states.



Asked about the allegation that the groups made baseless challenges, she said, “Fine. You know what? Big deal. Did anybody not get to vote yesterday? No.”



She said the groups made less than two dozen challenges. She said she only made one challenge — when a voter was saying her street address was 30 and the poll worker heard 13. The matter was resolved and everyone moved on.



“Their guy won,” she said. “So what are they complaining about? I didn't even have a horse in that race, and they're still trying to make an issue out of it, to intimidate me. To get me to shut up? You think I don't understand, after two years in this game, what this is all about? I'm not a racist. I don't hate anybody and I'm sick and tired of being accused as such.”



Ms. Varley said the groups would be back next month in force.



Ms. Varley said her agenda is simply to protect every legitimate voter's vote.



The groups, she added, had people at the Oxford and East Brookfield polls.



“I have not heard any bad reports out of either of those locations.”