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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Monday, May 23, 2016

Emrick Slams Voter Inside Polling Place

State Representative Joe Emrick is not exactly known for his transparency. He returns calls, I suppose, but only to those with money. His campaign finance reports would make make that clear, but they're hard to see. His year end report for 2015 only recently became available because he never bothers to file his reports electronically. He didn't even bother to file a paper version of his pre-primary report in his county of residence until I complained. He thumbed his nose at state law until he was contacted by elections officials.

Though he supposedly writes the laws, he does a pretty lousy job of following them. I want to tell you a story about his antics on election day because it tells you that he is a short-tempered bully who is perfectly willing to use the power of his office to intimidate voters.

I missed this story on election day and am only telling it now.

Becky Bartlett is an Upper Nazareth Township resident who cares about her community. She is the person who recently went through Farmview with her husband and a few others, filling 25 garbage bags.

She's also friendly with Dave Mattei, who decided to wage a write-in campaign against Emrick as a Democrat. So on election day, she stood outside the polling precinct at Upper Nazareth East (it's the municipal building) trying to get Dave a few votes from her friends and neighbors.

This is called core political speech.

Because she also happens to live and vote in that precinct, she eventually decided to go in and vote. She was careful to bring no campaign literature with her, being mindful that electioneering is prohibited inside the polling place. Her husband decided to vote around the same time, and walked in to vote after she did, and was separated from his wife by a few people.

While Bartlett waited her turn to vote, Joe Emrick pranced inside the polling place, even though he is a candidate and had no watcher certificate. He walked up to the election judge, and in a stage whisper, began to run down Bartlett, warning the election judge to "keep an eye" on her for illegal politicking. He was, of course, loud enough that other people in the room could hear, including Becky's neighbors. The people present included several of her neighbors.

Her husband could also hear, and must have shocked Emrick when he unloaded on him for improperly entering the polling place and attempting to intimidate voters

The tough guy left when he realized that Becky had a male protector.

The elections office eventually determined that Emrick had no poll watcher's certificate. Even if he did, his attempt to suppress the vote is completely illegal. He was later admonished by the Solicitor's Office, although at least one of them is a campaign contributor.

Who is allowed and what is not inside the polling place? Members of the election board, people with watchers' certificates, constables, police (if called by the judge of elections), people waiting to vote, people who are assisting voters who might have an impediment, elections department employees on official business and voting machine technicians. Candidates are not allowed inside the polling place until the polls close.

Newspaper reporters may not enter a polling place, and the use of cameras and phones is prohibited, except for elections workers calling the elections office.

Anyone engaged in partisan political activity must stand at least ten (10) feet from the entrance of the polling place.

47 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great story, Bernie. Emerick is a tool from this story alone. Just the kind of idiot we do not need holding public office.

Anonymous said...

Emrick, that is.

Anonymous said...

a bully do nothing....

Anonymous said...

Thanks for reporting this shameful incident by Emrick. You are correct. He is a bully and does not interact appropriately with the people he supposedly represents. He uses intimidation whenever he can't get his own way and when he feels threatened politically. Time for this guy to be sent packing. Joe must GO!

Anonymous said...

Yet he is a Republican and just as with the case in Marcia Hahn's District, the R's will continue to pull the R lever and never ever consider a non-Republican. Yet there are Democrats that do vote Republican and there is your election.

Folks need to think outside their political zealotry.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Can't sue for telling the truth! Bernie has nothing to fear. Public bullying seen by many witnesses. Nowhere for Big Joe to hide.

Anonymous said...

This time...he picked on the wrong woman!

Anonymous said...

The write in campaign proved Joe is on the wrong side of things. Mattei blew him out of the water with a last second populist effort. A true grass roots war. Democrats are sick and tired of..Do Nothing Joe.

Anonymous said...

Time to oust both Hahn and Emrick, two do nothing dirt bags!

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately..Marcia is insulated due to her districts total support of R values. Got to be well off to live in her neighborhoods. gonna take explosives to get rid of her. emrick on the other hand has enraged the denizens of the Nazareth area as they have finally wised up to his do nothing work ethic.

Anonymous said...

Bernie
A word is missing here. "...admonished by the Solicitor, although at least one of them is a campaign contributor." Who? the Solicitor or someone else?

Anonymous said...

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Thanks for reporting this shameful incident by Emrick. You are correct. He is a bully and does not interact appropriately with the people he supposedly represents. He uses intimidation whenever he can't get his own way and when he feels threatened politically. Time for this guy to be sent packing. Joe must GO!

4:12 AM


Why are we only hearing about this guy's lack of work ethic now. Hasn't he been in office five years?

Anonymous said...

Yes..5 years and what has he done? That is the burning question that goes unanswered. Why? Because he has truly done..NOTHING!

Anonymous said...

The guy is a political tool of his handlers. He is a slug politically. He brings nothing to the table and does as he is told and how to vote and that is his job.

Anonymous said...

What happens to these people once they get elected?

Anonymous said...

A kinder, gentler, Hudak.

Anonymous said...

Joe Emrick is the Worst Rep in the history of the 137th! He couldn't carry Rich Grucela's jock strap with help from his mommy.

Anonymous said...

Is this Becky Bartlett, the baby killer cheerleader?


"Scavello thinks employers should be able to arbitrarily deny contraception coverage for their female workers. If a candidate wanted to outlaw vasectomies and let bosses cancel Viagra prescription coverage for men, that would be an automatic disqualifier but, to The Express-Times editors, discrimination against women is so unimportant it isn't even part of their criteria when judging a candidate.

The problem with politicians who obsess over lady parts is they ignore the issues that women truly care about: gun background checks for domestic abusers, access to the ballot box, and equal pay. Scavello is either against all of those things or takes no interest in supporting them."


http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/10/letter_aurand_more_deserving_o.html

Becky is so ignorant she fails to realize that women are allowed to vote, domestic abusers are prohibited from buying firearms, and Federal laws already protect equal pay.

Propping up a nutjob like Becky Bartlett is par for the course on this blog.

Anonymous said...

Never heard of the guy. Looks like an a-hole.

Anonymous said...

Football heroes make terrible political representatives. A picture says a thousand words but in this case..very few words.

Bernie O'Hare said...

8:16, What is par for the course is an anonymous attack aimed at a woman who dares to express herself. But Donald Trump has already made clear what Rs like you and joe Emrick think about women. If it were up to you, they would not be voting.

Anonymous said...

M Hahn is doing a great job and should not be compared to J Emerick.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Marcia is a disappointment, too. She tumbed her nose at Bill White when he was writing to her some time ago. I can't remember the last time she answered one of my emails. She participated with Emrick in laundering money to Zach Mako. She files paper reports, and like Emrick, never bothered to file her most recent report with the County until I complained. She is a backbencher who does as she;s told. Saturday, she could not be bothered to show up for Armed Services Day in her own district. Even Senator Scavello made time for that. But why should she do anything? No one has challenged her.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 8:16 is the same person who posts as Saxon5 (among several other names) over at Lehigh Valley Live.

Becky destroys his arguments regularly, so he uses multiple ID's to defend himself.

Very pathetic, may be a Mezzacappa relative.

Bernie O'Hare said...

6:32, I have hopefully clarified by sentence. He was admonished by the Solicitor's Office. I do not know who admonished him, but one of the Assistants, Dave Ceraul, is a major Emrick contributor.

Anonymous said...

this is as disgusting as the black panthers standing outside the polling places in Philly with a night stick in 2008. Talk about intimidation. BTW, despite video, the Justice Dept. refused to address this issue. So once again, both parties suck.
Had enough America?

Anonymous said...

Had enough? Of what? Political differences settled at the ballot box is what the founding Fathers fought and died for. We can agree to disagree but we must ALL follow the rules of democracy.It's all we got.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Yeah, And I just don't get the anonymous personal attack at Becky, which seems to justify Emerick intimidating her at the polls bc of her views.

Anonymous said...

Dave Ceraul is another pig at the public trough. John Brown has benefited handsomely from this waste.

Anonymous said...

Bernie,
Is this one of the multifaceted malfunctioning state representational tools implemented like Allentown's soul sale sectors RePete and Darth voter?!($ There is low to no criminal satandirts these political parasites have not sunk to in this dark age of sinking ships set to sail?!($
Re:publican redd

Bernie O'Hare said...

Dave is a well-respected attorney, and the County is lucky to have him on its corner.

Anonymous said...

Not for anything, but in the "olde days" voting was not a private affair. Voters would literally cast their vote in front of the candidates and typically the candidates would respond to each person casting their vote for them, thanking them in some small way.

Of course, the candidates also paid for copious amounts of alcohol to be served which led to problems of its own.

Anonymous said...

"this is as disgusting as the black panthers standing outside the polling places in Philly with a night stick in 2008"

What, a couple guys in berets standing outside two polling places in North Philly? Please. They were not allowed inside and a couple guys who "pretended" to be Black Panthers is hardly a threat to anyone except you. You can dress in full Cabellas camo and stand with your gun outside a polling place a s long as you are far enough away, if it makes you feel better. People still vote privately. Of course
Fox played that scene on an endless loop for months, to frighten the herd.

However, Congratu7lations you have won the Golden Teabag Award, for being the first teabagger to bring Obama into a totally unrelated story.

Good Luck with your award and keep on swinging!

Anonymous said...

Of course it's much more threatening to be forced to pull out your wallet and show your ID than it is to walk by a couple of guys in black berets holding weapons.

We can always count on the sexually infatuated one to reliable bring out his love for tea bagging.

Anonymous said...

@ Bernie 9:45: Marcia gets challenged at every election and wins with support of democrats, republicans and independents. She has easily won her elections because she works very hard in the community all year, every year. She doesn't just show up in election years. Ask Finnegan if she has been to that event every year since she has been elected. I saw her at the Firefighter Memorial in Lower Nazareth on Saturday, I guess you missed it. It's hard to get to everything.
You have a problem with Emrick, fine. Don't drag Hahn into it.

Anonymous said...

Sorry Marcia!

Anonymous said...

Marcia votes anti-woman almost 100% of the time. Public shows mean nothing if you vote against your own gender time after time after time. A legit challenge will eventually arrive. She is next after Emrick loses this time around. Marcia is also owned by the R party. where are the legislation's she worked on? What did she co-sponsor that means anything to us here in the Slate Belt? Exactly...NOTHING!

Bernie O'Hare said...

Marcia@4:49, it is easy to win a race when you're challenged by a candidate Ho is in foreclosure. I could put up with a lot of things, including my disagreement with about 70% of your votes. I can even put up with you being a back bencher. What I refuse to tolerate is your complete lack of accountability and transparency, which you demonstrated when you ignored Bill White. You have also ignored my emails and it really frosts me how you laundered a contribution to Zach Msko, a certifiable idiot, through Mark Mustio. You file paper reports, knowing they won't be seen and couldn't be bothered to file a required copy of your latest finance report. You were a no show for all the vets at Armed Services Park on Saturday. That is not just a slap at Jay Finnigan but at every vet. Since you have no opponent, you couldn't be bothered, I guess. If you think you made up for that by attending a memorial for forefighters, you are dead wrong. Saturday was Armed Setvices Day, and you left them high and dry. Shame on you! What are you doing about reform? I know, you have to check with the leaders. Your predecessor was front and center on issues like that while you are just adding to your pension. I have lost my respect for you, and you won't be getting it back until you start demonstrating accountability and transparency. I won't hold my breath.

Anonymous said...

He's not the only state bully. Ever hear of Justin Simmons? I hear he and his father become unhinged especially when the medicine runs out.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Let's not turn this into a Justin Simmons bashing thread. I am in no mood for the childish comments. Simmons has ALWAYS responded to my emails and files electronically. Andthesins of the father shall not be visited upon the son.

Anonymous said...

Blogger Bernie O'Hare said...
6:32, I have hopefully clarified by sentence. He was admonished by the Solicitor's Office. I do not know who admonished him, but one of the Assistants, Dave Ceraul, is a major Emrick contributor.

9:49 AM

Thank you Bernie.

Anonymous said...

JOE MUST GO! JOE MUST GO! JOE MUST GO!

Its time to rid ourselves of this ARROGANT BULLY, EGO STRONG DOUCHE BAG! He will get knocked out by the voters the way Lenny Gruppo did........ History does repeat itself.....

JOE MUST GO!

Anonymous said...

So everyone is pissed off at Harrisburg and the elected officials who seem to do nothing. So WHY do we keep sending back Marcia Hahn? I don't get it. To enact change, we must get rid of these people who make careers out of representational democracy. She has done nothing to earn that seat and did nothing before her election to warrant her being qualified for the seat. I will vote against her as I always do in hopes that the rest of the people will wake up and move some of these people out!

Anonymous said...

The people..especially you women..of the W. Slate Belt need to wake up and get involved! People like Marcia Hahn count on you not caring enough to vote or challenge her. A solid candidate can and will defeat her eventually. She is anti-woman! Vote her out!

Anonymous said...

The county Democratic Party needs to get to work up here and pay attention to the regions issues. Letting Hahn get a free pass to Harrisburg in unacceptable. Get to work and find someone..anyone..who can push a progressive agenda. Conservative Democrats can win in the region if given some resources to work with.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Right now, Marcia has no opponent.