In 1981, when he was acting as adviser to then New Jersey gubernatorial candidate (later Governor) Tom Kean, the RNC assembled a ballot security force consisting of off - duty law enforcement officers wearing armbands that read «National Ballot Security Task Force» that was alleged to have engaged in voter intimidation in minority neighborhoods of Newark, Camden, Paterson, and other cities. (fortune.com)
As a senator, Sessions criticized the Justice Department in 2009 for dismissing three defendants from a voting rights lawsuit against the New Black Panther Party after allegations of voter intimidation outside a Philadelphia polling place. (fortune.com)
The Senate confirmation hearing of Sen. Jeff Sessions, President - elect Donald Trump's pick for attorney general, is likely to rehash racially charged allegations that derailed his efforts to become a federal judge and made him a symbol of black - voter intimidation under the Reagan administration. (fortune.com)