reported at polling places in newark's north ward. republican poll watcher, some of them off-duty policemen wearing guns and arm bands were also near the polls. it was all part of the national ballot security task force set up by the republican national and state committees to guard against vote fraud. but democrats charge it was a scare campaign to intimidate voters primarily in minority neighborhoods. >> this was 1981, the new jersey governor's race that year. we reported on this monday night. this is the case where the national republican party got involved in that gubernatorial election. they flew in basically a goon squad of national operatives on election day and these guys flooded into minority precincts as basically vigilante poll watchers. governor's race in new jersey was going to be close that year. this group from the rnc decided they wanted to keep the vote down, so in trenton, camden, newark, they put up these big warning, warning, warning signs telling people that these voting