The group's activities prompted the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to bring a federal lawsuit, alleging a violation of the Voting Rights Act, illegal harassment, and voter intimidation.
[3] The task force consisted of a group of armed, off-duty police officers wearing armbands, who were hired to patrol polling sites in African-American and Hispanic neighborhoods of Newark and Trenton.
[4] Initially, 45,000 letters were mailed (using an outdated voter registration list) to primarily Latino and African-American citizens.
[7] In addition, the Republican National Committee filed a request for election supervisors to strike these voters from the rolls, but the commissioners of registration refused when they discovered that the RNC had used outdated information.
[8] On New Jersey's election day in 1981, the BSTF posted large signs, without identification but with an official appearance, reading
Armed members of the Task Force "were drawn from the ranks of off-duty county deputy sheriffs and local police," who "prominently displayed revolvers, two-way radios, and BSTF armbands.
[8] A civil lawsuit was filed after the election by the DNC, which alleged that the RNC had violated the Voting Rights Act[11] and engaged in illegal harassment and voter intimidation.
[15] The consent decree, entered on November 1, 1982,[14] prevented the Republican Party "from engaging in activities that suppress the vote, particularly when it comes to minority voters.
[11] The Democratic National Committee countered by arguing that "recent campaigns show the 'consent degree remains necessary today.