| Author |
Message |
    
notehead
Citizen
Username: Notehead
Post Number: 1539
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, September 30, 2004 - 2:09 pm: |     |
Folks, the abilities and worthiness of the candidates DON'T MATTER if the voting process is corrupted. More examples of Republican state officials trying to subjugate the vote were reported in today's NYT:
Just weeks before the deadline to register, Kenneth Blackwell, Ohio's secretary of state, instructed the state's county boards of election to reject registrations on paper of less than 80-pound stock - the sort used for paperback-book covers and postcards, compared with the 20-to-24-pound stock in everyday use. He said he was concerned about forms' being mailed without envelopes and mangled by postal equipment. But the directive applied to all registration forms, even those sent in an envelope or delivered by hand. Mr. Blackwell, a Republican, acted in the midst of an unprecedented state voter registration drive, which is signing up far more Democrats than Republicans.
Under intense criticism, Mr. Blackwell has backed off. Earlier this week, his office said it would not be the "paper police," but said it was not withdrawing the directive. Yesterday, it said he had advised county boards to accept registrations on any paper. But the advisory is worded so inartfully that it could create confusion. And it is unclear how many registrations may have already been rejected. The burden is now on Mr. Blackwell to ensure that counties have not rejected valid registrations.
Mr. Blackwell's second directive tells local elections officials to follow a bad policy Ohio adopted on provisional ballots. This is the first presidential election in which every voter whose eligibility is in doubt has the right to cast a ballot and to have the vote's validity verified later. But Ohio and some other states have tried to gut this guarantee by not counting provisional ballots cast in the wrong polling places. There is no reason to do that.
This rule could void many votes. There will be a flood of first-time voters this year, who may not know where to vote. And some polling places have been changed by redistricting. Mr. Blackwell says poll workers should help voters call an elections hot line to find out where to go. But these hot lines are often busy on Election Day. Poor people and members of minorities, who move more often than most voters, are likely to be most affected. Ohio Democrats, who expect to do well among these groups, are fighting the rule in court.
In Colorado, Secretary of State Donetta Davidson, also a Republican, has issued a bizarre ruling of her own on this issue. She will allow provisional ballots cast at the wrong polling places to count for only the presidential race. The Senate race in Colorado, among the closest in the nation, could determine control of the Senate, and there is no reason all valid provisional ballots should not count in this race or for statewide ballot propositions. Colorado Common Cause is challenging Ms. Davidson's rule, but she should not need a court to tell her to count the votes.
|
Albatross
Citizen
Username: Albatross
Post Number: 20
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, September 30, 2004 - 3:15 pm: | |
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/30/opinion/30thu1.html?oref=login
It is an editorial column, yes. But bear in mind that the excerpts from notehead are facts, not opinion.
This is despicable. |
Insite
Citizen
Username: Insite
Post Number: 360
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, September 30, 2004 - 7:45 pm: | |
Votes by dead people are even worse. The democrats make me sick (and are even more despicable)
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/summit/109601837526660 0.xml |
luv2cruise
Citizen
Username: Luv2cruise
Post Number: 233
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, September 30, 2004 - 8:01 pm: | |
Insite, you make me sick. |
NAILS
Citizen
Username: Nails
Post Number: 388
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, September 30, 2004 - 8:32 pm: | |
CREDIBILTY IS AN ISSUE WITH THIS THREAD. |
Insite
Citizen
Username: Insite
Post Number: 361
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, September 30, 2004 - 8:34 pm: | |
Awwwww .... isn't that sweet. came back with a really thought provoking post like that. Stay on the boat, cruiser boy.
In 2000 the Dems gave away cigs and booze for votes. In 2004 they decided to avoid the whole living human body problem, and use dead people to vote. Gald to see I am the one that makes you sick .... |
notehead
Citizen
Username: Notehead
Post Number: 1546
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, October 1, 2004 - 1:41 pm: | |
Key difference: the alleged (and at this point they are strictly alleged) acts in the article Insite posted have yet to be fully documented, and the perpetrator of whatever illegal acts MIGHT have taken place is unknown.
The vote manipulation I have mentioned to has been done by STATE OFFICIALS, and the scale of their tampering is FAR greater.
Nails... what on earth are talking about? What credibility are you questioning? |
bobk
Citizen
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 6242
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, October 1, 2004 - 1:46 pm: | |
Notey - I think they are confused today. Looks like Karl and the boys are in some distress and didn't get the daily talking points out on time this morning.  |
|
Closed: New threads not accepted on this page