Sound Politics: Logan Deposition (VI)

April 29, 2005

Logan Deposition (VI)

Q When a person casts a poll ballot and also casts an absentee ballot, how does an election official know that one of those ballots has already been processed or counted?

A Well, again, if they're an absentee voter -- if a ballot is issued to -- an absentee ballot is issued to a voter, then the poll book is marked to indicate that an absentee ballot is sent to them. If that voter shows up at a polling place to vote on election day, they would be given a provisional ballot, and that provisional ballot would not be counted until it was confirmed that the absentee ballot had not been cast.

The poll books contains hundreds of examples like this one of absentee voters who were given regular ballots and signed their names over the text in the poll book where it says "Absent Voter Ballot Issued - Vote Provisional Ballot".

I'm not going to post this voter's identifying details because it's likely that it was a poorly trained election worker who gave her incorrect instructions. The absentee ballot records do not indicate that the voter returned an absentee ballot. She was credited as a provisional. There are absolutely no safeguards to prevent absentee voters from also voting at the polls, other than trusting the poorly trained election workers whom Julia Patterson doesn't want to upset by insisting that they do their jobs.

Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at April 29, 2005 03:46 PM | Email This

Comments

1. Stefan--
Remember months ago we discussed the issue of absentee ballots issues AFTER the cut-off date for printing the pollbooks. I mentioned that in Jefferson County, they keep a seperate list of all LATE ABSENTEE ballots issued and compare that list with the pollbooks (since these individuals names are already on those pollbooks).
My guess is the LATE ABSENTEE requests could be the biggest problem.

Posted by: Mr. Cynical on April 29, 2005 03:57 PM

2. And I still think that without her bleached-blond hair (or wig), Julia Patterson looks like Junior from Hee-Haw.
Perhaps whoever did that masterful work on the Logan/Yankovic lookalike could tackle this one.
Just put a crew-cut on Julia!

Posted by: Mr. Cynical on April 29, 2005 04:10 PM

3. The count every vote crowd sure doesn't want to count senate votes. Where are all those cries about voter disenfranchisement of Senators votes.

The dum tribe is nothing but a pack of lies, cheating and stealing. Never been any other way, just that in the past the media papered over the facts -- and no one could do anything about it. Now they can.

Posted by: ds on April 29, 2005 04:11 PM

4. In georgia I asked for an absentee but ended up showing up at the polls. As long as I brought along my absentee ballot to turn in I was allowed to vote on a regular ballot. Actually I tried to vote using a provisional just to see what the process was, but it was such a pain in the ass that I just turned it in and was allowed to vote normally. I don't know how often someone requests an absentee but ends up bringing it along and voting in person, but this could certainly help explain the poll books.

Posted by: Damon on April 29, 2005 04:14 PM

5. As we keep saying, the real goal for KCEs is not to explain anything, it's to pointedly make it impossible to explain anything.

I suspect the motives are

a) get an illegitimate gov...which see, and

b) something to do with concrete and iron bars.

In any event, citing such examples misses the point. You AREN'T SUPPOSED to be able to figure it out. Expecting rationality, reason, logic...any normal characteristic of integrity...is bound to be fruitless. Those things would prevent the completion of their chosen path.

Posted by: scott158 on April 29, 2005 04:24 PM

6. When are Provisional ballots supposed to be counted? Isn't it only under certain circumstances? And otherwise they are not to be counted?

Posted by: Deborah on April 29, 2005 10:59 PM