Thanks to everyone for sending their findings of people who are registered to vote at bogus residences, discovered using the new online statewide voter database. I'll post examples of these as a recurring feature, until either (a) our elections officials actually do their jobs and clean up the voter rolls, or (b) I can't stand doing it any more.
Today's installment of "Bogus Voting Residences" is Microsoft worldwide corporate headquarters, 1 Microsoft Way in Redmond, where 6 people are registered to vote. Thanks to several readers for the tip.
[Our first installment in the series was yesterday's "Seattle Office Towers". Please send me your findings of Bogus Voting Residences from the online statewide database. Please do NOT post links to database queries in the comments.
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at February 08, 2006 08:44 PM | Email ThisDeanron will hold out even longer now that they can see a glimmer of hope in outlasting you. :-)
Posted by: Micajah on February 8, 2006 09:37 PMFair question. They're supposed to use their last legal residential address. See this website for more information
http://www.fvap.gov/index.html
In this case, I don't have a problem with them doing this. Not just because I work for Microsoft too, but because this is at least an address where they can recieve mail. And their employment with a Redmond based company also lends weight to their assertion that they are legally entitled to vote in Washington, even though they are currently living overseas.
What good would it do to list your last legal residence if you have no connection to that anymore? You wouldn't recieve mail there, and it would cast even more doubt on your status as a legitimately registered voter. What if the person I purchased my house from two years ago did that? And I then look up my own address and find someone's name who I think shouldn't be registered here. I think that whole "Last legal residence" thing simply doesn't make any sense.
Posted by: Jason on February 8, 2006 11:16 PMIt's a fair statement about getting one's mail at work, especially if you work overseas and the company will forward your mail to you. However, they can list their business address as their mailing address.
Posted by: Darth Voter on February 8, 2006 11:39 PMAll Washington state citizens need to phone, fax or email their respective Senator and Representatives and ask them to vote "NO" against these bills.
If passed, these bills will require that our tax dollars be spent on printing and providing bilingual voting registration forms, ballots and all voting material for any language group, including having interpreters at the polling place.
In the words of Theodore Roosevelt, 1907 "We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language."
It is not our responsibility to learn to speak 300 languages, it is the immigrants responsibility to learn to read, write and speak English and assimilate into our society, not ours into theirs.
Speak what you want at home, but in public places, speak ENGLISH.
Posted by: Leon on February 9, 2006 01:40 AMAs Stefan pointed out a visit to this website will detail the accommodations for voting while away. The form requires the voter to provide their last registered address and space is provided for a mailing address. The ballots may be transmitted in some cases, depending on county, electronically by fax or even email. I suspect that the reasons the last registered address is a requirement is 1.)to prevent the possibilities of two ballots for one person. One to the last registered address and one to the new registered address and 2.)to count the vote in the proper precinct. For example if the person lived in Snohomish and registered in Renton (Microsoft), then that person will be voting on school bonds for Renton not on bond issues in Snohomish where they may have an interest. Good grief, traveling and working afar is not new. Regulations exist to provide for that contingency.There is simply no valid argument to register your residency at your company address. Your mailing address may be at the company.
Posted by: Snuffy on February 9, 2006 07:08 AMMaybe they're Ooompa Loompas.
Posted by: ScottM on February 9, 2006 07:10 AMHmmm...I'm not sure where to go with this, and I suspect you don't either. Do we...
---Ignore the law? Who decides what laws get ignored?
---Change the law? I don't see that a person living overseas should be voting anything but a Federal ballot. While this person may plan to come back to the US, even Redmond, there's no indication he would be living in the same precinct...or in this case, that he ever lived in that precinct.
Posted by: South County on February 9, 2006 07:38 AMHaving lived and worked overseas myself a couple of times, it makes sense to me that someone currently residing outside the country (and who is not maintaining a local residential address) should list their overseas address as their current residence. They should not be voting on precinct-level ballot issues (levies, bonds, etc.), as they are (presumably) not currently contributing to them. This of course would not be true if they are maintaining their local residential address, paying property taxes, etc. (as we did once, with other family members in residence during our absence).
Posted by: Patrick on February 9, 2006 08:14 AMPersonal mail is not to be sent nor received here at Microsoft. Any incoming mail deemed personal is subject to return. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and adherence to this policy.
So...it's both illegal AND against the Company's stated policy on mail.
Could any mail be "deemed more personal"?
These registrations should be changed to other locations.
Posted by: Matt on February 9, 2006 11:38 AMWhy am I not surprised? (Irony here is pretty deep - these are the guys that feign ignorance of many other federal and international laws, so I guess it runs pretty deep.)
Posted by: steve miller on February 9, 2006 12:34 PMAs has been proven in Arizona in particular, we ain't there yet. Y'all git busy in Redmond, ok?
Posted by: SnoCo Voter on February 9, 2006 12:49 PMThis information was provided by the Kitsap County Auditor’s Office of Elections. I discovered that the person who sold us her house in 2004 was still registered at the house. The prior owner moved out of the State of Washington. I was told by the county that the voter registration for the prior owner will only change because one of the following occurs: a) the voter sends a notice of change to the Kitsap County Auditor, b) I locate the voter’s new address and challenge the voter’s registration, or c) mail sent to the voter from the Auditor’s office in two consecutive federal elections is returned to the Auditor’s office which then allows the county auditor to invalidate the voter’s registration. These are the only options per the county auditor. If Microsoft is returning voter mail to the auditor, the county will be able to change these registrations after two federal elections.
Posted by: Gordon on February 9, 2006 09:31 PM