It sounds crazy, but it's true.
Ohio law allows anyone to request an absentee ballot on any piece of paper they wish, as long as they include certain information. You include that information, and it checks out, then you get an absentee ballot. Period. That's the law.
The McCain/Palin campaign has provided forms which has all that information, a form that has been used in Ohio many times in the past. In addition to the required information, there's a checkbox next to the statement "I am a qualified elector." This checkbox has nothing to do with Ohio state law.
But Ohio's Democratic Secretary of State said that the forms shall not be honored if the checkbox is not checked. Even though the box is unneeded, by not checking it voters are essentially admitting they're not eligible, Brunner said.
Perhaps the voter is simply aware of the law that does not require that checkbox? Or perhaps the voter is confused about what "qualified elector" means? Or maybe they've filled it out in the past, and know that it has been accepted without the check?
Her argument is basically that the law requires a "statement that the person requesting the ballots is a qualified elector." She is arguing that if the checkbox were not there, it would be a legal form, but since it is there, it needs to be checked to be legal. Even though the law doesn't require it.
It's absolute insanity. She is an elected Democrat clearly trying to disenfranchise explicitly Republican voters ... and doing so at a huge cost to taxpayers, as the state officials are required to notify each voter who left off the checkbox and mail them a new form.
Thankfully, the McCain campaign is suing her.
(Oh, and if you're a Democrat thinking "well, the Republicans stole Ohio in 2004!," no, in fact, they didn't.)
Cross-posted on <pudge/*>.
Posted by pudge at September 26, 2008 09:58 AM | Email ThisDo you think the dem's are worried?
Pulling stuff like this, doesn't help them. (can you say lawsuit)
Dumb
Posted by: Army Medic/Vet on September 26, 2008 10:38 AMFurther, as I pointed out, people who left it unchecked could have done so because they knew that the law, and precedent, did not require it, in which case there is no demonstration of any lack of intelligence on anyone's part but your own, for making a false assumption.
Posted by: pudge on September 26, 2008 10:51 AMThere is NO LEGAL REQUIREMENT to check the box! The law does not require the box to be checked.
Please try to educate yourself before joining the adults in conversation, OK?
Posted by: Shanghai Dan on September 26, 2008 11:01 AMThe president must have the good sense to know what is important and when to focus on a national problem like a laser beam. Obama failed the test. "Call me if you need me" while our country heads toward a depression isn't leadership, it is laziness.
Posted by: pbj on September 26, 2008 11:05 AMA non required by law box left unmarked and it is NO SOUP for You.
Dems you hate me, you hate my land, you hate life; get your hypocrisy ladened face outa here.
The constitution is not a place where you hide your schemes to plot the destruction of my land. Live by it or you surely are slashing your own throat. You should be thankful it exists but you hate it and it shows.
Posted by: Col. Hogan on September 26, 2008 11:36 AMAt what point does basic common sense enter into the equation? You are nitpicking over a stupid checkbox. It is not rocket science. Just check the darn thing. In other words, do what you have to do to make sure your vote counts and not worry about picking fights over a check box.
That is almost as bad as the D's crying over Republican vs. GOP.
Poor Republicans, victims of their own incompetence.
Posted by: RobertSeattle on September 26, 2008 12:20 PMRobertSeattle: nice question-begging fallacy. There is no proof the forms WERE faulty.
Vince: no, it's the Democratic Secretary of State who is nitpicking.
Patrick: yep, exactly.
I hope this goes straight to the supreme court so that the libs can cry about how SCOTUS stole another election when the liberal idiots get soundly beaten up.
Posted by: johnny on September 26, 2008 01:21 PMI heard Barney Frank after the meeting on CSPAN. What a disgrace of a human being he is. Not only is this guy eyeball deep in obstructing attempts to reform Fannie Mae for years, but now he has the gall to get up in front of the cameras and blame everyone else, while trying to allege that McCain was incoherent in the meeting that Obama totally failed to help in, and in fact, poisoned the whole opportunity. Now Barney Frank and Chris Dodd are at the center of trying to fix this mess? You've got to be kidding. They should be run out of Congress for their obstruction of reform that has led to this crisis. In fact, Frank whouldhave been run out of Congress years ago for pressuring colleagues to come to the aid of his homosexual partner caught up running a male prostitution ring out of Franks' congressional office.
As for another Democrat trying to disqualify voters, is that really news to anyone anymore? The only voters Democrats want registered are the folks with no knowledge of what is going on so they can deceive them into canceling out informed voters. That's the foundation American Democrats are working to build this nation on - people who are clueless and misinformed that will buy into the left's lies and vote for Democrats.
Posted by: Reality on September 26, 2008 01:29 PMhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Blackwell
Posted by: GOP Hypocrites Unite! on September 26, 2008 01:44 PMAh, I wasn't talking to you?
see post 24.
I read what he put up and it doesn't say zip. That's what I was talking about. (-:
PS. the site is also wiki.
Posted by: Army Medic/Vet on September 26, 2008 02:11 PMNever. When it comes to election law, there's LAW that dictates not any version of "sense". Either something is or is not permissible by law.
Posted by: Cecil on September 26, 2008 02:17 PMYou are an idiot. Ken Blackwell IS a minority. Trying to accuse him of "disenfranchising minorities" is ludicrous.
Posted by: pbj on September 26, 2008 04:33 PMHow do you know the application are "from Republicans"?
Not all of them are, certainly, but a HUGE majority of them are, because they come from the McCain campaign.
Sound mute anyway - the board just has to send out the applicant a new application.
That assumes the person will get the application (because mail never gets lost, right?), that they realize they have to return it (after all, they already sent in a legal application), that they do it all in time for the election (because people sometimes go away for weeks, or get busy), and so on.
So no, it's not moot at all. They already turned in a legal request for an absentee ballot, and it is the legal obligation of the state to honor that request.
No, again, the Ohio Secretary of State who is disobeying the letter of the law is a DEMOCRAT.