Posted on 08/02/2010 6:53:36 PM PDT by jazusamo
An article from the Denver Post highlighting Colorado’s waiver request reveals that the supposed lack of time between the Colorado primary and General election to send ballots to overseas voters is not actually the impediment to enfranchising remote military voters. In fact, the article states, “Colorado's Aug. 10 primary leaves 84 days to comply. However, under Colorado law, election officials can wait until 32 days before the election to deliver ballots to election offices.”
So despite a fairly early Primary and plenty of time to hand-draw the ballots and print every single ballot with a laser printer, the Colorado SOS and election officials will simply wait… and wait… for 84 days until day 30 or so to send the ballots and wonder aloud why hundreds or even thousands of Colorado overseas military voters are disenfranchised when they come back late. One can almost imagine some ignoring the problem, as they did in Minnesota – “isn’t that a shame” and then “move right along, there is nothing to see here!”
It appears that Colorado is more than able to meet the 45 day deadline with room to spare. Perhaps Colorado believes its state law reigns supreme over the federal MOVE Act or that they can wait out a potential DOJ lawsuit until they decide to find the political will to change the law. Perhaps at the February NASS meeting, the Colorado SOS interpreted DOJ’s “out of context” comments and subsequently failed to convey the importance of the military voting issue to the Legislature. Certainly, Colorado must believe that with DOJ on the sideline, this 84 day period just may somehow qualify under the “undue hardship” exemption. While the Colorado Legislature found the issue of medical marijuana regulation a top priority to deal with in 2010, they apparently failed to conform their state law to the 45 days mailing time for absentee ballots
Also noteworthy in the article: “Bob Carey, federal voting assistance program director for the Department of Defense, said waiver requests have been received from Washington, New York, Hawaii, Alaska, the Virgin Islands, Delaware, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. The Military Postal Service Agency urges military voters in Iraq and Afghanistan to send ballots back at least 28 days before an election, and voters at other overseas military installations at least 21 days in advance.”
Colorado is sending its ballots 30 days prior to the election. Director Carey has stated that experts have concluded that takes 28 days one way, each way, for military voters in Iraq and Afghanistan and Iraq and 21 days each way for overseas installations. In spite of these facts, Colorado has submitted a waiver indicating that sufficient time has been provided for its overseas military voters to receive and return the ballots in only 30 days. Under the scenario above with the timelines articulated by the Federal Voting Assistance Program itself, these voters will have just 2-9 days to return the ballot despite an estimated return time of 21-28 days. And if the thousands of members serving in the Armed Forces from Colorado don’t get their ballot back in time, we will have repeated the disaster of 17,000 cancelled overseas votes as in 2008.
Alaska, Maryland and the Virgin Islands have joined Hawaii, New York, Delaware and Washington as states trying to waive out of protecting military voters.
Add Colorado.
The leftist fascist fix is now beginning.
Where is the PRESS?
You're absolutely right.
The only press I expect to see pick this up is The Washington Times and Fox, the enemedia won't touch it.
I hope the next president sets up military bases , massive ones with thousands in swing states like CO, NM,FL etc and then see how those swing states swing red .
Enough of enough from the rats, they cheated in this last election, and now the fix is in again.
2012 will be millions of illegals voting and the GOP is silent
The corrupt media is silent for the most part
We have to remember that the so called media have been a disgrace and needs investigating over their bias and corrupt reporting
They need to be held accountable as the rats are getting away with all sorts right now.
Good find... but bad news.
The DemocRATS are doing everything they can to keep real Americans from voting.
This is a travesty! Some of the men and women in the field don’t have daily mail service! They are lucky to get and send mail once a week or two. FReepers will have to carry the water on this-we’ve got to make this an issue!
Duuuhhh!
simple solution, electronic ballots for the deployed military.
The majority ofmilitary votes will be conservative. And they have figured out a way to discount them already.
SHAME!!!!!And our soldiers are over there laying their lives on the line, with no vote!!!!
The soldiers in effect have NO REPRESENTATION in our government.This is fascism.
Calling Judge Susan Bolton!! Another state is trying to supersede federal law!! What’s that? She doesn’t care because this one helps Democrats? Is that how the federal bench works? OK, thanks for that info.
No waivers.
Absolutely! Our military are putting their lives on the line for all of us and to deny them the vote because they may be in a difficult area of the world is criminal!
Boulder Dementia Syndrome at its full blown worst!
then, let’s DO SOMETHING!!!!
My e-mail to the Colorado SOS:
“OMG!! Didn’t you know this has gone viral????
http://spectator.org/archives/2009/12/04/soros-eyes-secretaries
Have you been “bought and paid for” by S oros? Aren’t you worried about your reputation? I don’t think this is going to sit well with constituents with family in the military.
Joseph Stalin once remarked, ‘The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything.’”
COPY it-—SEND this EXACT one to ALL the other SOSs -—if THEY know WE know, they might start to sweat.
(and, if ALL the e-mails are identical, they’ll figure there’s a “movement” against them that is getting the word out ON them.
DO something!!! Don’t just complain!!!!
Please e-mail or call these bastards. Go to this first site to confirm the sos s.
http://nass.org/index.php?option=contact_display&state_value=AK
The SOS for Delaware does not seem to have an e-mail....his name is Jeffrey Bullock (D)—Ph: (302) 739-4111, fax: (302) 739-3811.
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