Posted on 09/28/2004 3:27:57 PM PDT by Dan from Michigan
Democrats sue to allow provisional ballots cast in wrong precinct
9/28/2004, 5:20 p.m. ET
By AMY F. BAILEY
The Associated Press
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Democrats in Michigan sued the state's highest-ranking election official on Tuesday, arguing that voters who show up at the wrong polling place on Nov. 2 but are in the right city, village or township can cast a provisional ballot.
The state party and the Bay City Democratic Party filed a federal lawsuit in Bay City against Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land, a Republican. They say she is refusing to count provisional ballots of voters who accidentally go to the wrong polling place for the general election.
Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Mark Brewer said Land violated the federal voting law by ordering all of Michigan's 2,438 county and local election officials not to count provisional ballots for eligible voters who show up at the wrong precinct.
Democrats want Land to rescind her instructions to comply with federal and state election law.
Brewer said the Help America Vote Act, which Congress passed in 2002, allows voters to cast provisional ballots if they are in the correct city, village or township.
Provisional ballots are provided to voters with questionable eligibility and are set aside and counted after being inspected.
"No eligible voter should have his or her vote taken away because they mistakenly went to the wrong polling place," Brewer said in a news release.
Similar lawsuits have been filed in Colorado, Missouri and Ohio.
A spokeswoman for Land didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.
Time to get poll challengers up to Bay City.
Is it my imagination or are we only hearing about Dem "watchers" at the polls? Have the Pubs got any "watchers?"
How much intelligence does it take to go to the correct polling place?
Time to get the poll changers everywhere!
Michigan is a big stae so it would be hard for some Democrats to make it to more than three or four different polling places.
I thought "Dims' were supposed to be the party of the the "intelligent"? What next? If they vote on Wednesday the 3rd their vote should count because they forgot what day it was?
Interesting that Democrats assume that stupid people are more likely to vote for their party, isn't it?
First they vote at the wrong poll, then they cast a vote at the right poll. Then they get two votes...
Sorry; but, this seems a bit goofy. I have polling places within walking distance of my house but the one they usually route me to is 5 miles on the other side of town. Probably on purpose to discourage people from getting out to vote. So to me, this makes some sense. Let people vote in the place they're closest to. That would make life easier on a lot of people. But then so would having the vote held in a warm month and perhaps on an existing holiday when the country is all off work. Too much to ask - I know.
The policy in my county in a western state is that "no voters are turned away." When the voter cannot be found in the pollbook at the pollsite, the pollsite inspector calls the designated "help" line, which is central Elections Office. At the help line, people and computers are setup to determine where the legal voter is suppose vote and if the voter is indeed a registered voter. Each person's information from the completed registration form is in the computer program. When the voter is in the wrong place, the inspector is designated to inform the voter of their correct pollsite. The voter has the option of going to their correct pollsite or vote a provisional ballot. The voter is told that voting a provisional ballot indicates the voter will possibly not be voting on issues affecting them, i.e., bonds, levies, etc. and candidates running for office, depending upon where they are. The state law has a timeframe for signing up people as voters, like 3 weeks before the election as an example. If the voter registers anytime after the designated cutoff, the vote is not counted but you don't tell the voter that. Instead, the inspector is told to give the voter a provisional ballot and a NEW registration form to fill out. Even though their vote isn't counted because of state regulations, the voter is registered for the next election.
Let every felon vote!
Let every person who can't figure out where to go vote!
Let every homeless person vote!
Let every mentally ill person vote!
Let every illegal alien vote!
Let everyone who is outside the US but once a citizen or illegal alien of this country vote!
Let every dead person, registered as a democrat vote!
Let every rich person with two home, but registered as a democrate vote twice!
Let Jimmy Carter count them.
They are doing the same thing in Ohio.
More likely, the ones using the provisional voting options will be voting in 8, 10, 12, or more precincts.
Democrats intend to cheat bigger than usual this year, in as many ways as possible. Since the Republicans ignore the vote fraud, there is no incentive for Democrats to be honest.
If I were king, vote fraud would be a capital crime, punishment would be immediate, and the carcasses would adorn the lampposts just outside the polling places. Stern, but effective.
Also called ballot box stuffing.
If you were King, why would there be any voting?
Well, I don't know how it is in other states, but in California you just go to the address printed on your sample ballot. Pretty simple.
Just for practice.
Lansing (MI) clerk wading through bogus voter forms (Voter Fraud!)
Posted by Kieri
On News/Activism 09/29/2004 8:35:07 AM PDT
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1230376/posts
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.