Posted on 10/14/2004 11:37:57 AM PDT by 11th_VA
TOLEDO, Ohio -- In a victory for the Democrats, a federal judge ruled Thursday that Ohio voters who show up at the wrong polling place on Election Day can still cast ballots as long as they are in the county where they are registered.
U.S. District Judge James Carr blocked a directive from Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell, a Republican, who recently announced that poll workers must send voters to their correct precinct.
The judge said that voters who show up at the wrong polling place after moving without notifying the elections board, and those whose names cannot be found on the registration rolls, should be able to cast provisional ballots there.
Denying any voter the right to a provisional vote will erode confidence in the election and lessen the incentive to vote, the judge said.
"Lessened participation at the polls diminishes the vitality of our democracy," Carr said.
The decision is a victory for the Ohio Democratic Party and a coalition of labor and voter rights group, which said Blackwell's order discriminates against the poor and minorities.
If you are too dumb to follow the rules and not know what is going on, you shouldn't be allowed to vote. Why do all Democrats want us to live in a lawless society?
This is an obvious invitation to vote multiple times and force the Republicans to take legal action after the election is over. It HAS to be appealed.
How hard is it to figure out where to vote? I mean, these people presumably can find the welfare office, the DMV, etc., but somehow they can't find the polling places?
This will be appealed.....I'll bet me life on it.....especially since we have a republican State Supreme court.
Democrats aren't the only ones who vote.
When I vote, I have to sign a big book next to my name, to ensure I don't vote twice.
So, how exactly would this work?
This is ridiculous.
???? Is there anything to stop Democrats from voting at ALL the precincts in one country?
But Dems cheat a whole lot more than Repubs.
Typical. The left is patronizing the "poor an dminorities" because they believe them to be too stupid to register and change their voter registration.
And what party does Judge James Carr belong to?
If these idiots show up at the wrong polling place, there will be no evidence of their correct addresses or I.D.
Some could even vote two or three times within the same county and simply hope any questionable results are checked sometime in December.
Democrats cheat.
This judge is a Clinton appointee, born in Boston Mass.
Not a surprise he would rule this way.
Provisional ballots where you attach your personal information. If it was found later that you had voted in more than one place your ballot would not count.
This comes from legislation passed by Congress after the last election.
Not only provisional ballots, but am I right in my concern that workers outside a precinct are not going to be as well equipt determine if someone's voter registration card is valid for someone outside their own precinct?
They will vote multiple times.
It's a ballot box coup d'etat.
The DemonCraps are Bolsheviks/Nazis, taking power by illegal means.
I would hope and pray that anyone that shows up needing a "provisional" ballot because they are too dumb or lazy to find the right voting station will have their name recorded in some ledger.....or is Ohio one of those states that don't require ID to vote? This just invites voter booth hopping on election day!! What a sham.
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.