Ohio GOP Pre-Challenges 35,000 Voters

CNSNEWS.com ^ | 10/22/04 | Erin Brezsnyak

[kattracks]

(CNSNews.com) - The Ohio Republican Party officially filed challenges Friday to approximately 35,000 registrants in 65 counties where voter fraud is believed to have taken place.

The state's Republican Party is pre-challenging these registrants' right to vote in the 2004 presidential election because mail to the new registrants was returned as undeliverable by U.S. Postal Service authorities.

"Our goal in filing these pre-election challenges is to protect the integrity of Ohio's electoral process," said Bob Bennett, chairman of the Ohio Republican Party. "We want to ensure that voters are not disenfranchised by fraud in this election. This is an effort to clarify questionable registrations in advance so they don't become an issue on Election Day."

Earlier in the week, Bennett was joined by Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie at a news conference where he showed thousands of pieces of undeliverable mail to newly registered voters. Concern was raised when the rate of return was at an unprecedented higher rate than in the past.

At the previous news conference, Bennett cited that the normal rate of return on new registrations in less than 1 percent. However, this year the rate of return has ranged from 2 percent to 11 percent in Ohio counties.

Bennett also called on the Democratic Party to help in ensuring a fair and honest election this November, instead of making outrageous claims that the Republican Party is trying to suppress voters.

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[airborne]

VOTE PRO-CHOICE. IT"S YOUR RIGHT.

SEE YOU SOON!

[AndyJackson]

The state's Republican Party is pre-challenging these registrants' right to vote .. because mail to the new registrants was returned as undeliverable.

Why don't I believe this story? No self-respecting Republican would do something like this. Republican officials just roll. We all know that.

[westmichman]

"Some peoples ID in Fla. is a rock"
How bout "a crock"

[Miss Marple]

And, as we all learned long ago in "Miracle on 34th Street," the delivery of mail by the US Postal Service (as an arm of the US Government) certifies that someone is who he says he is.

And when it CAN'T be delivered, then that person is not at that residence and does not exist! Voila!

[MWS]

Unfortunately, those anti-American assholes make up a good portion of the population, and are most likely looking for ways to stir up violence after the election...

I'm not saying that we shouldn't do the right thing. But I am saying that we ought to prepare ourselves for what will be the result... we are most likely entering very scary times.

[KB4W]

The Democrats would then never win another seat in the House, Senate, or elsewhere.

ahhh...that'll be the day

[JesseJane]

:)... that works too!!!!

[69ConvertibleFirebird]

...you just had to show your dam photo ID when you went to vote...

I'd say photo ID and Social Security number. Then simply see that the same SS number never voted twice. I would think that this would be pretty easy...

[livius]

In other words, it's just an accounting artifact.

I believe there's a formula for sorting out the percentage of people who move every year, change their names, etc. And from what I have seen, it does not give a result anywhere near as large as this.

[KB4W]

You'd think that requiring identification to vote would be a no-brainer. At least Florida requires photo ID, unless you don't have it, then you have to sign an affidavit. And absentee ballots should be notarized.

sign an affidavit?!? polling stations are relatively close to where you live...GO HOME AND GET IT! how do people get to polling stations? drive? without your license? I know I don't leave the house without my wallet/license...you can get in alot of trouble if you get pulled over and don't have your license with you. rant off

[NonValueAdded]

See 42 USC SUBCHAPTER I-H - NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION for the guiding law. Here is the governing subsection: "Sec. 1973gg-6 Requirements with respect to administration of voter registration," but I think it would take a lawyer to figure out what actually allows election officials to reject a registration.

[Socratic]

"I believe there's a formula for sorting out..."

I'm sure you must be right.

[KB4W]

I'd say photo ID and Social Security number. Then simply see that the same SS number never voted twice. I would think that this would be pretty easy...

I don't know why we don't register by our Social Security # in the first place. Register with the social, it goes into the main national registry (so no double registry between states). when you go to your polling station, you show your ID/Social- they put it into the database, when you're done voting, that SS# is not able to vote again that day. We spend so much money and time trying to get this stuff figured out. Why doesn't anyone use any common sense?!?

[boycott]

Appears that low-life democrats were caught trying to steal the election.

Anyone committing voter fraud should spend time behind bars.

[JonDavid]

Maybe this is the reason why Paula Zahn tonight on her show claimed that Ohio is now in the Kerry column.

[acapesket]

I don't want my SS # on any national registry database that would be so easily exploited. Do it the Afghani way!

[saralianne]

Sounds like we have similar ideas. I know my idea would never fly--they'd cry disenfranchisement in a heartbeat.

I'd like to see mail-in registrations, as well as absentee ballots, notarized. Usually, there's a small fee to use a Notary Public, however, they could waive the fee for election-related items.

Here's my next disenfranchising idea...

Require some sort of biometric like a thumbprint with the registration. Then, when people go to vote, their thumb prints would be scanned and checked against a central database that would tell the election worker if the person has already voted in that election.

I know, Big Brother and disenfranchisement. It sure would take care of a lot of voter fraud, though, and it seems like there's a huge problem with it this election season.

I work for a company that is involved in biometrics--and Homeland Security--and have been part of its test program for biometrics. It's already working great. So, yeah, I guess I'm slightly biased towards the biometrics.

[saralianne]

Anyone know if OH has early voting? Makes me wonder if it's possible that some of these "unavailable" new voters have already voted.

[KB4W]

point taken, but since i cannot do anything without putting my social on it, i might as well use it for what it was meant for...identification purposes! Afghani way is also a good idea...bust out the sharpies!

[KB4W]

we have early absentee voting. we can go to the board of elections and vote if we're going to be out of town. but not like in florida where the polls are open.