Posted on 10/23/2004 7:29:43 AM PDT by abner
GOP attacks Rendell over military ballots
MICHAEL RUBINKAM
Associated Press Writer
PHILADELPHIA (AP) _ Republican lawmakers have accused Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell of trying to suppress military votes for President Bush by failing to push for an extension of the deadline to accept overseas military and civilian ballots.
Democrats said there wasn't a ``single shred of evidence'' to back up the claim.
Nevertheless, rumors of military disenfranchisement swirled Friday. Hundreds of angry callers swamped the governor's office, forcing it to set up a recorded message: ``The governor is very aware of this issue. Please leave your name and contact information.''
With military personnel traditionally voting Republican, the GOP is eager to garner as many military votes as possible in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state in the Nov. 2 election.
Republicans want Rendell to ask the courts to extend the deadline for counting absentee military votes until Nov. 17 _ something the governor has refused to do.
On Wednesday, a federal judge sided with the Rendell administration in refusing a U.S. Justice Department request to order new absentee ballots for military families and overseas voters and to give those voters until after the election to return them because of confusion over Ralph Nader's ballot status.
``The men and women who are most affected by who becomes commander in chief, their vote is going to be denied,'' said state Rep. Stephen Barrar, R-Chester. ``If 73 percent of these votes were coming in for John Kerry, she (U.S. District Judge Yvette Kane, a Clinton appointee), would rule the other way and so would Ed Rendell.''
Thousands of military personnel from Pennsylvania serve in Iraq and other hot spots around the globe. Pennsylvania law required the state's 67 counties, which run the election system, to start mailing absentee ballots to military and civilian voters in remote parts of the world by Aug. 24. All other overseas ballots were to be sent starting Sept. 20.
Brian McDonald, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of State, said all military ballots have been mailed on time _ an assertion disputed by U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum's office, which said Union and Venango counties were late in sending their overseas ballots.
State Sen. John Pippy, R-Allegheny, said he's heard from constituents whose family members are serving overseas in the military and have yet to receive ballots. Pippy, who served nine months with the Army Reserves in Iraq and Kuwait last year, said he himself never got a ballot for the November 2003 general election.
``If there is a concern about military votes and overseas votes not being included, the easiest way to alleviate that concern is to give the extra time,'' Pippy said.
In the state's April 27 primary, Rendell successfully sought court orders to extend the deadline for absentee ballots from military families and overseas voters until May 17 _ three weeks after the election.
But Rendell spokeswoman Kate Philips said the need then was legitimate. Because of a record number of challenges to nominating petitions, many counties did not mail absentee ballots on time, making a deadline extension necessary.
``The fact is, all military and absentee ballots have been mailed in Pennsylvania and there's certainly time to return those,'' she said. ``There's an implication that (Rendell) would put party politics over his responsibility as governor, and he would never do that.''
Late Friday, Democratic House leaders accused Republicans of using a ``pathetic scare tactic'' to prop up President Bush, who trailed Sen. John Kerry in Pennsylvania in the latest Quinnipiac University poll. Republicans, including Santorum, have been making accusations against Rendell ``without a single shred of evidence,'' Minority Leader Bill DeWeese and Democratic Whip Mike Veon said in a statement.
Put politics aside, said Melissa A. Hrinya, Pennsylvania legislative chairman of the 60,000-member American Legion Auxiliary.
``All we're asking is for two more weeks. I just want them to have a fair chance of voting,'' she said.
This is the note that was attached to the article: I have attached an AP article that shows you what we are doing to express our outrage at Rendell's actions. Email your friends to alert them to his attempt to suppress the military vote and encourage them to call the Governor's office and express their outrage and they should say what county they reside in. Also, they should call talk radio to keep this going. Thanks.
I did a search and did not see it posted.
So, keep calling the Governors office and talk radio.
Can you ping your Pa list?
We need to hammer these people on this stuff. And we don't need to give a single concern whatsoever to how they may react, and the names they'll call us, and the complaints they'll register with the media. Just do the right thing, call things as they are, follow up aggressively on all voter fraud issues, and win this election.
Mo and pet: please ping your lists.
This is so important!
I just got an email yesterday from my wife's cousin who is serving in South Korea. He is registered in Pennsylvania, and NOT in one of those two counties mentioned and has NOT received his absentee ballot yet. We're only 10 days out from election day, something is horribly wrong here.
Rendell playing games... I hope the Mil Voters from PA realize they can use the federal absentee ballot as a substitute.
THE LIBERAL SCUM WILL STOP AT NOTHING TO STEAL AN ELECTION. I hope the Bush legal team is keeping track of the slimey crimes of these losers.
But I thought that there was that back-up system in place for all vets overseas where if anyone sent for their ballot on time but didn't get one can get a ballot printed out from a computer printer and send that back... or am I wrong?
Legalized fraud - pretty nifty...
5.56mm
Democrats in PA are trying to deny our Troops overseas the right to vote PING!
They can lie all they want but the fact is the ballots were mailed late. Also, the ballots they mailed on time had Naders name on them and will NOT be counted in the election. So people who returned those will lose their vote and the new ballots will not reach them in time. Demwits strike again.
This is an outrage and we should NOT JUST ACCEPT IT, they will see the fight of their administration when they deny the right to vote to men dying for this country.
We have to do something - this will not stand.
This is a back-hand boost for our side. It should help us. Folks don't like you messing with our troops. SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THIS.
I'm in York, PA, and have called 3x, but keep getting that damned recording.
Here's the PA website, and Rendell's Atty's comments on the situation:
http://www.state.pa.us/papower/cwp/view.asp?Q=438770&A=11
They're pleased with Kane's ruling against the extension for our military! Pleased!! Liberal-demokkkRAT filth!
Actually, the statement says the following:
"“The administration is also pleased that Judge Kane confirmed our position that any vote cast for Reform Party candidates Ralph Nader and Peter Miguel Camejo, who have been removed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court from Pennsylvania ballots, should be counted as write-in votes. Governor Rendell, along with the Department of State is fully committed to a fair and efficient elections process in which every vote is counted.”"
So apparantly the bad ballots won't be just thrown out.
Thanks for that link. But, it does not adequately address the question of the legality of ballots that were initially mailed, and already returned, with Nader's name on them.
Will they count?
"ATTACKS"????!!!!!! With the Libs, anything that points out an injustice or illegality or TRUTH is an "attack."
I agree . I think Republicans should file a suit against Rendell for tampering with ballots and interfering with an election. They should also appeal the district judges decision.
former PA gal
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