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.
Just sent this for submission to the Philadelphia Inquirer Letter to the Editor (inquirer.letters@phillynews.com). Those commies won’t publish it, but I had to do something. Feel free to use in your local PA paper if you like.
Very nice.
Nice going. Even if they won't publish our letters, the more letters they receive the more they are apt to maybe do a little more digging. Might result in negative news coverage for Rendell.
Send comments to Philadelphia Inquirer Letter to the Editor (inquirer.letters@phillynews.com)
Send a letter today. Even if the Phila Inquirer won't publish our letters, the more letters they receive, the more they are apt to do a little more digging. Might result in negative news coverage for Rendell which would be good for GWB.
Send comments to Philadelphia Inquirer Letter to the Editor (inquirer.letters@phillynews.com)
Mo1,I just called.It was recording.I left my name and phone # and said my granddaughter just returned from Iraq and this needs to be taken care of and for them to contact me.
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.
bump!
Done! Thanks, Liz.
Great.......nice job.
Look, it's not just N.C.
My daughter, who's in school in NY just got her absentee ballot Friday. They were supposed to be sent out the first week of October. Last week a Bush campaign worker came to my door. I asked him about it, and he said the county staff was swamped with all the late registrations, but would have the absentee ballots out next week - which turned out to be accurate.
Something I've been wondering about all those registrations - was that all also a ploy to make the election invalid and drag it into the courts? If county staff doesn't have the help to handle all the thousands of registrations that arrived in bulk the last few days, how can they handle all the other election stuff like have the ballots printed and distributed, getting the absentee ballots out, ensuring they have enough people lined up for the count, etc. When even a small rural county gets inundated with registrations in the last week, think of how much disruption (and later lawsuit potential) that has created across the country?
Send a letter today. Even if the Phila Inquirer won't publish our letters, the more letters they receive, the more they are apt to do a little more digging. Might result in negative news coverage for Rendell which would be good for GWB.
Send comments to Philadelphia Inquirer Letter to the Editor (inquirer.letters@phillynews.com)
BUMP
I'll bet it is- can you hear the fake compassion of the demoncraps now- "We must delay the count until all the absentee/military votes are in. (And we can make up more votes for Kerry)"
abner,Bump.
Don't let the bastard gubner and his thugging democrat administration vote until every soldier serving overseas has cast their vote.
I can't take much more of this bump!
Deja Vu Bump
abner,I am waiting for a phone call.I left my # and I live in PA and I care about the military vote-Karen -my granddaughter just got back and her room-mate was hit by a roadside boomb.Rendell,Did you know her room-mate in Iraq had 2 fingers blown off .
Will do.
Oh my! So sorry.
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