Posted on 10/28/2004 9:29:30 PM PDT by Santana
Election commission rejects GOP complaint on voter rolls
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October 28, 2004
MILWAUKEE - The city’s election commission voted 3-0 Thursday to throw out a complaint alleging that more than 5,600 addresses on the city’s voter rolls may not exist. The complaint was filed three minutes before the city’s deadline Wednesday by Andrew Narrai, with the support of the Republican Party of Wisconsin.
Commission member Victoria Toliver, who introduced the motion to reject the complaint, said the burden of proof necessary to disenfranchise the voters had not been met.
At a special meeting Thursday, the commission heard from James Konawalski of Cedarburg, who said he ran the city’s more than 300,000 addresses through tracking software used by the U.S. Postal Service. He said it showed that mail was undeliverable to 5,619 addresses on the list.
Konawalski said he personally only went to three of the addresses to verify whether they existed, and was unsure of one of them because the last digit of the address was missing on the outside of a boarded-up building.
The GOP said it visited 37 of the addresses, and taken pictures showing vacant lots, a gyro stand, a park and spots between two houses where the addresses should have been.
But Narrai said he personally had not checked any of the addresses and had filed the complaint at the request of his wife, who had worked with the state GOP on voter registration issues but couldn’t file the complaint in time herself.
Matthew O’Neill, deputy state counsel for the campaign of Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, asked the commission to throw out the complaint.
He questioned, among other things, whether some of the mistakes could be the result of typographical errors and others could be addresses of people who registered years ago.
GOP spokesman Chris Lato said the party routinely checks voter rolls to purge files and was interested in the city because of the large number of new voter registrations for Tuesday’s presidential election.
‘‘George Bush lost the state by 5,708 votes (in 2000), so these kinds of things do matter,’’ Lato said.
But George Twigg, Kerry’s Wisconsin campaign director, said the move by the GOP was ‘‘part of a consistent effort on their part to try and call the legitimacy of the electoral system into question.’’
Donald Daugherty, an attorney for Narrai and the GOP, said even if a voter’s name was removed as a result of the complaint, people could still register to vote on Election Day by presenting proper identification.
He said no immediate decision had been made on whether to appeal the commission’s decision.
Mayor Tom Barrett said his office, the city attorney’s office and the district attorney’s office were reviewing the matter, saying the registrations ‘‘are ripe for challenge.’’
‘‘I expect to see further challenges on Election Day,’’ he said.
The mayor urged voters to bring identification with them to the polls.
Barrett said part of the problem with the challenge was the people registered at those addresses were not present at the meeting to defend themselves. If challenges are made at the polls on Election Day, potential voters would be there to respond, he said.
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Associated Press
I'm embarrassed to say I lived in Milwaukee for several years. Maybe these non existent people won't show up to vote.
Think you're embarrassed?
Try living in Massachusetts.
This is moot. Wisconsin is going to President Bush this election. You heard it here first . . .
I hope Wisconson doesn't have a mail in early ballot system like we do in Arizona, that is how elections are stolen in border communitys.
If the addresses are phoney, how could the registered people be there to defend themselves? That's STUPID!
I can't find the words to describe what I think of this statement
Face it, Milwaukee is a stupid city. Barrett was the more honest choice in the election.
I still get angry at the democrats who care nothing about an honest election. Why are they not concerned? They know they cannot win if the election is honest.
I did live in Massachusetts. Hubby was stationed at Fort Devens. then we moved to Wisconsin and then Illinois.
I hope that beginning next year, Congress will enact a uniform system to vote in all federal elections. Many may not agree, but I think we will need a Federal Voter ID Card. Right now, I can see of no other way to stop the democrats and their voter fraud efforts. Require that everyone physically able appear at the voter registration and obtain a piture Voter ID Card.
I don't know at this point how to handle those unable to register in person, but certainly some way can be found.
I dare say that current voter rolls would be reduced by 10%. The democrats would call that voter intimidation. My question is this, why is it more intimidating than going to get a driver's license. Proof of ID, proof of residence, etc. with a voter registration no. on the card, with each state having a different beginning no., and even conties within the state assigned a unique no. would cut down if not almost eliminate fraud.
In any case, you have my sympathy! ;o)
try living in new york city.
And of course asking for ID will be considered "voter intimidation".
"But George Twigg, Kerry’s Wisconsin campaign director, said the move by the GOP was ‘‘part of a consistent effort on their part to try and call the legitimacy of the electoral system into question.’’
That AUDACITY of the GOP to be interested in a legitmate electoral system. How un-Democratic! (Democratic Party, that is).
Every vote counts . . . Including the FAKE ones!!
Thanks,sort of.
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