Posted on 10/30/2004 10:15:35 PM PDT by Mike Fieschko
After waging a successful campaign to extend the deadline for accepting overseas military ballots, Republicans turned their attention to the prison vote Friday, vowing to challenge the legitimacy of all absentee ballots received from any Pennsylvania correctional facility."We have every reason to believe that there has been gross abuse of the absentee ballot process in the prison system," said U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon, R-7, of Thornbury.
While waiting to begin a press conference outside Philadelphia’s Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility Friday afternoon, Weldon said he watched the crime he was prepared to speak about unfold before his eyes.
"Four girls walked out from the prison who had clearly been doing some kind of election work," he said. "When (state Rep.) Steve Barrar and I went up and asked them what they were doing, they said ‘We can’t tell you.’
"We told them who we were and asked if they had collected any absentee ballots while they were in the prison. Sure enough, one of them pulled out a ballot and showed it to us. It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen -- just the type of illegal, third-party handling of ballots that we had been tipped off about. And there were TV crews there filming the whole thing."
Weldon said former U.S. Attorney Robert E.J. Curran would be filing a suit in federal court challenging the legitimacy of all absentee ballots that originated from Pennsylvania prisons.
Barrar received a call from a prison source earlier this week who told him canvassers were entering Curran-Fromhold and helping prisoners with their ballots. "I can’t believe that people are allowed to just come and go from the prison with absentee ballots in their hands," said Barrar, R-160, of Upper Chichester. "There was absolutely no oversight."
Weldon and Barrar claimed the girls coming out of the prison were in no mood to chat. "The one girl tried to conceal the ballot by putting it under her jacket as we approached them," Barrar said. "After a few questions they ran away. Clearly, there was some criminal intention on their part ..If the prison tries to say this is an isolated case, it’s bull. There has to be an investigation."
A spokesman for the prison system, reached after the press conference, did not offer a comment on the incident.
State law prohibits incarcerated, convicted felons from submitting an absentee ballot. Pretrial detainees and misdemeanants are eligible to vote by absentee ballot.
According to Weldon, 20 prisoners at the Delaware County prison registered to vote, and just two mailed in their absentee ballots.
This is getting a lot of air time on local talk radio. They are hoping to get it onto Drudge, and then national news before the election.
And still not one word of condemnation of such activities by kerry. It says so much about his (lack of) Character
This is ridiculous, everyone knows these poor people in prisons are just victims and are innocent it is wrong not to let them vote. And we all know how honest convicted criminals are./sarcasm...
The entire reason why prison members were denied the vote...is because in non-modern times, you had to go to a polling station. Absentee ballots didn't come into being till the 1940s (WW II) and were normally reserved for military members. Personally, after the guy has done his time...I don't have a problem with him having the right to vote. This should not be the issue here. These four girls, who obviously were cheating the system...deserve a month in the local prison. They earned it
better check your history on why felons could not vote...including those on parole...and why are some felons barred from voting for life not just while in the slammer?
Smart move. It's amazing that the Pubbies haven't challenged the Democratic machine voting fraud before now. It's about time!!!
And the other 18 will miraculously have been found to have voted on election day...esp. those in Philly wards with 100% voting participation.
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