Posted on 11/12/2004 12:27:12 PM PST by Tribune7
More than 120 million Americans, or nearly 60 percent of all eligible voters, cast ballots in the Nov. 2 presidential election.
Approximately 50 residents of the Cardinal Krol Center - an intermediate care facility for individuals with mental retardation -- made sure they were included in that figure.
The facility is administered by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and is in Marple's Fourth Ward. The men voted at Loomis Elementary School. Welcomed by Judge of Elections Michael McNally, they exercised their right to help determine the occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for the next four years.
"They want to be here," said Commissioner John Lucas (R-4). "They are adamant about wanting to vote."
(Excerpt) Read more at zwire.com ...
It doesn't appear to be as bad an idea as it sounds.
ping
As long as they wanted to do it themselves, and weren't "encouraged" by their caretakers, I don't see any problem with this. Within their limits, they can certainly understand enough of the issues to make an informed decision.
I bet they voted for BUSH!
How come those 50 are so special? 55,949,407 other mentally retarded voters went to the polls, too...
Ha ha ha ha ha!!!!
Thanks!
Depends on their level of retardation (I know that sounds like a joke, but I'm serious.)
I've worked with developmentally disabled children and adults for decades. There are some in group homes who might follow the elections and have a favorite, but not many.
As for the rest, the helpful workers (union) who drive them to the polls will often go into the voting booth with them to 'assist' them in using the machine. You know, showing them which buttons to press or levers to pull.
What happens is that the Dems bring them in by bus and then a "helper" goes in with them into the voting booth! Gee I can't imagine which party they vote for.
When I asked the election official why there isn't a mental requirement to vote she just feigned ignorance. No way do these poor unfortunate people have any idea what they are doing there or voting for. Of course, neither did 55 Million DemonRats either!
Did they vote Democrat or Republican? </sarcasm>
Marple went Pub.
LOLOLOLOLOL
"As long as they wanted to do it themselves, and weren't "encouraged" by their caretakers"...
And just what do you think the chances of that were?
Anyone retarded enough to be institutionalized has no business
voteing or even handeling their bank account.
I've worked with MANY "retarded" individuales who were competant enough to manage thier own lives with a little friendly oversite. None of them have the slightest interest in politics.
When are you going to face up to the real issue?
Kerry sucked. No matter how you spin HIS defeat, he was a terrible candidate. There wasn't a ballot for NOT BUSH, idiot.
Uh. Ok. Now, to whom was this supposed to be addressed?
This is interesting and would like to share a similar experience. I live in Franklin County, Ohio, the Battleground County of the Battleground state.
Anyway, when I went to the polls there was a healthy line. Among the waiters were four young men who appeared to have Down's Syndrome. One young man ahead of me was led into the voting booth and was clearly unable to operate the automated voting machine. An older womean who was with him, it could have been his mother or a guardian of some sort, asked if she could assist him. (She had voted immediately ahead of her ward) The poll workers agreed and she entered the booth with her the young man. I was standing just a few feet away so permitting me to see that she was simply voting for him. There was no attempt to assist him in making a choice of his own. She simply pushed the buttons while he sat unmoving on a stool.
I imagine this is a legal practice: after all, the handicapped often need assistance to vote. Certainly this would be true of the blind. But sheesh. The reality of the situation is that this woman got two votes. That just doesn't seem right. Considering how stressful things were here in Central Ohio, the whole affair kind of upset me.
(Hint: Bush had 60,000,000 plus votes, not 56,000,000.)
Unless they have a guradian ad litum, they are citizens in good standing and have every right to cast their vote, regardless of whom they want to vote for.
I must still be in a post-election glow, because I was just gonna let it go LOL...
This happens with mentally challenged persons throughout the country.
The unions are swift though, they know they can't say, "you want to vote for Kerry, right?" So they preprogram their clients with the name of the person they want them to vote for and go, "who do you want to vote for."
Those who have a court-ordered declaration of mental incompetency can not vote. Others can. I am sure the union thugs know which have a court order and which don't and bring mainly the non-judically declared, but really mentally incompetent folks to the polls.
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