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ping and an addtional not of interest.

http://www.news-miner.com/Stories/0,1413,113~7252~2670915,00.html

No matter how it's looked at, the Alaska Democratic Party's program of getting people to apply for absentee ballots by mail last fall raises questions and should not be allowed to recur--by any political party. Whether the Democratic Party had any sinister intentions by inserting itself between voters and the state Division of Elections isn't known and is largely irrelevant. What matters most is the appearance that something might have been amiss, either with the electoral process or with the handling of information contained on the ballot application.

Alaskans cannot allow the perception that something might be irregular with the electoral process--any part of it, from voter registration, to absentee ballot applications, to voting, and, finally, to the tallying.

The Alaska Democratic Party's effort to encourage people to vote by absentee ballot, through filling out an application printed up by the party but based on the state's application, seemed an appropriate cause. No one could argue with the need to have more people participate in the election, even if the party's motive naturally is for political gain.

What happened next is where problems might have occurred and why the law must be changed: The Democrats' absentee ballot effort had people mailing their completed ballot applications, which contained more information than that required by the state, to the party and on open-faced forms for all to see. So much for privacy. The party then delivered the applications to the Division of Elections. Having voters send their ballot applications to anyone other than the state is wrong, though apparently legal.

This is an excerpt.