Posted on 10/17/2006 6:39:58 PM PDT by mdittmar
Just in case any American on Earth hasn't heard about the Mark Foley sex scandal, the State Department sent an e-mail advisory Tuesday to U.S. citizens in Iraq alerting them of the congressman's resignation.
The message went out to all citizens registered at the U.S. Consul in Baghdad -- and possibly in other countries -- reminding them that, if they are Florida voters who live in the 16th Congressional District, a vote for Foley is actually a vote for his Republican replacement, state Rep. Joe Negron.
''Foley's name will remain on the ballot for both absentee and regular ballots,'' the e-mail reads. ``Any votes cast for Foley will count toward the total of the substitute candidate.''
Officials from the campaign for Negron's Democratic challenger, Tim Mahoney, are livid over the correspondence, saying it is a Republican ploy to maintain the GOP stronghold in Congress.
''Here they go again -- Karl Rove and his crowd are interfering with another Florida election,'' said Charles Halloran, a spokesman for the Mahoney campaign.
But Negron scoffs at those accusations, saying it is only fair that absentee voters overseas be informed of the unusual twist in the election to fill the district seat, which represents eight counties and stretches from one coast of Florida to the other.
''It's important that people -- all over -- know how their vote is going to be counted,'' he said. ``Their votes are just as important as our votes.''
Negron joined the race just over two weeks ago, after Foley was forced to resign following revelations that he sent explicit Internet messages to teenage boys who worked as congressional pages. Since then, it has become one of the most watched races in the nation.
A legal battle is also underway over election procedures. Today, the Florida Democratic Party is scheduled to be in court in Tallahassee to try to stop elections officials from posting signs in polling places alerting voters that a vote for Foley means a vote for Negron. Under state law, Foley's name will stay on the ballot.
Because of the confusion, the U.S. Department of Defense Federal Voting Assistance Program, which educates American voters worldwide of their right to vote, issued a news release Monday explaining Foley's resignation.
That release was copied word for word and turned into the e-mail, which the State Department sent as a so-called ''warden message'' to embassies worldwide, said Laura Tischler, a spokeswoman for the State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs.
The embassies and consulates then decide whether to forward those messages on to Americans who have registered with them, Tischler said.
The U.S. Consul in Baghdad sent out the message at 7:25 a.m. Tuesday, according to a copy of the e-mail obtained by The Miami Herald.
''The goal is to reach as many Americans as we can and let them know the procedures for voting and any special circumstances that may pertain to them in their home region,'' said Tischler, who did not immediately know how many Americans received the State Department's e-mail about Foley's resignation.
The warden messages are routinely sent to Americans who travel or live in foreign countries and address road closures, weather alerts and travel warnings, Tischler said. Business people, contractors, American exchange students and journalists are among those who sign up for the alerts.
Since Monday, for example, warden messages have been sent to registered Americans about a heightened state of security in the Philippines, a demonstration scheduled in front of the consulate in Johannesburg, South Africa, and violence in Sri Lanka.
Ditto!
Negron gets a gift. He can hang this around Mahoneys neck with ease: "Another Dem tries to disenfranchise military voters in Florida!"
Competition is something that the Commies down at the DNC just can't handle. DemocRAT girlymen just can't compete. They are losers.
Dems worst nightmare.
An informed voter.
Hmmmm...it seems pretty obvious to me that NOT informing the electorate of the change (Foley's resignation and Negron being the actual candidate to whom the vote would go to) would be disenfranchising them...
sheesh, democrats can only win if they can trick the people into voting for them, i really believe that.
this from the party who bitched and whined about the rights of voters to not be disenfranchised and who broke the rules in putting Laudenburg in NJ is a hoot
anyone remember their reasoning to the courts for breaking the rules in NJ?
DemocRATS are whacked!
Their motivation is so clear. Why are thy still able to get away with this kind of crap?
Negron's chances rise as demorats once again try to overplay a good hand they've been dealt.
Once again (just like 2000), Democrats trying to disenfranchise the votes of men and women serving in the military. Scumbags.
That was my first thought -- REMEMBER THE TORCH?
are we still debating this....its over....done let it die.... damn
Their motivation is so clear. Why are thy still able to get away with this kind of crap?
Cause the MSM/DBM are their a$$hole buddies.
What a dirty trick--providing voters with information! How dare they?
***rolls eyes***
This what?
Oh, like the whole Foley affair isn't a Democrat ploy to take control of Congress?
I'm not defending what Foley did, but if Democrats knew and held onto the information until now, then they can't complain about people trying to inform voters in the name of maintaining the majority in the House.
-PJ
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