Posted on 10/18/2006 7:24:30 PM PDT by Alter Kaker
The Republican Party’s hopes of holding on to the Florida 16th District seat of resigned Florida Republican Rep. Mark Foley are greatly hindered by the fact that Foley’s name, under state law, must stay on the ballot — even though votes cast for him will be counted for state Rep. Joe Negron, the replacement candidate picked by GOP officials.
And the GOP endured another hit Wednesday when a state judge, ruling on a lawsuit brought by Democratic activists, barred state election officials from posting signs at voting locations and delivering notices about the ballot situation to 16th District voters.
Second Judicial Circuit Judge Janet E. Ferris ruled that a state-run information campaign to inform voters about what critics argue was an internal Republican Party foulup would do “irreparable injury” to Democratic nominee Tim Mahoney and his supporters.
Ferris wrote that elections supervisors are “ordered not to post the proposed notice, and may not deliver the notice to individual voters posing questions about the race in question.” Negron’s campaign and the secretary of state’s office, headed by Republican appointee Sue M. Cobb, have told local news outlets they will appeal the decision.
Democrats sued after the state Division of Elections, supervised by the office of Florida’s secretary of state, recommended that voting officials conduct an information campaign about the Foley/Negron ballot situation, suggesting those two methods as a way to inform voters.
Democrats described the action as favoritism, citing a similar incident affecting the Democrats in a neighboring House district in 2004 where, Democrats argue, no strong informational campaign was prompted by the state.
Robin Rorapaugh — a former congressional aide who is now a political consultant — was a late replacement nominee in that year’s 22nd District contest against veteran Republican Rep. E. Clay Shaw Jr. Jim Stork, a bakery owner who was the original Democratic nominee, had belatedly dropped out because of health problems; his name remained on the ballot, even though votes cast for him were counted for Rorapaugh.
“We are satisfied that a judge has agreed with us that posting notices bearing candidates’ names in a polling place is not permitted by law,” state Democratic chairwoman Karen Thurman, a former House member (1993-2003), in a statement. “We hope this brings an end to the Republicans’ campaign to illegally influence voters at the polls.”
The state GOP and the Negron campaign argue that informing voters should be a priority in this race and that the recommendations do not constitute favoritism. But the ruling, unless overturned, will leave the party with sole responsibility for informing voters.
This is a crucial matter because of the scandal that forced Foley to suddenly quit the House and his re-election bid on Sept. 29, 24 days after he was renominated without opposition. Foley quit after it was revealed that he sent sexually explicit Internet messages to underage congressional pages.
It will be difficult enough for the Republicans to persuade voters to cast a vote over Foley’s name even if they are aware that the vote will accrue to Negron, who was nominated Oct. 2 to run in Foley’s stead. But it is extremely likely that many voters will refrain from voting Republican if they are not aware that they are not voting to re-elect Foley.
All this has put at grave risk a seat that just weeks ago looked etched into the Republican column. Foley, who was highly popular prior to the scandal’s eruption, won a sixth House term with 68 percent of the vote in 2004. But the 16th, which sprawls across Florida from the Atlantic to the Gulf Coast, has an overall profile that is not as strongly Republican: President Bush took 55 percent there that year.
CQ rates the race as Leans Democratic.
Democrats disenfranchising the voters again.
Gee. Perhaps the expenditure of some campaign funds might be in order here. Just a thought.
Don't say that.
We need as many people out there as possible.
If you are in the 16th then mention to everyone you know that voting for Foley is really a vote for Negron.
Foley is in a district that is carved for a republican.
We need to have a massive turnout in the hard republican districts.
Nothing bars the citizens from informing each other. Blocks could be parcelled out and assigned to someone that could do door to doors or put out fliers.
Democrats are so stupid. First because they think that our base is stupid and ignorant like theirs where in reality our base is vastly smarter and more informed. Second because of all the screaming and yelling they have been doing about this ballot issue, they have made sure that every voter in FL-16 know that a vote for Foley is a vote for Negron.
There is an 80% chance that Negron will win and we keep the seat.
Absurd ruling. I can see not posting at polling places but not being able to put out mailers??
I think voters will know, signs or no signs. Only democrats and queer republican are morons.
Is there a link to the actual ruling document? It'd be good for many here to read it.
What about equal protection under the law?
Irreparable harm? THat's the same twisted logic that new stores cause harm to existing stores.
Competition - the Left just hates it.
SCOTUS, anyone
This is certainly an absurd ruling.
And you can be quite sure that if it is appealed all the way up, the insane judges on SCOFLAw will decide it the same way.
They were overruled by SCOTUS in the chad wars, but I don't think the Supreme Court would likely interfere in a local state election.
I would presume that the district can and should be canvassed, and that mailings can be sent out. Also, I presume that people can carry signs informing voters at the legal distance from polling places. But it's important to get out the vote as well as inform voters who show up.
Plus everyone and their Momma in that Congressional district knows that Foley isn't in the race.
Negron will win and the Dims will be rebuked again.
Sometimes you just have to ask yourself, "Do I still live in America? Or is this now the land of Mediacrats?"
So fully informing voters about how their votes will be counted would irreparably harm the Democrat? That's...how to put this diplomatically?...an interesting argument.
CQ Politics links to a copy on the website of the Florida Rat Party, so forgive the source...
"Vote for a Congressman Who Needs No Introduction"
"Any Republican is better than any Democrat"
"We made a trade for a player to be named later"
What greedy, power mongering, traitorous globalist idiots. Sheesh.
They really are scared of something, aren't they?
If I were in Florida, I might consider that a violation of MY rights.
Florida 16th ping
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