Posted on 10/13/2010 4:37:02 PM PDT by MaestroLC
CHICAGO (WLS) - The U.S. Justice Department is investigating whether the state of Illinois missed the deadline for mailing absentee ballots to members of the military and other overseas American voters as part of a new federal overseas voting law.
Cris Cray, Director of Legislation at the Illinois State Board of Elections, says not all of Illinois' 110 jurisdictions were compliant with the 2009 Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act (MOVE).
The law requires every state to mail their absentee ballots 45 days prior to Election Day to overseas troops, government employees and other Americans who want to vote from abroad.
Cray says she is currently compiling data from each of Illinois' jurisdictions to determine which were compliant and which were delinquent. Cray said it's possible the ballots may not be counted because the state was tardy in sending them out.
Illinois was required to have all of its absentee ballots mailed by Sept. 18, the national deadline. Election officials have until Nov. 15 to count the absentee ballots, which must be postmarked by midnight Nov. 1 to be eligible.
In an e-mail response, Justice Department spokeswoman Xochil Hinojosa confirmed that Illinois is being investigated for the absentee ballot infraction.
"The Department is working with all states, including Illinois, to investigate and remedy and problems that will prevent our men and women serving overseas from having the opportunity to vote and have their votes counted," Hinojosa said
The Justice Department has brought a lawsuit against the state of New York after settling with New Mexico over a similar case of delinquent absentee ballots for overseas Americans.
Several New York counties including the five boroughs of New York City were found to be in violation of the deadline after the state was permitted by the Defense Department to move its deadline to Oct. 1 because the state's primary day was four days before the deadline.
The Justice Department settled a case with New Mexico Tuesday where six counties failed to mail ballots by the deadline.
Overseas ballots could be a deciding factor in Illinois' mid-term elections where recent polls show a tight U.S. Senate race between Republican Mark Kirk and Democrat Alexi Giannoulias. Republican Bill Brady has an edge over Democratic incumbent Pat Quinn for governor.
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Ditto.
Big Blue States on the march.
They want illegals voting, but not soldiers.
No election ANYWHERE in the US should be certified until ALL of the military ballots have been counted.
What really irritates me is this occurs to some degree every single election. There’ll be some weak bleating for a day or two from the Gelding Old Party, but nothing further. It will continue until those responsible start doing some serious prison time.
Well, how convenient, no?
This is going to happen across the country, and in every precinct where it does happen, Democrats will be behind it. You can take that to the bank.
I like it! Can we make it TEN thousand?
So, if the Dims in charge don’t want military votes to be counted, all they have to do is delay the ballot mailing, and the penalty is that the military votes are not counted.
The law is so brilliant.
It’s not who casts the votes, it’s who COUNTS the votes.
Ah Chicago! Where the dead can vote but the Marines can not.
Every service member should then get a receipt for the ballot showing which state it's going to.
Every state must then account for each and every one of them.
Problem solved.
Of course, the dims don't want it solved.
Progressive Democrats need to move to Cuba or stop being adolescent, badly-toilet-trained, adolescent scu&bags.
The rule of law is dying under these scu&bags, very quickly.
IMHO
Bingo....hold them ALL.
Damned right it's not!
This is possible the most egregious thing the local RATS have done in a long time.
I pray that the ballots do get sent, returned and counted and that these SOBS go to jail.
“Lots of people need to go to jail, starting with the Secretaries of State.”
Followed closely by Eric Holder for allowing it to happen.
This is disenfranchisement right there! Also, there are in Democrat strongholds. Hmmmmmmmm........
Any soldier denied his or her right to vote is no longer obliged to pay county, city, school or state taxes.
No taxation without representation.
I’m hoping that this will not affect the outcomes of the elections - but these are impeachable offenses, as in very clearly failing to uphold the Constitution as described in their oaths of offices. Disenfranchising voters is a serious business, especially when done by elected officials. We have a lot of other pressing issues, but this needs to be pursued.
“I voted today in Illinois thanks to the Early Voting process.”
I am not nearly as “up” about this early voting as you are. I think it’s an open avenue for fraud.
Having said that, I DID early vote yesterday since I won’t be in town for the election in November.
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