Recall doubt scares off voters ABSENTEES: Early balloting dropped immediately after ruling

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | Friday, September 19, 2003 | Mark Simon

[Checkers]

A geyser of voter participation in the Oct. 7 recall election -- nearly 500,000 absentee ballots have already been cast -- has slowed to a dribble since Monday's federal appellate court ruling postponing the election until March.

Elections officials around the state say there has been a dramatic drop in absentee balloting and voter registrations.

The numbers had been about what elections officials see for a regular statewide election for governor -- a level they consider extraordinary in light of the strange, off-year timing of the recall election.

"I think people think the election has been called off, and it really hasn't," said Madelyn De Justo of the Marin County registrar of voters office. "It's unbelievable, the falloff."

A tally by the California secretary of state shows that as of late Thursday afternoon 498,064 absentee ballots had been cast -- delivered by mail or by those walking into county offices to vote absentee on the spot.

The volume of ballots already cast has prompted some to assert that the federal court's ruling, if it's upheld, will disenfranchise more voters than the punch-card technology that prompted judges to postpone the election.

Continued at http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/09/19/MN256236.DTL

[Checkers]

Damn the ACLU!

[BenLurkin]

Give the demovcrat party its due: it knows how to thwart free elections.

[Checkers]

YEP

[I still care]

Sounds to me like these judges disenfranchised the voters.

[Sacajaweau]

Gee, it reminds me of the night that the newsman with his little scoreboard said "Gore has taken Florida". No, Bush has taken Florida. No, Gore has taken Florida". No, no, no.....

In the meantime, the real news was: GORE LOST HIS HOME STATE AND DIDN'T NEED FLORIDA!!!!! Bwahahahaha

With a deep conviction, I believe that the Dems (in particular precincts) tried to punch stacks of cards causing the chad fiasco. Pretty strong opinion. Yes, because the Gore people selected the precincts where the counts were to occur.

[novacation]

And where is Bush and company in all of this?Cutting down weeds at the ranch?Judges canceling an election calls for federal entervention.Elections in Iraq are more important than at home?And does Bush and company think ILLEGAL ALIENS voting is going to help him?

[Chad Fairbanks]

Yeah they do. Their kind has been doing it all over the world for decades. Just look at how their bretheren in the Baath Socialist Party used to hold elections - the same way the socialists here would, if they could get away with it.

[LurkedLongEnough]

And where is Bush and company in all of this?

Resist the liberal brainwashing. Bush has nothing to do with it.

Read the Constitution of the United States. The federal government has certain obligations to states, but those obligations do not include running state elections.

[Momaw Nadon]

This is the biggest Charlie Foxtrot I have seen in a long time.

[novacation]

Liberal brainswashing?The federal government has an obligation to protect us from crazy federal judges.Are we going to have to take up arms and do it ourselves? If this stands and we let it then all is lost.

[Baghdad Living]

That's correct. But the Federal Government does have election oversight!!!

[Mo1]

And where is Bush and company in all of this?Cutting down weeds at the ranch?Judges canceling an election calls for federal entervention.

DANG ... I just knew it would be Bush's fault. /sarcasm >

[novacation]

It's not Bush's fault. But I blame Bush and company for being so gutless in this whole thing.Why don't they at least comment about the outrage of a federal court trying to cancel an election? And I blame them for not securing the border.It is all tied together. Postpone or cancel the election to get illegals registered to vote.Their silence is deafening.

[Checkers]

Take a vacation, please.

[LurkedLongEnough]

"Are we going to have to take up arms and do it ourselves?"

It's the "do it ourselves" part of this whining "where's my leader" plaint that really speaks for itself.

According to your FR profile admonishment, not being a CA citizen (and also according to the rules of etiquette) I won't dare suggest what you might do.

Isn't that what you want, for non-CA citizens to stay out of your electoral business?

That being said, nevertheless some of us do care about the CA travesty of justice.

[Mo1]

Oh heck .. maybe he should just declare martial law so that CA has no control over their elections or how they run their state. And for the Judges ... throw them out in the streets

[poet]

"DANG ... I just knew it would be Bush's fault." /sarcasm >

I don't think they are saying it's Bush's fault. What they are asking is: Why hasn't Bush made a comment on the mis-use of power by these totalitarian judges?

I'm not surprised that the guy who gave us "patriot1" and is promoting "patriot2" has nothing to say about judicial mis-behavior.

.

[getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL]

There go all the deployed and overseas military votes again.

[Mo1]

Ummm ... I think he has been trying to appoint new Judges and is being blocked by the Dems.

As for him coming out and commenting on this .. Why??

There is nothing he can do about it, this a state issue and is a judicial issue, which the USSC will slap these activists judges down like they always do.

[Xthe17th]

Speaking of CFs, dija see this?


Just two businessmen illustrating the absurdity of allowing anyone with only 65 signatures and $3000 to get on the ballot for this circus. One guy is going to vote for himself but urges others NOT TO vote for him. Other biz partner is voting for someone named Ab Zurd and NOT FOR himself! i.e., their goal is to get only one (1) single vote.