Registration forms' late delivery makes 1,100 ineligible to vote

[Rose Siding]

About 1,100 King County residents are not eligible to vote in the November election because a box containing their voter-registration forms was sent by UPS rather than U.S. mail, election officials said Friday.

The signed forms, collected in Pierce County during a drive to register more minority and low-income voters, were picked up by UPS one day before the Oct. 7 deadline for mailing registration forms. They arrived at election headquarters Oct. 9.
...
Elections spokeswoman Bobbie Egan said there was nothing on the package that confirmed the claim by the organizers of the voter-registration drive that they mailed the box before Oct. 7. The only date on a UPS shipping tag was Oct. 9.

But the tag also showed a UPS tracking number. UPS records showed the package was initially picked up in Fife at 2:05 p.m. Oct. 6.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003315620_registration21m.html

[I Have A Dream]

1. It just never ends. Their audacity never ceases to amaze me.

:eyes:

[Yukari Yakumo]

20. My question is...

What the heck were they thinking trying to get these in at the last minute?

[freeplessinseattle]

24. um, better than not at all?

why not try? do you really think they jst sat on their asses until the last minute then said "well, I guess we should do some voter registrations. on the other hand, what's the point? it's not too late but why bother? maybe after a nap"

[alfredo]

34. Many groups put on a last minute push to get people to

register. That doesn't mean they weren't registering all along. In our community Kentuckians for the Commonwealth focus on registration. They had a 24 hour registration drive. They were able to register 300 new voters. Near the end of the drive they began to realize their year long drive to register voters was a success. They had a harder time finding unregistered voters than in past years.

The drive ended in a candidate forum in a cafe across from the county clerk's office.

The forms should have been hand delivered in King county.

[Jo March]

37. That's it. Blame the victims!

Great job with that! :eyes:

[blondeatlast]

39. Uh-huh. As the poster above said: blame the victims.

Sunday mornings on DU can be awfully interesting...

:eyes:

[Jo March]

49. lol

Ain't it the truth??

:hi:

[blondeatlast]

56. So I'm NOT the only one who's noticed the phenomenon?

Just cuz I'm paranoid and all that... :hi: backatcha, and a :rofl:

[Yukari Yakumo]

51. The victims are definitely not blameless

One, just how difficult is it to get registered to vote? Two, how long did they have to do so?

Though the drive organizers are at fault too. For starters, why did they wait to the last minute to do this? Plus, what were they thinking sending it UPS?

The Freepers and their cronies, as I hate to say this, are not to blame here. Most the blame should be on the drive organizers for, well, not really being organized appearently. But, to some degree, the victims are to blame too because they couldn't do it themselves.

[Bjorn Against]

55. They sent out the cards on time

If they were shipped before the deadline then the Secretary of State should accept them. This is voter disenfranchisement, and it makes me sick that anyone would defend it.

[LisaM]

58. Don't YOU want their registrations to count?

The more progressive way would be to allow registration at the polls themselves. I think anything that allows more people to register is desirable.

If the deadline is 30 days ahead of time and people meet it, what's the problem?

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

2. Senator Mike McGavick.

[SeattleGirl]

18. Yikes! Don't even suggest it!

God help us if he gets into the Senate. :scared:

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[orpupilofnature57]

4. Too late for 2006, Remember Priorities in 2008

[SoCalDem]

5. This is why "registration" is a stupid idea..

EVERY US CITIZEN SHOULD BE REGISTERED AUTOMATICALLY AT AGE 18, and if they CHOOSE to identify a party, that's their right..and if they vote in a local election, a rent receipt, bill whatever should be sufficient to prove they are at the right polling station..

The song and dance routine that is "registration" is ridiculous.

[orpupilofnature57]

6. A RIGHT ON!

[katinmn]

10. We have same day registration. Just bring a utility bill, a D.L. or

a neighbor to vouch for you.

People should not put up with these stupid registration rules!

And you should not have to state a party affiliation either.

What kind of freedom is that?

[moose65]

33. Agreed!

In these days of instant gratification via the internet, the idea of mailing in a form seems kinda "quaint" and outdated to me! Registering should be a fast,easy process. Here in NC you can register when you get your driver's license, so that makes it easy if you've just moved. Seems like these people are getting all caught up in the technicalities of it. And also, it seems that Democrats want EVERYONE to be able to vote, whereas the Repukes are the ones who always try to suppress. UGH.

[LiberalFighter]

45. Founding Fathers didn't have to declare party affiliation when voting

[SoCalDem]

54. All that's needed is a "claim-check" style registration form

each one has a number on it..One part gets turned in to the registrars' office, one part "can" be mailed to whatever party office one chooses, and one part is retained as PROOF of registration..

simple

[Katzenjammer]

30. Absolutely! Registration should be a non-issue (nt)

[formercia]

35. Finally, a good use for No Child Left Behind.

make them regret it.

[Donkeykick]

36. Yeah.

But the next major mission would be to get them in to the polls on election day and vote.

There are people, that I know of, that probably wouldn't go there even if they would receive a brand new $100 bill just for voting! :eyes:

[Patchuli]

52. Love your picture!

I'm a Halloween celebrating Christian! It bugs me when fundies try to demonize what is just a fun holiday. What's the point of taking the fun out of life?!

[rodeodance]

7. this is one of the many exclusionary tactics. sooner of later we all

get screwed-----





Slater said the state law appears to conflict with voters' register-by-mail rights set out by the federal "Motor Voter Act." If King County doesn't agree to let the 1,100 registrants vote, he said, he expects a lawsuit will be filed in an attempt to strike down what he called "a perverse" state law.

"We're looking for a resolution to get these folks on the rolls," Slater said. He said he hoped the prosecuting attorney and the secretary of state would "look at the facts again and make the right decision."

But Nick Handy, state elections director in the Office of the Secretary of State, said state law is clear. "The way I see it is there are two standards," Handy said. "If you send it by the post office, we're going off the postmark. If you send it by a private organization, it's the date of receipt. ... We can argue all day the wisdom of that."

[AtLiberty]

8. Surprise, surprise, surprise

!!!

[133724]

9. In tax Law

Timely Mailed is Timely Filed.

It used to be that it was required to use the USPS (not UPS). However that was changed about a few years ago to include FEDEX, UPS, and several other delivery firms.

[still_one]

11. I am sorry but people have had over 6 years to register to out these bums

unless these are new registrations where they just turned 18 THERE IS NO EXCUSE

[Occulus]

13. No excuse for whom?

Are you talking about UPS,or the voters?

Please tell me you're not faulting the voters.

[SeattleGirl]

19. So, instead of giving a shout out to people who register to vote,

regardless of their age when they do it, you want to knock them? Sorry, but I just cannot agree with your sentiment.

[tkmorris]

21. Oh nonsense

There's no excuse for those who didn't bother to register at all. These people did, and did so in time. The rules say you must register by a certain date and they did so.

Hey, maybe they DID just turn 18. Maybe they recently moved. Maybe they used to be unengaged politically and have decided to get involved. Maybe a whole lot of things. None of which matter because they registered, and in time, and thus should be allowed to vote.

[LiberalFighter]

47. Unless the rules have changed... only USPS is accepted

if mailed by deadline.

Otherwise, the groups doing the registrations should had delivered them in person.

[stevebreeze]

31. it is far easier to register people near an election

a they are more interested in politics near an election

b especially if they are low income they are more likely to move around a lot and so registering
them early is often pointless.

c same day registration works!!!!! States with it like Wisconsin have 15% higher voter turnout then
demographically similar states like Illinois( where I currently reside)

[blondeatlast]

41. A registration push in high schools and teen organizations?

MMOB is doing it, so your 18 yo scenario could be correct...
http://www.themmob.org/voteat18/voteat18.html

How Democratic and generous of you to blame the victims.

[still_one]

42. I know that I may offend the sensibilities of many with my view

but for six years we have seen our democracy dwindle away because of this administration, and the republican congress. In 2000 and 2004 the voting turnout was dismal at best. Most countries in the world have in excess of 60% voting turnout. We are luckey if we have 20%.

Since 2000 and 2004 we have known about problems with the voting system. What has anyone really done since then, on both sides of the aisle? Kerry promised he would have people out in Ohio, and other contested places in 2004 so what happened in 2000 wouldn't happen again. Well, he didn't keep his promise, and it happened again

After all of that, there should be no ambiguity with what the stakes are

Fool me once, shame on you fool me twice shame on me...

[tblue]

12. UPS is a 'red' company — Don't use them!

Political Contributions:
$600,450 to Democrats
$1,551,729 to Republicans
$0 to Others
$2,152,178 in Total Contributions

http://www.buyblue.org/node/2059/view/summary

[mcg]

15. UPS is also extremely unethical, they will try to screw you over.

I sent a package to a friend in Canada and they tried to change her a high "broker fee".
They lied to her, saying that I didn't indicate that it was a gift.

She let me know and I raised holy hell about it, one guy lied and said there wasn't anything
I could do about it, he acted like a total jerk. I pointed out that she was told some instructions on what to do. He then said I would have to call UPS Canada. I ened up having to fax a restatement of the value. I didn't use UPS to send the fax!

Besides, who the hell are they to demand a 'broker fee' after the fact even to a company? They are not a broker, they are a shipper!

UPS SUCKS!

Boycott the assholes!

[upi402]

25. Damn! But they are union.

I use them or USPS because they give workers a contract.

[jwirr]

14. Hopefully someone will challenge this in court. NO ONE should

be prevented from voting for this kind of shit.

[xxqqqzme]

16. if they have a receit from their registration

form (in California, there is a perforated portion that the registrant receives so if they do not receive a card from the registrar, they can use the receipt @ the polls to vote provisionally). If I was one of these rejected registrants, I'd go to the polls and demand a provisional ballot.

[SeattleGirl]

17. I wonder where in Pierce County this happened.

Unfortunately, the article doesn't specify, but given that the voter registration drive was targeted at minority and low income people, it wouldn't surprise me if it was in the Hilltop area of Tacoma. Hilltop has a big minority population, as well as low income residents. Regardless of where it was, though, these people should not be punished if THEY were not the ones that sent their registrations in; the people doing the registration drive did. When in the HELL is this shit going to stop???

[Suich]

22. That article doesn't make sense.

It says King county residents were signed up in Pierce county. Why? Later in the article it says the registrations from Pierce county were hand delivered.
Or am I reading it wrong?


:hi:

[The Roux Comes First]

23. It's even possible this was an accident -

As I understand it, those involved can still register in person. The real question is how tough it will be to find out which voters were excluded and notify and encourage/enable them to overcome the screwup by others.

[upi402]

26. King or Pierce county would have libs or minorities

I just can't help but think it's a Republican betrayal of democracy.

[MAX 1]

27. OUTRAGEOUS

As a Seattle resident, I find it outrageous that whom ever sent these out FAILED to follow protocol and send them VIA USPS.
:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[rsmith6621]

28. What Party Affiliation is Bobbie Egan

Thats the real question...

[Perky]

29. king County is solidly Democratic

To allow these registrations in would certainly bring a law suit by the GOP.

The law is stup...the law is an ass....the law is the law.

[DoYouEverWonder]

32. Bobbie Egan is full of crap

Every package shipped via UPS is issued a tracking number and every point along the way from pick up to delivery is documented. Anyone can go online with a UPS tracking number and get a print out of exactly when and where a package is, even before it's delivered.

edit: Here's a link to UPS's online tracking. http://www.ups.com/tracking/tracking.html

If someone can get the tracking number for this box, just plug it in and see what comes up.

[IWantAChange]

38. DNC voter registration efforts have to be a constant..

priority to negate the Repugs superior database and funding - period.

[Danieljay]

40. Here we go.... I afraid its only just begun.. n/t

[NoodleyAppendage]

43. Sadly. The mistake was ours on this one. No one to blame but ourselves.

If the Elections Commission requires a POSTMARK by a certain date, which by definition means some sort of USPS service, and the drive organizers waited until the last day and then sent the forms via an UNOFFICIAL channel...then they are the ones that fucked up. We need to be smarter and better organized.

The Repukes are going to challenge any registration deviation, as we would in similar circumstances.

J

[Joanne98]

44. I'm surprised Fedex didn't lose it. This needs to be UNPRIVATIZED

too.

[jseankil]

46. What needs to be?

Mail services??

[McCamy Taylor]

48. Voting Rights Act trumps "letter of the law" in many cases. Attorneys

should persue this case.

Unless every single judge up the line is a Republican, someone has to make a sensible decision and say "mail is mail."

Remember, the Voting Rights Act errs on the side of the Voter. There is lots of room to fudge. In Florida, they allowed people in the registration offices to complete incomplete forms so they would be legal in GOP districts and stuff like that, based on the right to vote.

[mntleo2]

50. Pierce County Tried To Be A Red County Too

As is Snohomish county, one is South of King county, the other is North of King county. Both have turned to all electronic voting machines and "coincidentally" they had problems in the last election where our (Democratic) governor won by supposedly around 150 votes. In Snohomish county, at the height of the data stream on voting day, the stream as "lost" and thousands of votes flew into hyperspace never to be heard from.

Because of the huge gap between the rich and the poor in those counties, and obviously because there are far more poor than rich, believe me they would like nothing better than to shut up all but the rich. Snohomish has a bunch of Microsoft millionaires without a clue. Pierce has Wearhauser millionaires who have had over a century getting the Feds to disenfranchise anyone who isn't rich. They were in on the murdering of Wobblies (the Everett Massacre), getting the government to do their dirty work against citizens to obtain logging permits in old growth forests, union busting and just about anything else that does not cater to their whims and keep them having way more than they need while they do everything in their power to make sure nobody else has anything. Why should they stop now?

These counties have people who feel entitled to never having to do anything but reap the benefits of government while taking away any benefits for anyone else and they are working hard to make sure the poor have no voice because they expect everyone else but themselves to pay taxes and support the infrastrutures for education, roads, utlities and the like. If they were counted as the minority they actually are, why they might have to be like (gasp) everyone else and pay 15% of their incomes to the state. OMG!

In short, they are bastards!

Cat In Seattle

[cassiepriam]

53. 1000 votes here, a 1000 votes there, it all begins to add up.

Looks like the repugs are aiming for another "win".

[Donkeykick]

57. 1,100 Ineligible To Vote?

This only goes to show you what the problem is, huh? When my best friend and myself turned eighteen, the first thing we did was to go to the 'Board of Elections' to register to vote! No one had to shove a registration form in my face! :eyes:

[Megahurtz]

59. How Fucking Convient.

The dirty, rotten, cheating, low-life games that the ReThuglicans play.:grr: The sleaziest bunch ever.

Maybe these people are literally going to have to be kicked out of office.