Postal Experts Hunt for Missing Ballots in Florida

[maddezmom]

MIAMI (Reuters) - U.S. Postal Service investigators on Wednesday were trying to find thousands of absentee ballots that should have been delivered to voters in one of Florida's most populous counties, officials said.


The issue evoked memories of the polling problems that bedeviled the Florida election in 2000 and which the state has been trying to address before next Tuesday's presidential election, which is again expected to be a very tight race.


Broward deputy supervisor of elections Gisela Salas said 60,000 absentee ballots, accounting for just over 5 percent of the electorate in the county north of Miami, were sent out between Oct. 7 and Oct. 8 to voters who would not be in town on election day.


While some had begun to be delivered, her office had been inundated with calls from anxious voters who still had not received their ballots.

more:http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=584&ncid=584&e=5&u=/nm/20041027/pl_nm/campaign_florida_dc

[Beetwasher]

1. *sigh*

And people wonder why I say we have to count on winning w/out FL.

On the bright side, if they're pulling blatant shit like this, it makes me think that MAYBE they are not so sure they can pull it off by merely rigging the machines. If they thought that, then there would be no need to pull this shit.

[flying_blind]

23. Greg Palast investigative report on Florida, AGAIN - Shocking Video

http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=385&row=0
A secret document obtained from inside Bush campaign headquarters in Florida suggests a plan - possibly in violation of US law - to disrupt voting in the state's African-American voting districts, a BBC Newsnight investigation reveals.

Two e-mails, prepared for the executive director of the Bush campaign in Florida and the campaign's national research director in Washington DC, contain a 15-page so-called "caging list".

It lists 1,886 names and addresses of voters in predominantly black and traditionally Democrat areas of Jacksonville, Florida.

An elections supervisor in Tallahassee, when shown the list, told Newsnight: "The only possible reason why they would keep such a thing is to challenge voters on election day."

Ion Sancho, a Democrat, noted that Florida law allows political party operatives inside polling stations to stop voters from obtaining a ballot.

Mass challenges

They may then only vote "provisionally" after signing an affidavit attesting to their legal voting status.

Mass challenges have never occurred in Florida. Indeed, says Mr Sancho, not one challenge has been made to a voter "in the 16 years I've been supervisor of elections."

"Quite frankly, this process can be used to slow down the voting process and cause chaos on election day; and discourage voters from voting."

Sancho calls it "intimidation." And it may be illegal.

In Washington, well-known civil rights attorney, Ralph Neas, noted that US federal law prohibits targeting challenges to voters, even if there is a basis for the challenge, if race is a factor in targeting the voters.

The list of Jacksonville voters covers an area with a majority of black residents.

When asked by Newsnight for an explanation of the list, Republican spokespersons claim the list merely records returned mail from either fundraising solicitations or returned letters sent to newly registered voters to verify their addresses for purposes of mailing campaign literature.

Republican state campaign spokeswoman Mindy Tucker Fletcher stated the list was not put together "in order to create" a challenge list, but refused to say it would not be used in that manner.

Rather, she did acknowledge that the party's poll workers will be instructed to challenge voters, "Where it's stated in the law."

There was no explanation as to why such clerical matters would be sent to top officials of the Bush campaign in Florida and Washington.

Private detective

In Jacksonville, to determine if Republicans were using the lists or other means of intimidating voters, we filmed a private detective filming every "early voter" - the majority of whom are black - from behind a vehicle with blacked-out windows.

The private detective claimed not to know who was paying for his all-day services.

On the scene, Democratic Congresswoman Corinne Brown said the surveillance operation was part of a campaign of intimidation tactics used by the Republican Party to intimate and scare off African American voters, almost all of whom are registered Democrats.

Greg Palast reporting on BBC's Newsnight: http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/video/40459000/rm/_40459555_uselex_palast26_vi.ram

[PROGRESSIVE1]

2. Pull out of Florida and try for Virginia.

Jeb is a Suharto-Surrogate. I don't see us winning Florida.

[aquart]

10. I have never considered Florida in play. Way too corrupt.

It's an absolute third world country.

[maryallen]

21. No, don't pull out. Put Florida on "probation."

The citizens in 49 other states are supposed to sit around and watch Florida screw us, again? What about in 2008? Without severe consequences, what's to prevent this from happening again and again?
Nothing.

Demand immediate legislation to deal with this situation. Protest, march, whatever it takes.

What happens in the Super Bowl if a team cheats? The opposing team says, "Oh, well, there they go again?" I don't think so. They're penalized -- that's what happens. The refs charge them with infractions; they're pushed back down the field a number of yards; and some players are fined -- big time -- or ejected from the game for personal fouls.

The point is: This is the most important presidential election of our lifetime. We need to elect a capable, conscientious person who will lead this country in a responsible manner. We can't do that if the Republicans are constantly gaming the system WITHOUT ANY FEAR OF RETRIBUTION.

It's not fair to the other citizens to penalize the whole state, but who better to pressure Jeb and company to clean up Florida elections than his own citizens?

As a teacher, I know well the value of keeping the whole class inside for recess until the "guilty" culprit confesses.

This is my line in the sand. Enough is e --cheneying--nuff!

[ClintonTyree]

3. I'd check in the dumpster................

behind Broward County Republcan Headquarters.

[dolstein]

4. So voting by absentee ballot is a privilege, not a right?

Let be get this straight . . . Losing 60,000 absentee ballots is "no biggie" because the people who requested the ballots are still free to go to a polling place between now and election day and stand on line for hours in order to cast a vote. Helloooo!!!!! It doesn't take a genius to figure out that many of these people requested absentee ballots precisely because they didn't have the stamina to stand on line for hours, or because they would be out of town on election day.

[ahimsa]

18. Not a major problem?

According to the article:


Salas said the missing absentee ballot forms did not yet represent a major election problem because people had the option of voting early before next Tuesday, when Bush is being challenged by Democratic Sen. John Kerry.

Poll workers will be able to cross-check through lap top computers hooked up to a central database whether voters had already sent in absentee ballots. On election day itself, those who requested absentee ballots will only be able to vote in person if they bring the blank absentee forms with them.


That sounds like they are saying if you requested an absentee ballot, which went missing, and show up to the poll without it, you will not be able to vote. That either is wrong or it is a very major problem.

[yellowcanine]

5. Maybe when they find the missing explosives they will find the ballots

also. Has anyone questioned Dick Cheney yet?

[donsu]

7. perhaps they are in the White House basement along with Osama

nt

[drdtroit]

8. Nah, Osama resides in the Lincoln bedroom

he's too valuable to the PNAC to be treated any other way!

[w4rma]

15. Yeah, he's sleeping on the purple velvet bed with the golden crown on

top that the Bushes just installed in the bedroom.

[Supersedeas]

6. Jebby has all systems go down there.....Rove smiles.

[MrMonk]

9. Writer needs a small clue

U.S. Postal Service investigators on Wednesday were trying to find thousands of absentee ballots that should have been delivered to voters in one of Florida's most populous counties, officials said.

That should be tens of thousands.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

11. a minor quibble

still a big story no matter how you say it.

[MADem]

12. They need to pull in the goddamn FEEBS

You've got interstate transport involved here--a lot of those ballots were going to people OUT OF STATE. The postal guys need to call in the FBI, NOW!

[AndyTiedye]

13. Florida is SO TOTALLY STOLEN

We have a better chance of taking Texas.

[Zorra]

14. "Why, I'll just cancel my important business trip to Stockholm on Monday

so I can return to Florida and vote. Just a little inconvenience that the republican party committed a major federal offense and disrupted the postal service."

Bastille Day America:

Bastille Day is a National holiday in France. It is very much like Independence Day in the United States because it is a celebration of the beginning of a new form of government.

At one time in France, kings and queens ruled. Many people were very angry with the decisions made by the kings and queens.

The Bastille was a prison in France that the kings and queens often used to lock up the people that did not agree with their decisions. To many, it was a symbol of all the bad things done by the kings and queens. So, on July 14, 1789, a large number of French citizens gathered together and stormed the Bastille.

Just as the people in the United States celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence as the beginning of the American Revolution, so the people in France celebrate the storming of the Bastille as the beginning of the French Revolution. Both Revolutions brought great changes. Kings and queens no longer rule. The people rule themselves and make their own decisions.

http://www.cstone.net/~bry-back/holidayfun/bastilleday.html

Republicans are crushing liberty and democracy.

[dolstein]

16. Why is the Kerry campaign and the Florida Democratic Party silent?

This story has been out since last evening and I have yet to see ANY Democratic spokesperson comment on this. This is HUGE. The number of ballots involved here are far larger than the number of "Jews for Buchanon" ballots, larger than the number of spoiled Palm Beach butterly ballots, larger than the number of spoiled Duval County caterpillar ballots. Sorry, but just because the local Democratic officials in this county are obviously in over their heads here is no reason for the national Democratic leaders to be silent.

[cthrumatrix]

20. Kerry better speak up about this.... WTF can they do now?

[floridaguy]

17. We will win Florida by at least a couple hundred thousand!

If not a couple million!

Do not fret over this. Mark my words. I'm on the ground in Florida, and I don't believe even if they steal a million votes, they will beat us. My prediction - Florida win by 9 to 10 percent.

[bear425]

22. I'm here in Florida , too.

Working every day to get Kerry elected. I am appalled at this development with the ballots, but confident that we will still take the election, too. Something needs to be done to rectify this, though. Good luck to us all!

[DemoTex]

19. Check's in the mail.

Riiiiiiiiiiight.