Bizarre solution to trashed voter registrations in Nevada

[Awsi Dooger]

The votes may count or may not. It will be decided within three days AFTER the election.

I kid you not. That is the current position of Larry Lomax, the Clark County Registrar of Voters. Before Lomax is trashed on DU, he is the guy who rejected Dan Burdish's attempt to exclude 17,100 Democratic voters earlier this week, based on supposed changes of address.

I live in Las Vegas and watched the KLAS news Wednesday night. That station broke the story yesterday. They played a brief taped interview with Lomax tonight. He said anyone who claims to have registered but is not on the voter rolls will be provided a provisional ballot, for use on federal elections only.

During the interview, Lomax did not provide a criteria for deciding whether the votes would be counted. However, I checked the KLAS website repeatedly and they finally posted the story. It says "In order for those votes to be counted, people must prove that they registered to vote."

That is the final line of the KLAS story off the website, not a quote from Lomax. Zero explanation how voters are supposed to prove they registered.

If this eventually goes upstate to Carson City, I cynically don't like our chances. The governor, state legislature and every major office holder are Republican. But at least there is a possibility of counting the votes. Mail-in registration ended October 4 and all forms of registration concluded Wednesday. There will be no extension.

http://klastv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2426752&nav=168XRy6q

"But that may be what happened to dozens, if not hundreds of people just like Howell. Voters Outreach of America, a company which claimed to be registering all voters, is accused of throwing democrats voter registration forms in the trash.

So what happens when those people show up at their polling places? Clark County Registrar of Voters Larry Lomax says people will be given a provisional ballot.

"You're going to be allowed to vote for the federal races." That includes presidential and U.S. Senate and House races. The election department will then have three days to decide if they will even count those provisional ballots. Lomax adds, "You will vote but, our voting machine will store it in such a manner that it will be decided after Election Day whether we are going to count that vote of not count that vote."

In order for those votes to be counted, people must prove that they registered to vote."

[fujiyama]

1. This election

is going to be really screwy. I don't think I'm going to get any sleep that night.

I hope that those dems that are rejected at the polls DEMAND that provisional ballot. As the GOTV effort gets under way and especially accelerated these next few weeks, I hope voters are educated about this.

[LoverOfLiberty]

2. Jesus

What if it comes down to Nevada and its "provisional" ballots? Think they are gonna count them then?

[Awsi Dooger]

3. I just watched another interview with Larry Lomax

He said the independent groups registering voters were often turning in 20 or more registrations for the same voter. Employees were getting paid by the number of new registrations and quality control was apparently pathetic.

Lomax said there are virtually no regulations concerning those groups but the Nevada state legislature will be asked to put guidelines in place.

A former local employee of Voters Outreach showed paperwork the company gave him, with the title America Votes, a legit Democratic firm. Apparently some of the employees were registering both Republicans and Democrats and thought they were working for the actual America Votes, unaware the Democratic registration forms they turned in would be discarded.

[liveoaktx]

4. Was the canvassing polling company acting as deputy registrars?

In Texas, in order to register anyone on the spot, you have to have been sworn in as deputy registrar. Then, when someone registers with you, you give them a receipt-the receipt books are turned in. Thus, anyone who was registered here would not only be able to prove they had been registered but have the name of the person who did so. (Also, if that deputy registrar screwed up, some stiff fines can be levied against him/her).

The reason it's done that way here (and I assumed nationally, in some fashion) is that the Help America Vote Act requires, with the voter reg cards, that IF YOU SEND IT IN YOURSELF, you include some proof of your address (like photocopy of your driver's licence).

Is this true for other states?