Calling All DUers: Absentee Ballot Alert - PM me if you know anyone with McCain mailers

[zulchzulu]

This is VERY CRITICAL. RED ALERT!

I'm working with a group of people who are looking for people who have had erroneous information about absentee voting FROM THE McCAIN campaign sent to them via mail.

THIS IS SERIOUS!

A good friend's daughter (first year in college) has gotten some mail that is very dubious about how to vote absentee and there is even confusing language in the mailer that would make the person's vote NOT COUNT. It is now in the growing pile of evidence.

If you know anyone who has received mysterious mail about voting absentee and is from the Republicans, PLEASE PM ME ASAP.

In Madison, WI, we have already gotten responses from college students on this bogus voter disenfranchisement and we want to have a nice, big box of evidence that will be scanned and broadcast ready.

I know some people at CNN that would be interested in the story, but are too cautious to do what they should. I've alerted a couple weekend people I know and said that a MAJOR STORY is about to unfold. Russ Feingold and Tammy Baldwin have been contacted. John Nichols (The Nation) is working on it. Lee Rayburn (AAR) has worked with Thom Hartman on the story as well.

The reason I say this is because Madison's Air America station has a morning show where several people concurred that the documents from the McCain campaign are very usable and in good hand as evidence in a court of law. More evidence is piling up and it has McCain's campaign all over it.

WE HAVE TO DO THIS. NOW.

We have a two week window to explode this story. Tell everyone you know and let's expose this ASAP.

Ripping off a voter's right to vote is not a Democratic or Republican issue. It is what holds America together.

Kick this thread as much as you can.

[liberalmuse]

1. I'm calling my folks in Ohio tomorrow about this.

But they are die hard Dems who will likely chuck anything from McCain.

[zulchzulu]

2. Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Florida: all these swings states besides Wisconsin are being targetted

We have to find out NOW the evidence. People need to ask their college aged siblings... elderly voters... military... whoever...

We have a small window to expose and we have to do it NOW.

[FreakinDJ]

3. Try College message boards in those states

just a thought

[uncle ray]

4. colorado too.

i work with a fairly low information voter who got a ballot from mccain this week. i explained to him what voter caging is and to make sure he and his wife take steps to ensure they are really properly registered. i can probably get a peek at whatever was sent to him.

[Barack_America]

5. I know of some folks in Wisconsin.

I'll try to get their information and get back to you. They're Dems, I can tell you that much.

[RepublicanElephant]

6. keith olbermann and rachel maddow may be better media choices than cnn. n/t

.

[beac]

7. THIS is the thing that keeps me up at night. Not Miss Mooseburger, but the

VERY REAL possibility that they could steal another one.

Please keep us posted on your investigation.

I'll be asking my college-age cousin here in VA if he's heard anything about this.

[zulchzulu]

8. I ran into about 20 people who had been sent the McCain mailers today

At the rainy Obama table today, I ran into 20 people who gave me their name and were going to leave off the mailers at our local Madison office. Stay tuned...

[Kdillard]

9. Kick and I will ask around.

[PermanentRevolution]

10. Dang. I got one but I shredded it w/ the junk mail

If another shows up, I'll let you know.

[JackBeck]

11. My MIL and FIL in Cincinnati each received 3 absentee ballots for McCain.

I'm supposed to talk to them later today to get more info from them.

[Kdillard]

12. Kick

[Kdillard]

13. Kick again.

[PeaceNikki]

14. I got one the beginning of the week.

But I threw it out unopened.

[rosesaylavee]

15. I know a DUer whose husband recd a McCain flyer

for voting in Missouri - though they have been living in Illinois for a year and half and have both registered here. Have sent her a PM. She's a dem and he has voted R in the past tho voting for Obama this time.

[RayOfHope]

16. My husband got one either last Saturday or the one before. It was definitely

a pro McCain flyer with absentee voting info inside, and a postage paid absentee ballot request card with the county clerks address on it. In MO we don't register by party. Hubby and I moved here a year ago, but registered to vote at different times. I haven't gotten one yet. I spit on it and ripped it up, but now I wished I'd saved it. I will save it if I get one.

[flamingdem]

17. Ohio has rejected the use of those ballots, back in a sec with a link for you

[flamingdem]

18. The requests for absentee ballots have been trashed by the Sec of State in OHIO

LINK:

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20080911/NEWS0108/309110032/


The requests for absentee ballots have been trashed by the Sec of State

McCain's bunch deliberately added a box needing checked to certify the person asking for an absentee is qualified to vote and most people filling out the form didn't check the box. The form used was of McCain's making, not the official Ohio absentee ballot request form. The McCain plan was to use the incomplete request form to nullify the absentee vote of 1000's of Ohio voters. No surprise these absentee ballot request forms were filling out by McCain operatives canvasing highly Democratic areas of Ohio, most likely to vote Obama.

The Ohio Secretary of State caught it and is making every county contact every single one of the voters who filled out the McCain created form incorrectly and supply them with a valid request form and instructions on how to fill it out properly.

[zulchzulu]

19. The story is starting to get some legs

The story was essentially broken by Lee Rayburn on AAR in Madison last week and it's finally getting some press:

McCain's mailer creates controversy

The state elections agency is investigating complaints about a massive campaign mailing Republican Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign has directed toward Wisconsin Democrats and other voters.

Each mailing includes at least one copy of the state application for an absentee ballot that has the address of a local clerk and a box for postage printed on the other side.

But in some cases, the incorrect clerk's address is printed on the application, leading some Democrats to wonder if the Arizona senator's campaign is deliberately trying to get them to apply for absentee ballots in places where they aren't eligible to vote.

"They're trying to knock me off the rolls," said Democrat Beverly Jambois, of Middleton. "I can't tell you how upsetting it is to me. This is how you win elections? By disenfranchising other voters?"

Her household received the flier this week addressed to her husband, Robert, a lawyer for the state Department of Transportation. The couple are registered to vote in Middleton, but the absentee ballot application was addressed to the city clerk's office in Madison.

Full article:
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/304740

I've heard about a report in Missouri. Who knows where else this crap is happening...