CT Dem Party sending Absentee Ballots to All?????

[Autumn Colors]

I received an envelope in the mail yesterday with the return address saying it was from the State Democratic Party and inside was a blank absentee ballot along with guidelines on what circumstances are legal for someone to use such ballot.

I'm wondering if this really did come from the Dem. Party or if this is some dirty trick the other side is playing.

Aren't absentee ballots supposed to be requested from your town registrar of voters? When I voted absentee in 2004, they sent me one and it had my name, etc. pre-typed on it. Is that required so they can keep track of who is voting absentee and who will show up at the polls?

I'm just curious if that's the case AND if others from CT also received unsolicited absentee ballots in the mail.

[rpannier]

1. As far as I know

you have to request them.
I've lived overseas for a dozen years and the one time I didn't request one I didn't get to vote.
I have to request one everytime.
I'd call the state agency that governs it and inquire.

[Hav]

2. .

To be safe, you should probably contact people who should know about it or who know whether these ballots are legit.

[Connie_Corleone]

3. Call your county board of election.

Wouldn't the absentee ballots be different for each county because of local issues that might be voted on?

[seabeyond]

4. call then let us know. i would think have to be requested. i heard

if you get an absentee then you are not able to vote on election day, whether you sent in absenteee or not.

[marions ghost]

5. call the Dem party people right away !

if this is a dirty trick get it publicized ASAP. I would expect the Dem party to send guidelines, not an actual ballot.

I was a witness for someone who absentee-voted already from VA. There was no name printed on the forms or ballot, but it had to be requested from the registrar, who checks to see if that person is real and if they have a history of voting.

[oc2002]

6. that sounds totaly BOGUS. you have to request it, and give a reason.

Somebody there better contact the state, and the media to get the word out that someone is mailing out bogus absentee ballots to people.

This is amazing.

[Autumn Colors]

7. OK, I GOT AN ANSWER

I didn't look closely enough at it. It's an APPLICATION for an absentee ballot. My local town clerk (doubles as registrar of voters office) said that Diane Farrell's people came in and requested applications for any registered Democrat who had voted absentee in recent years and the town clerk's office said they had to hand number them (it does say my town's name and a number in the upper right corner in handwriting).

OK, I feel better.

Back to your regularly scheduled programming.

[marions ghost]

8. well that's a relief

somebody trying to help instead of thwart? This sounds like a good way to make sure more people vote and give them the chance to choose not to use DREs.

But I would say that the Dem party should make this intent more clear--if you got confused it seems that others will too.