Is it legal for political parties to send out absentee ballots?

[BushOut06]

I know people who are registered Republicans who have already received their absentee ballots, without ever requesting them. I always thought you had to request an absentee ballot, and that you had to do so from the county election office. Is it legal for them to be doing this?

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

1. Are you sure they're receiving absentee ballots...

...and not absentee ballot applications? There was another thread related to this a few days ago, but I haven't been able to find it.

[BushOut06]

3. Nope, they were actual absentee ballots

Not sample ballots, not applications, but the actual ballot itself. One of them even showed it to me, it's the one where you fill in the arrows, and they feed it into the optical scanning machine (that's a separate topic there).

[sam sarrha]

2. if you have one and vote on the machine..your are double patriotic

[BurtWorm]

4. It's a subtle hint: "Word to the wise. Don't use the machines."

"If you want your vote to count. Know what I'm sayin'?"

[shain from kane]

5. In this county, candidates actually took absentee ballots, or

applications, to nursing homes to sign up residents. They were Democrats. However, I'm sure that same tactic is used throughout the country by both parties. I'm thinking it was the firstest with the mostest sour grapes. There was a big stink here, because the candidates seemed to have crossed some boundary, and were seen as too agressive.

[asjr]

6. Didn't FL Repubs send out absentee ballots

to service people in 2000 without being asked? I had to request one from my election committee. The Repubs will try to steal this election also. And may succeed.

[BushOut06]

7. Have to admit it's a good tactic

Which is why I question its legality. If the GOP sends out absentee ballots to ALL of their registered voters, they know the vast majority of those will get filled out and returned. Thus, GOP voter "turnout" could be much higher than the Democrats or independant voters - who have nobody to look after them!

[Bandit]

8. Republicans have been doing this for over a decade

Why do you think they have such good turn out? They discovered some time ago the affluent and lazy don't like going to the polls. It is just too convenient for them to cast their votes from the comfort of their own homes. They don't like spending time trying to find a place to park then stand in line and possibly run into that obnoxious person they have been avoiding. Democrats are just now starting to figure it out. As long as there are actual election judges of both Parties watching how each ballot is handled I think it is the Only way to go...

[OregonBlue]

9. Agreed. Oregon is all mail-in ballot and it works much better. We

did have some problems in '04 but at least there were ballots to recount!