Let the games begin. "Early Voting (pro-Murkowski) Hanky-Panky"

[Blue_In_AK]

from The Mudflats. The drama is killing me.

http://www.themudflats.net/2010/10/21/more-early-voting-pro-murkowski-hanky-panky-poll-observers-needed/

<snip>

Today, the Democratic Party held a press conference describing even MORE evidence of partisanship by Division of Elections poll volunteers:

Rob Sterling went today to the Chugiak Senior Center to cast his early
vote. After showing his ID, getting his ballot, and going to his
voting area, he asked an election worker, “How do you do a write-in?”
The election worker took Sterling’s ballot, re-oriented it, pointed to
the U.S. Senate write-in space, and said:

“Since it’s only you and me in here, what you do is fill in this oval
here and write Lisa Murkowski’s name here.”

Then the election worker called over another election worker who
provided Sterling with a sheet of paper with Lisa Murkowski’s name.
Sterling, who is training to be a poll watcher, said, “I thought you
weren’t allowed to do this.” To which both election workers replied,
“We were told we could.”

When I asked “who” actually told them, I was informed that it was the Division of Elections.

DOE Director, Gail Fenumiai responded to the letter from AK Democratic Party Chair, Patti Higgins point by point. Where there seems to be serious disagreement is the reponse to point #3:

<snip>

Time for everyone to lawyer up. This election is going to be a mess.

[onehandle]

1. I believe in the intent of the voter. If it says Lisa 'Mercowskee' it should count.

Otherwise, it's a poll tax on your spelling skills or memory.

And you should be able to bring in a copy of a write-ins' name.

I took my iPhone with a local liberal voters guide pulled up on it in the last election. Nobody cared.

[Blue_In_AK]

2. That may be okay as long as it's not conspicuously displayed,

since voters can't wear candidate's buttons in the polling station, but when a write-in's name is not on the ballot, I don't think it's right to have it posted anywhere on the voting premises. That can be seen as campaigning.


And, really, do you think it's okay for a poll worker to show a voter where to put the write-in and what name to fill in? That's just wrong.

[catgirl]

3. I think the first part is okay

To point out where to fill in a write-in... but to say the person's name is not okay. And while it's not
legal to wear a campaign button, it;s okay to bring in a piece of paper with the spelling. They are clearly
in the wrong for volunteering her name to the voter.

[druidity33]

4. pointing to a blank space is ok...

but telling her what name to fill in is criminal.

:shrug: