October 31, 2008 7:42 AM
Think your vote will count? IDs, purges, provisionals oh my
Nearly 1 million Coloradans have already voted in this historic election and many of them might actually be counted.
OK, that's an exaggeration, but confusion over the need to to include a copy of a voter's ID with their votes may bounce more than 35,000 ballots from newly-registered voters.
Kevin Vaughan and Myung Oak Kim report:
The state requires county clerks to verify the identification of all new voters. Often, it's as simple as comparing a driver's license number on a voter registration form to the state's motor vehicle database.But when that check runs into trouble - in cases, for example, when the license number is copied down incorrectly - county clerks want to see the identification.
This year has seen an unprecedented surge in voter registrations.
And according to the Colorado Secretary of State's Office, as of Monday 35,620 first-time voters whose identity had not been verified requested mail ballots.
Those voters should have been instructed to photocopy their driver's license or other identification and include it when they mailed back their ballots. If they fail to, the ballots will be treated as though they are provisional. That means county clerks will attempt after the election to verify the identity of the voter. If they can't, the ballots will be disqualified.
"They're not really registered," Douglas County Clerk and Recorder Jack Arrowsmith said of voters whose identity can't be verified.
In other news on the protecting your vote front, Secretary of State Mike Coffman, who is expected to be elected to Congress from the overwhelmingly Republican Sixth District, continues his dust-up with voting activists over purging names from voter registration lists.
Todd Hartman sorts it out:
A lawyer for voting activists said Thursday that Secretary of State Mike Coffman must stop canceling voters from state registration rolls in the wake of a court-approved settlement over the issue."If he continues to do this during the next period, he's in deep trouble for violation of federal law," said Jim Finberg, who represents two activist groups and a union in a lawsuit that accused Coffman of illegally purging more than 42,000 voters from state rolls.
But Coffman said "the process is continuing" and said groups that sued over the matter "did not prevail . . . in stopping us from moving forward with additional cancellation through this election."
The controversy over Coffman's policy took shape amid a presidential election drawing record voter turnout. It underscores the intense scrutiny of voting issues, particularly in light of the massive registration drives by activists and the Obama campaign over the last year.
Coffman has always maintained that canceling voters - his term - from the rolls is allowed when people have moved, died, committed a felony or appear more than once in the state's registration database.
That dispute was the central issue in lawsuit brought Saturday by Common Cause of Colorado and Mia Familia Vota Education Fund, as well as the Service Employees International Union.
Those groups charged that Coffman, a Republican, violated the National Voter Registration Act when he removed voters from the rolls too close to a federal election - a charge Coffman disputes.
But the matter wasn't resolved in a hearing on the lawsuit Wednesday before U.S. District Court Judge John Kane. Instead, the parties reached an agreement to ensure provisional ballots cast by anyone removed from the rolls would be counted, barring airtight evidence the voter is ineligible.
And there's the little matter of the boxes of provisional ballots piling up in elections offices across the state that may never be counted.
Myung Oak Kim reports:
Piles of provisional ballots have been growing every day during the past two weeks of early and mail voting. Many more will be cast throughout the state on Tuesday.Colorado has used provisional ballots since 2002 and most, but not all, end up being counted. They usually don't make any difference to the outcome, unless the winner is in doubt.
"In close races they can make a difference - then they are worth fighting over," said Edward Foley, an election law professor at Ohio State University.
Colorado's acceptance of provisional ballots is higher than the national average.
In November 2004, 76 percent of the 51,529 provisional ballots cast in the state were counted. Nationwide, just over 64 percent of provisional ballots were counted that election.
Think your vote will count? Will Colorado be this year's Florida?
October 31, 2008
9:39 AM
Managment writes:
Notice to All Employees
As of November 5, 2008, when President Obama is officially elected into office, our company will instill a few new policies which are in keeping with his new, inspiring issues of change and fairness:
1. All salespeople will be pooling their sales commissions into a common pool that will be divided equally between all of you. This will serve to give those of you who are underachieving a "fair shake."
2. All hourly employees will be pooling their wages, including overtime, into a common pool, dividing it equally amongst yourselves. This will help those who are "too busy for overtime" to reap the rewards from those who have more spare time and can work extra hours.
3. All top management will now be referred to as "the government." We will not participate in this "pooling" experience because the law doesn't apply to us.
4. The "government" will give eloquent speeches to all employees every week, encouraging its workers to continue to work hard "for the good of all."
5. The employees will be thrilled with these new policies because it's "good to spread the wealth." Those of you who have underachieved will finally get an opportunity; those of you who have worked hard and had success will feel more "patriotic."
6. The last few people who were hired should clean out their desks. Don't feel bad though, because President Obama will give you free healthcare, free handouts, free oil for heating your home, free food stamps, and he'll let you stay in your home for as long as you want even if you can't pay your mortgage. If you appeal directly to our democratic congress, you might even get a free flat screen TV and a coupon for free haircuts (shouldn't all Americans be entitled to nice looking hair?) !!!
October 31, 2008
10:11 AM
kodijack writes:
I do believe that my vote will count. Even if it is deemed provisional its very easy to verify that I exist as I own property, have registered cars, and have a current driver's license.
Everyone complains about being taken off the voter rolls but they don't do the minimum to make sure that the counties know about them. If you make the effort you will be allowed to vote, don't make government do all the work.
October 31, 2008
10:20 AM
SASQUATCH writes:
SASQUATCH writes:
OBAMA: 3 NEWSPAPERS GIVEN BOOT & REPLACED BY BLACK MAGAZINES!
The Obama campaign has decided to heave out three newspapers from its plane for the final days of its blitz across battleground states -- and all three endorsed Sen. John McCain for president!
The NY POST, WASHINGTON TIMES and DALLAS MORNING NEWS have all been told to move out by Sunday to make room for network bigwigs -- and for the inclusion of reporters from two black magazines, ESSENCE and JET.
WHITES can't even ride in the back of the OBAMA bus!
October 31, 2008
10:54 AM
DEMSBETTER writes:
McCain thinks the deficit and the failing economy are not a problem he should address. He just doesn't get it and his socialist rhetoric proves it. The GOP is so desperate they are in denial about what they have done. They spent eight years giving credit to Bush Sr. for Clinton’s success then they blame the GOP deficit on Congress after only a year.
Thanks for not censoring me like your colleagues Mark. I think it is pretty sad the RMN has to censor dissenting opinions and they let people like Shaggy and FCZ defame Obama. I bet Shaggy is a RMN employee.
October 31, 2008
10:54 AM
60s4ever writes:
John McCain is an insult to the uniform he once wore. He threw out his hero status when he adopted the Rovian camapign tactics. The lies and false smears were bad enough, but condoning the voter caging and suppression makes America look like a third world country. Maybe we should have an international group oversee the election as is done in other countries.
October 31, 2008
11:02 AM
DEMSBETTER writes:
Don't forget McCain endorsed Torture too. That is where he lost my trust forever.
October 31, 2008
11:19 AM
mommylj writes:
Seriously, Mark, do something about Sasquatch. His posts have been getting more hate filled and racially innappropriate by the minute.
Just a few more days and this will all be over...I almost don't care who wins, I just want the noise to cease.
October 31, 2008
3:29 PM
DEMSBETTER writes:
Sac 'o' squat, Shaggy, and FCZ are employees of the Rocky Mountain News is my theory. They have broken every rule in the agreement and even have slandered folks but they keep on posting. They are probably in the RMN IT department. At least that is what I wrote in my complaint to Media Matters and the FEC.
October 31, 2008
3:35 PM
DEMSBETTER writes:
If you want to complain you can go to http://www.fec.gov/pages/brochures/complain.shtml
October 31, 2008
4:29 PM
youshudknow writes:
By far, the "notice to all employees" (by managment) is the funniest piece I have read on these blogs yet!
October 31, 2008
6:54 PM
Dr. Laura writes:
DEMSBETTER,
Too much LSD perhaps?
Mushrooms?
Do black helicopters routinely circle your crib?
Do you routinely take a trip w/o leaving the barn?
Might want to see someone about your situation.
November 1, 2008
1:47 PM
Ezana writes:
Mommylj
Let Sasquatch go off. I knew from the beginning this election would bring out the worst in the closet bigots. This is the antidote to political correctness. I think it's a good thing like popping a zit. Most people aren't paranoid enough buy this black supremacy crap. And he just sounds crazier and crazier. These fringe freaks are the right's equivalent to the 9/11 truther's...
November 1, 2008
8:03 PM
Martin G. writes:
It is clear that intense scrutiny is needed during the upcoming election due to the multiple documented instances of registration fraud. The supposedly non-partisan group ACORN (certainly for the purposes of obtaining federal funds) is also on record actively advocating for Nobama.
The sanctity of the election process demands that prudence and safety come before political posturing and outright attempts at voter fraud.
Just like the flood of illegal aliens who've planned on overwhelming the border system, our government needs to safeguard against the flood of same day voter registrants who likewise would like to vote early and often in the good old Chicago tradition of their messiah.
November 2, 2008
11:48 AM
Holier Than Thou writes:
The illegal actions of Mike Coffman purging the rolls within 90 days of an election are interesting but not reassuring.
I wonder why he would risk a contempt of court citation and jail time to do that?
The law is clear when it says that the purging must be done before the 90 day limit. Any purging done after that time is illegal.
Voting is a basic human right and one that most Americans cherish. My opinion of those who have defrauded us of our votes is that they be tried and then hung by their necks in the public square until dead.
November 2, 2008
11:57 AM
The Truth Hurtz writes:
ACORN is an organized crime enterprise. Complicit in these activities, and the authors of taxpayer support for this shadowy group, are prominent Democrats who stand to benefit by the product of these criminal acts.
Including the Messiah and his congressional cronies.
November 2, 2008
1:54 PM
Annette Malet writes:
The Electoral College from time eternal,is what has put a President into office. I believe the Electoral College worked at one time with a different purpose. It went with the Popular Vote.
I feel now the Popular Vote is just a way to humor the general public. The votes are played with to the point the American's vote doesn't matter.
The Voting Machine was given millons of dollars with a lot of time to develope a unified system. Where did the money go?
Now I fear we Americans are down to possibly another judge appointed President.
November 2, 2008
3:57 PM
As thePolitical Wind Blows writes:
Funny how Democrats suport the Electoral College again when their candidate is poised to win through that time-tested mechanism.
Hypocritical, no?
November 2, 2008
7:49 PM
Marcus writes:
The insincerity and feigned outrage of liberals condemning Coffman for doing his job is so typical. By pressing the letter of the law (90 day rule), these idiots willfully ignore the spirit of the law which seeks to keep our elections fair and legal. It's no wonder the ACLU is made up of liberals for the same reason.