New storm buffets secretary of state - (CA re:Absentee Ballots)

[Kadie]

New storm buffets secretary of state

By Gary Delsohn -- Bee Capitol Bureau
Published 2:15 am PDT Friday, August 13, 2004

snip...
The registrars, some of whom question whether Shelley is more interested in promoting himself than in helping them register and motivate voters, were furious after learning last week that he planned to send nearly 4 million permanent absentee ballot applications.

"It's mind-boggling," Conny McCormack, the registrar in Los Angeles County, said this week. "It's duplicative and it's got his name all over it. We don't need voters being confused. It's just ludicrous, and he didn't consult any of us before doing it."

snip...
Shelley notified county clerks and elections registrars last Friday by fax that his office soon would be mailing 3.75 million applications that would allow voters to assume "permanent absentee" status. Once a form is filled out and processed, voters would receive absentee ballots in all future elections -local, state and federal.
To process all the forms, which were to be sent to so-called "occasional" voters who have cast ballots once in the past four elections, the fax said additional staff would have been added.

The extra hiring went to the heart of another simmering dispute between local registrars and Shelley over how he's using more than $200 million in federal funds aimed at educating voters and increasing turnout.

Registrars have said they think the money should be used to buy new electronic voting machines and to hire more local poll and other elections workers. Shelley, for the most part, has hired consultants and other staff that work for his office.

more...
http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/story/10357742p-11277652c.html

[Joanne98]

1. this says alot

Registrars have said they think the money should be used to buy new electronic voting machines and to hire more local poll and other elections workers. Shelley, for the most part, has hired consultants and other staff that work for his office.

Since Diebold got certified for CA yesterday, everybody should vote absentee ballot. I would if I was there.

[cally]

2. I don't know what to think about this one

Folks are going to be very confused but getting more folks to vote absentee will help us. :shrug:

[hunter]

3. Private contractors should not be counting our votes.

And private contractors should not be running our elections.

It's that simple.

Too much weird and spooky stuff is going on with DRE voting machines and the private contractors election officials now rely upon to run our elections.

I used to have this vague notion that our elections were being run by local volunteers and local temporary help hired by local election officials from within the local community, but in many places this isn't so -- in effect, private contractors with unknown allegiances are brought from "outside" to manage and supervise many elections.

If you have any concerns about these issues you *MUST* find out how the elections in your own community are run. You *MUST* find out how your own vote is actually counted.

Do not put up with any nonsense from your local election officials. They work for you, and you own the place.

[Pachamama]

4. Even stranger is the whole "campaign donation" storm brewing around

Secretary of State Shelley....the guy has been fighting for the rights of CA voters and is doing everything he can to protect them and now suddenely there is this "investigation" into campaign donations that were illegal by some real estate agent in SF with some money laundering and other strange twists. Awfully convenient isn't it that this would happen less than 3 months away from the election...I think the Repukes sent a "tip" to the Reporters to investigate this and now they'll demand for Shelley's resignation and have Ahnuld appoint a Republican replacement right before the election....coincidink?