Ohio voter registration story is NOT over

[troublemaker]

By my reading of this article Blackwell "backing down" is merely declining to enforce his insane directive going forward. It doesn't sound like he is making any corrective order to remedy any disenfranchisement that has already occurred.

http://www.dispatch.com/?story=dispatch/2004/09/29/20040929-A1-01.html

Here is our bottom line. Anything less than this is unacceptable:

Any voter registration received in any county that was disallowed solely for the weight of the paper must be reinstated and processed precisely as it would have been if it was submitted on a heavier stock on the same date it was originally submitted.

Regarding instances where a lighter weight registration form resulted in another registration form being mailed to the prospective voter the original:

If the replacement form is not received by the cut-off date then the initial (lighter weight) registration must be accepted as it is, and processed as a valid registration form received on the day it was actually received.

[TexasBushwhacker]

1. I read somewhere that they found Blackwell's registration

in their files and that it wasn't printed on 80 lb. stock either.

[Not Me]

2. It goes beyond the 80 pound paper registration issue...

Blackwell has refused to notify released felons that they are eligible to vote. In Ohio a felon released from incarceration has his civil rights automatically restored upon release. There is apparently a federal requirement that people be notified in writing when lost voting rights are restored and Blackwell has not done so.

FURTHER,

He has failed to comply with the 2002 "Help America Vote Act".
That law requires poll workers to allow a person to cast a provisional ballot if they are not listed in the precinct roles. The idea is that if a mistake has been made the person's vote will count once the records are verified. The provisional ballot is to be given to people who are attempting to vote in the wrong precinct. If it turns out they were in the right precinct, the vote counts. If it turns out they were in the wrong precinct the votes they cast that would have been on the ballot in the 'correct' precinct count. (i.e. national and statewide office).

The intent of the provisional ballot is to ensure that people are not disenfranchised because of a clerical error or because they are itinerant (read poor) and were not able to change registration. Rather than provide a provisional ballot, Blackwell has instructed poll workers to try to discover the voter's correct precinct and re-direct them there. The problem is that in the case of mistake, or in the case of an itinerant person, there is likely not to be a 'correct precinct to send them to.

[roseBudd]

3. DUers call the BUZZ in Cincinnati (Black talk radio)

Blackwell was born and raised in Cincinnati and we want the African American community in Cincinnati riled up about Blackwell's traitorous behavior. He is also trying tomake poor people who show up at the wrong precinct have to get on another bus to vote at the right precinct.

I called about 6:30 yesterday and got Nathan. 5-7 is sports though.

(513)-749-1230 Studio Line
(513)-948-1985 Fax

[DeepModem Mom]

4. See this thread about appealing to the international observers NOW --

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x916412

[Eric J in MN]

5. A lot of people will need "prrovisional ballots." We need to

make sure there are enough provisional ballots for people whose registration wasn't accepted, and that the voters know to ask for them.

[spotbird]

6. You make a great argument,

but the story has lost its Big Mo.

The scope of the problem is unknown but since the SOS sent out invalid applications, it could be wide. It seems that most people think there weren't many applications affected. Why? I don't know.

[troublemaker]

7. IMPORTANT NOTE:

I posted this thread this morning before some current Ohio threads were posted. This isn't a snarky disagreement with anyone--it was posted before there was anything to disagree with except a newspaper article. My intention was not to rain on anyone's parade, but rather to give a heads up to DUers to not accept Blackwell's lame CYA statement as the end of it.

There is a real victory here insofar as we got Blackwell to cover his ass. He had to at least acknowledge our efforts. So now we have confirmation that we have the power to alter this man's actions. Does that sound like the time to ease up on him?

But we Democrats have a bad habit of not following through. When the other side makes a mollifying gesture we always want to shake hands and make nice.

The Republicans see a mollifying gesture as a sign of weakness and redouble their attacks.

I say we have this bastard moving backward, so we need to push harder. These Republicans do not fight well going backward.

[spotbird]

8. kick