Ohio new voter registration scandal: Focusing the issue

[troublemaker]

Here is the narrow tactical situation:

New voters sent in completed registration forms that happened to be on paper lighter than 80lb weight. Solely because of their weight those completed forms were ruled to be *requests* for registration forms, and were set aside. Supposedly each of those people was then mailed a heavier weight registration form to fill out. (It is by no means clear that even that was done in all cases.) Blackwell's hope is that some who registered will not get around to registering AGAIN, and thus will not be registered to vote.

Our narrow objective:

We demand that all voter registrations in hand before the cut-off date be accepted no matter what kind of paper the forms are on. This includes all completed registration forms that were erroneously categorized as *requests* for registration forms. If a replacement is not received by the cut-off date the in-hand original registration must be treated as valid, at least in terms of the weight of the paper.

If anyone can phrase that better or add necessary info (without making it to lengthy) it will help focus our response. Hopefully the Ohio SOS will issue a "clarification" to that effect or some court will order that all in-hand registration forms be processed.

original threads (w/ background):
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=905337&mesg_id=905337

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=906005&mesg_id=906005

http://www.caseohio.org/CaseOhio/BlackwellsOhiosHarris.htm

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. Isn't there a Voter's law or right

that impedes the Supervisor of Elections from putting up bogus hurdles for voter registration and/or voting rights?

[troublemaker]

2. Absolutely, but laws are only as good as those who enforce them

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. If it's a federal law, you just need the ACLU.

[JPZenger]

4. Newsmax: Dems Will "Steal" the Election With Get out the vote

The following is from an email sent out by conservative www.newsmax.com. Imagine that - "stealing the election" by getting more people to vote.

"Democrats May Steal Election as Voter Registration Grows

Despite Kerry's lagging polls, the Democrats still plan to win this November. How?

Perhaps by the old fashioned way: stealing the election.

That's the word from a top Republican strategist in Washington who tells NewsMax the Democrats have put an unusual amount of resources into "voter turnout" efforts.

NewsMax's Insider Report reported weeks ago that the 527 groups supporting Kerry, and backed by the likes of billionaire George Soros, were earmarking most of the $160 million they have raised toward voter registration and "get out the vote" efforts.

Approximately two-thirds of the 527 money - or a $100 million - will go toward these efforts.

Republicans believe many of these voter registration efforts open up the door for qualified and multiple voting schemes on Election Day.

Worse, the 527's are now claiming they will spend three times what has been previously reported to "get out the vote."

One pro-Kerry group, America Votes, told the New York Times that its backers - "labor unions, trial lawyers, environmental groups, community organizations - will spend $300 million on registration and turnout in swing states, a sum that dwarfs the $150 million in public financing the two candidates together will receive for the entire fall campaign."

NewsMax has also reported that only a handful of states were being targeted for this avalanche of cash, notably Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

However, Republicans believe this will lay the groundwork not for a Democratic electoral victory on November 2nd, but for election theft on November 2nd.

NewsMax reports were confirmed this Sunday in the New York Times, which headlined its story "A Big Increase of New Voters in Swing States."

The paper said, " A sweeping voter registration campaign in heavily Democratic areas has added tens of thousands of new voters to the rolls in the swing states of Ohio and Florida, a surge that has far exceeded the efforts of Republicans in both states, a review of registration data shows."

As it turned out in 2000, Bush won Florida by less than a 1000 votes, and Ohio by about 30,000 votes.

Republicans have been shy about raising the voter registration and fraud issue because of the race issue; Democrats have been quick to say the Republicans are "racist" for challenging voter registration efforts in minority and inner city areas.

But the Times notes that's exactly where the Democrats have been focusing their resources."

[rndmprsn]

5. so...

uh...how do you "steal" an election by getting more people to vote...i thought that was the definition of victory?