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* UPDATED x2 * Democrats accidentally suppressing their own voters

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Illinois

* I told subscribers about this today, and Chuck Goudie had the scoop last night. The bottom line is that the Democrats’ coordinated campaign really screwed up badly…

An Illinois county election official is telling the ABC 7 I-Team that thousands — potentially hundreds of thousands — of voters who are expecting a ballot sent to them by mail may be disenfranchised.

That may be an exaggeration, but it’s at least thousands. This is a massive screwup. But the Lake County Clerk has to follow the law, so her sorrows are her own problem…

The Lake County clerk received a shipment of 500 ballot requests from the IDCC Tuesday. By law, her office has two days to process the ballot requests. The problem is, Thursday is the deadline for election officials to get the ballots out.

IDCC told the clerk that another 1,500 ballot requests are headed to her office, which, she says, may not give her enough time to process all the ballots, potentially disenfranchising voters.

There’s an even worse problem, though. Subscribers already know what that is. Basically, if you sign the application and stick it in the mail, it is sent to the coordinated campaign. They then process the applications and send them to the clerks. But lots of people got their absentee applications yesterday. The deadline for sending them in is Thursday. If those recipients signed the apps and send them in today, the earliest the coordinated campaign will get them is Thursday, which, again, is the deadline day. Considering the US Postal Service’s record, the Democrats will probably get a ton of applications after the deadline. This was just a horribly designed plan.

And then there’s this…

Carter and others who contacted the I-Team are furious that their vote may also be thrown out because the IDCC put the registered voters’ wrong birthdate on the form.

The coordinated campaign says that only one percent of the applications have the wrong birth date. It’s probably way more than that. But, again, Goudie is exaggerating here. Birth dates aren’t required information in some areas, including the city of Chicago. And it’s not their “vote” which may be thrown out. It’s the ballot application.

Either way, though, this stupidity is causing huge problems and mass confusion.

A Chicago elections board spokesman told me yesterday that voters who get these late applications should just download a form from the board itself and mail it in by Thursday. The Chicago media and every other state media outlet needs to get on this one fast. People need to know that their party might’ve just accidentally shafted them.

And this is another really bad thing…

Forty-five of the ballots the Lake County clerk received Tuesday from the [Democratic coordinated campaign] should have gone to Will County.

That’s almost ten percent of the ballot requests she received yesterday.

Idiots.

…Adding… A Daily Kos diarist wondered aloud yesterday if these flawed ballot applications might be some sort of Rovian trick…

I just noticed something strange, and I don’t know if it is a genuine mistake or some sort of evil trick. […]

I’d hate to think it is an evil plot by Karl Rove to dupe a lot of people into unwittingly committing “voter fraud.”

Nope. Karl Rove isn’t trying to suppress Democratic voters. The Dems are doing it to their own kind. And they’ll probably end up suppressing more votes than Mark Kirk and the Illinois Republican Party ever could, despite Alexi Giannoulias’ many claims.

If either Pat Quinn or Giannoulias lose by a few thousand votes, they may have their own party’s coordinated campaign to blame.

*** UPDATE 1 *** Illinois Review diarist “Ghost of John Brown” received an absentee ballot app mailer today from a Republican group…

Today Mrs. Ghost and I both received mailers from the Alliance for America’s Future, which is a group operated by Dick Cheney’s daughter, Mary. The mailer encourages you to go to a personalized website so you can get an absentee ballot. Click [here] for a full view. The trouble is that at least in my County, an absentee ballot has to be mailed out five days ahead of time, which is Thursday. How likely is it that if you fill out the on-line form that your election board will be able to mail out the ballot in time? Not likely. However, you might THINK that you are getting one, and fail to vote.

Sheesh. Both sides are suppressing their own voters. What a mess.

*** UPDATE 2 *** Blogger’s blogger OneMan received three absentee apps from that same Republican group yesterday.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 11:42 am

Comments

Sounds like the Lake County Democrats should have put more effort into the absantee ballot program and less focus on the goofy Kirk mailers.

Comment by More Courage Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 11:46 am
Obviously, this screw-up is instead a coordinated campaign by the Republicans, spearheaded by George Bush.

Comment by Cincinnatus Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 11:47 am
MC, this has nothing to do with the Lake County Democrats. It’s the state coordinated campaign. Learn to read more carefully, please.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 11:48 am
Doh!

Comment by Amalia Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 11:48 am
This is just stupid!!!

Comment by Well... Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 11:53 am
Obviously, far too busy coordinating massive voter fraud across the state….

I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue.

Comment by archpundit Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 11:54 am
Will the disenfranchised voters be directed to take a provisional ballot, casting a vote only for the federal offices and therefore screwing the statewides and locals?

Comment by Belden Ave Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 11:55 am
Rickey Hendon rants, Pat Quinn hugs, Mail in Ballot screw up. Its like pennies from heaven lately. Republicans should take the day off and let the democrats keep up the good work.

Comment by Living in Oklahoma Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 11:58 am
The coordinated circle jerk has been messing up the democratic effort to better themselves the entire time. They have harvested money, people, and time of all the democratic campaigns and wasted all of it. Everyone on their team is worthless. That’s what you get when you hire a bunch of worthless people from iowa, wisconsin, and new york. Coordinated worthless. I suggest no one ever hire any of these clowns again. Send them back out of Illinois where they belong.

Comment by The Truth Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 12:00 pm
Democrats Scewed Up Massively

This is not news. It is called karma.

Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 12:01 pm
So is this screw-up in Durbin’s operation or Madigan’s? Democrats could really use a functioning state party, especially after the Lt. Gov’s race, this debacle proves no one is in charge.

Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 12:02 pm
Here’s the thing. When you’re doing absentee ballot applications, send them out early, then nag people until they mail them in. Don’t send them out late.

This really isn’t rocket science.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 12:02 pm
It’s part of the Grand Madigan Conspiracy to install Lisa as governor in 2012. Why can’t you all see that? Think of the children, will someone please think of the children!

Seriously, if it helps anyone, here’s what the ISBE publishes on the general subject:

CAN ANYONE WHO REQUESTED AN
ABSENTEE BALLOT VOTE AT THE
POLLS ON ELECTION DAY?
A person who has requested an absentee
ballot cannot be permitted to vote in the
polling place on Election Day. Exceptions:

Any voter to whom an absentee ballot was
issued may vote in the polls if:

–the voter submits to the election
judges their absentee ballot, or a
portion of the ballot for
cancellation;

–the voter fills out an affidavit
stating that they never received
the absentee ballot;

–or the voter fills out an affidavit
stating they completed and
returned an absentee ballot and
the election authority did not
receive it.

That is all so much simpler than the old system!

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 12:03 pm
Coordinated campaign is Durbin and Cullerton

Comment by George Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 12:06 pm
Comments about the screw ups of others are much cleverer when they are spelled correctly.

– MrJM

Comment by MrJM Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 12:07 pm
This SNAFU will ensure that Dick Durbin does not become the Senate Majority Leader in January. (I think we’ll see a 50-50 split in Senate and that Harry will lose).

Meanwhile, Chuck Schumer rejoices.

Comment by John Bambenek Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 12:07 pm
47th, MJM isn’t running the coordinated campaign. This is a Durbin operation.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 12:07 pm
Thanks Rich. Noted. Still and all, if we had a functioning state Democratic party…

Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 12:11 pm
This is all total nonsense. Voters, unless they are infirm or out of town should personally go to the polls, (early or on actual election day) fill out and review their own ballot, and personally put it in the box and hear it “plunk”. If the ballot box has an electronic reader it will also verify to the voter that their vote has been tallied for extra reassurance.

Having a both an unnecessary partisan “middleman” AND the US postal service in between the voter, the application, the ballot, and the ballot box was asking for trouble–and they got it.

Comment by Responsa Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 12:11 pm
This is a huge “I told you so” for Madigan.

Comment by Pioneer P. Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 12:17 pm
“coordinated campaign” + Democrat = Oxymoron? No? Yes!

Comment by GetOverIt Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 12:17 pm
A friend of mine called yesterday and read the letter the Democrats sent her about mail ballot applications and asked if it was on the level or a dirty trick by Democrats.

I told it sounded pretty much what we Republicans do but I asked her when she received it. She responded: YESTERDAY (meaning two days ago). I told her it would be too late for her to mail the application request back and get a mail ballot in time to to vote and suggested that she either early vote or vote on person on election day.

Little did I realize that this was a statewide problem of Democrats until Rich posted this stuff. I thought she simply got hers late due to a post office glitch.

As a Republican Township Chairman, I can only say: “Thanks Democrats!”

PS: My friend is voting for Kirk, Brady, Dold, Turelli, Dunn and Marcyan. She claims this is the first time in her life she is voting for Republican candidates (except for Kirk for whom she always voted for in the past).

Comment by Louis G. Atsaves Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 12:18 pm
Word: I think voting in person on election day with the problems you mention above are the same solution as the old system - you have to fill out an Affidavit. The judge would have to contact the County Clerk’s Office. The one thing I’m NOT sure about is (since I haven’t had it happen to me with absentee ballots), would they have to vote provisionally?

If the voter calls to see if their ballot was received and it was not, why not go down to the County Clerk’s Office and vote Absentee in person. The deadline for that is Monday. Of course that defeats the whole purpose eh?

I would hate to be an election judge in those counties on Tuesday.

Comment by CU Election Judge Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 12:21 pm
I don’t really understand why people can’t just apply for an absentee ballot themselves or dare I say, take 2 minutes out of their lives every 2/4 years to vote in person.

Comment by shore Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 12:22 pm
The stupidity is on both sides of the aisle. A Republican group sent me a mailer yesterday with an application for absentee ballots. Just like with the Dems, if this was sent out three weeks ago, it might have been helpful, but now - just chaos.

The reverse side for this issue is that if the ballots are NOT accepted, then there will be screams on both sides of “you have to count the ballots - voters are being disenfranchised”. This has happened in other races in other states. The party screws up and puts up a false pitard. It would be so much easier if the parties ran competent campaigns in the first place.

Comment by Ghost of John Brown Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 12:24 pm
GoJB, what was the Republican group?

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 12:28 pm
There won’t be a 50-50 Senate split. If the GOP gets 50 seats, Lieberman will flip to give them 51.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 12:32 pm
IDCC officials claim they are entering ballot request information into their own database before sending the mailings on to election authorities who then mail voters the ballot.

So they can stop sending mail and track how to program is going. Not because….

We are doing everything we can to make sure our voters vote - this is pretty standard. In order to help Illinoisans apply for an absentee ballot the ILDCC incurred the cost of the postage so that we can help ensure folks get their ballot on time and that we know who is voting. Turn out as everyone knows is critical to this election. By working this through a PO Box we are better able to track the process and make sure there are fewer problems.

At least in the collars and I suspect most other places you can get a list of who voted early and absentee every day. You can use that to update your mailing lists and the like.

If you take the apps and then send them off, you get the data bit earlier however you also run the very real risk in some areas of sending the app to the wrong place. Within a block of my house it is a county and a city election commission. Is the IDCC smart enough to realize they need to look at more than just zip code, if not they are either sending requests to the Aurora Election Commission that need to go to DuPage or vice-versa or even worse they are sending them to the counties and ignoring the election commission.

Comment by OneMan Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 12:38 pm
==Coordinated campaign is Durbin and Cullerton==

Funny, this sure sounds like a classic Quinn SNAFU. Are any Governor’s Office employees on loan to the coordinated campaign?

Comment by Pat Robertson Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 12:42 pm
Also here is an interesting question the IL GOP might want to ask. Is a application hand delivered by someone in bulk the same as mailing it in to the election authority?

Would be interesting if someone challenged that and all those ballots got ruled invalid (or at least held until it got resolved) and the IDCC own records were used to determine what ballot requests were not mailed in.

Comment by OneMan Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 12:45 pm
Rich,

Here is the Republican Group

http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2010/10/ignore-this-mailer.html

Comment by Ghost of John Brown Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 12:46 pm
“Would be interesting if someone challenged that and all those ballots got ruled invalid”

Yeah, that would be a popular move.

– MrJM

Comment by MrJM Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 12:51 pm
My wife got her’s yesterday with her birth year four years earlier than it should be and the birth day off by a day. Normally our votes cancel eachother’s out. Maybe not this year

Comment by sing me something new Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 12:55 pm
Yesterday I got three from the Republican group, all to the exact same name and address

http://htsblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/alliance-for-americas-future.html

Comment by OneMan Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 12:59 pm
“Would be interesting if someone challenged that and all those ballots got ruled invalid”

Yeah, that would be a popular move.

– MrJM

Never said it would be popular, it would be interesting. Considering how Illinois election law gets interpreted (staples vs. paper clips) it would be an interesting challenge especially if things turn out to be really close.

Comment by OneMan Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 1:01 pm
Mr Bambenek,

You assume that Reid wins his election. Sometimes I think he will win, but polls indicate he may well lose. If so, I think Durbin’s the new Majority Leader.

Comment by Deep South Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 1:05 pm
Deep South,

You assume that the Dems are going to maintain control of the Senate. You may be right (I hope not), but there is probably a 40% chance that the Republicans will gain control. It pretty much comes down to the Washington State race. If the R’s pick up Washington, then they will gain control. If the D’s win Washington, then Durbin will probably be Majority leader.

Comment by Ghost of John Brown Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 1:10 pm
Somewhere Rich Whitey is having a smile at this….

Comment by Ghost Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 1:11 pm
Friends, don’t make Rich step in. He is probably sleep-deprived and even less patient than usual with discussion of races outside the Land of Lincoln.

And I don’t want to get your blood all over my clothes.

– MrJM

Comment by MrJM Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 1:14 pm
Stop being so lazy (not all) and go to vote in person.

Comment by Wumpus Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 1:23 pm
I still say the best way to get people to vote and early vote is if every voter in your house voted all direct mail and TV commercials for candidates would stop arriving at your home

Comment by OneMan Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 1:24 pm
Ghost, Rich Whitey is always soemewhere behind the scenes smiling.

Comment by Wumpus Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 1:34 pm
I just spoke with my County Clerk.

She told me absentee applications received by 4:00 PM Thursday can and should be mailed out so applicants can vote absentee by mail if they wish. She said that any sent to our County would be sent out.

If those absentee applications get in late, after Thursday, and ballots can not be mailed out those voters can still vote in person absentee until 4:00 PM Monday or those voters can also vote on election day at their polling place.

I would never call these people,Democrat or Republican, who are trying to get the absentee applications to voters idiots, or stupid if something doesn’t get done just right.

I know many of you are hard workingmen and women who volunteer your time for what you believe in.

Thank you for your effort.

Comment by (618) Democrat Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 1:37 pm
618, if it’s structurally unsound, then they’re stupid. Period.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 1:49 pm
Rich, whatever, lol.

I guess whe judge people different.

Comment by (618) Democrat Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 1:52 pm
–Democrats Scewed Up Massively

This is not news. It is called karma. –

Given the updates, where’s your karma now? (think Edward G. Robinson-in-The Ten Commandments-voice).

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 2:04 pm
Yeah, I don’t understand the middle man, unless they were doing it as a way to track who had voted or not so they know who to contact/not contact for GOTV on election day.

Bottom line: any MJM operation would never be this badly mishandled. He, and most anyone that has ever done campaign work for them, are pros.

And all of you who buy into what the Tribune is telling you about Madigan are just plain silly.

Comment by progressive voice Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 2:05 pm
Ghost, you’re right. I am assuming the Dems maintain control of the Senate…with very good reason. But it very well could be that Sen. Reid gets bounced by Crazy Sharon.

Comment by Deep South Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 2:09 pm
==Blogger’s blogger OneMan received three absentee apps from that same Republican group yesterday.==

Vote late and vote often!

Comment by Pat Robertson Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 2:17 pm
Too much fraud potential for absentee voting. Needs to go back to voting on election day only

Comment by Doug Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 2:35 pm
The problem has nothing to do with volunteers, 618. This was a top-down SNAFU — these problems are all the result of executive decisions by paid campaign strategists.

Comment by Justin Boland Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 2:38 pm
Why does everyone assume Durbin is the guy if Reid goes down? If Durbin’s lousy leadership on the Illinois “coordinated campaign” results in a loss by Alexi and Quinn, and a possible net three gain in the US House by Republcans in Illinois giving them a delegation majority, I think the long knives come out in DC and Durbin gets skewered by Schumer.

Comment by Jaded Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 2:41 pm
Sorta a metaphor for the competence of both major parties in Springfield and Washington.

Don’t blame me, I voted for Whitney, again.

Comment by Carl Nyberg Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 2:47 pm
I also got my ballot on Tuesday, with my birthdate 4 years and one day early, for the record. Was really hoping this was a one-off error.

Comment by LP Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 2:47 pm
=== Given the updates, where’s your karma now? (think Edward G. Robinson-in-The Ten Commandments-voice). ===

I was thinking more Heston from the planet of the Apes Statute of Liberty scene.

Comment by Ghost Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 2:59 pm
Pat Robertson:

Nope, no Quinn people over there, this is one you can’t blame on PQ!

Comment by Belden Ave Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 3:01 pm
==Nope, no Quinn people over there, this is one you can’t blame on PQ!==

OK, counting this one, that makes a total of . . . one.

Comment by Pat Robertson Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 3:13 pm
and one more vote than the other guy is a landslide!!!

Comment by Belden Ave Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 3:17 pm
Who cares if you can blame Quinn? As long as it hurts him (even just a little) that is all that matters. Good work Dick.

Comment by Jaded Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 3:19 pm
And to think I was stupid enough to give money to the Coordinated Campaign. I want it back.

Comment by RFK fan Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 3:46 pm
Jaded, you make a good point.

Comment by Deep South Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 4:25 pm
The problem here isn’t one of ballots not being counted (or being ruled “invalid”) - it is rather one of absentee ballots requested too late not being mailed at all. There would not be any ballots to count - if the voters did not get out and vote in person - and some nmber of voters would likely not get out and do so.

Comment by titan Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 4:26 pm
The so-called coordinated campaign is staffed by a bunch of durbins d.c. young knowitalls who’ve never been in a campaign in illinois and know sfa.

Comment by Mares eat oats Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 6:14 pm
I see the point that this could be a disorganized mess, however, I have never seen so many absentee ballot application sent out ever before.

The bottom line will be more people voting. Whether the ballots are in time to be counted Tuesday or are pouring in all week-they still will have to be counted in close elections.

It could be a mess but a beneficial one for the dems because I think they are doing most of the mailing.

Comment by Phineas J. Whoopee Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 7:29 pm
My husband got a Dem absentee ballot application in the mail yesterday & we live in McLean Co. I put it straight in the garbage suspecting it was too late. What’s the fun of voting early?

Comment by Rayne of terror Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 8:21 pm
What a metaphor for Illinois politics. Neither party is even capable of proper voter mobilization, much less running the state.

Comment by Angry Chicagoan Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 8:47 pm
Doesn’t anyone wonder why the defective applications have the birthdays consistently off by 1 day and 4 years? It sure sounds like more than a coincidence and more than mere incompetence.

Comment by Conspiritorial Voter Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 10:03 pm
Pennsylvania appears to be having a similar situation concerning absentees with a PO box controlled by the Democratic party, pre-screening, delays, and bad birth dates. Not good.

Comment by Responsa Wednesday, Oct 27, 10 @ 10:48 pm