Friday, September 12, 2008

Absentee Ballot Request Form Confusion

Did any of my 5's of readers receive an Absentee Ballot Request Form from the McCain Campaign?  

There are some questions surfacing regarding the validity of said Absentee Ballot Request Forms. Cincinnati.com and MSNBC.  The forms include a check box stating that "
I am a qualified elector and would like to receive an Absentee Ballot for the November 4, 2008 General Election."  Following Ohio Election Law Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner is deeming Forms without the check box checked incomplete.  

In a press conference today, Brunner stood by the assessment that forms with unchecked boxes would not be processed, but she invited county election boards to submit the incomplete forms to her office, which will then contact applicants who failed to check the appropriate box.  Voters will be informed of the mix-up by phone, reissued a new form, and also directed to a website where they can electronically confirm their status as eligible voters. 

MSNBC

I received a McCain Campaign Absentee Ballot Request Form last week. At first I thought Ha! I’ll use this to request my Ohio Absentee Ballot on McCain’s dime. Thankfully I waited and checked out the Ohio Secretary of State website for the official form and where to mail said form.



I covered up my address, which was correct, with an Obama Voting Information flyer. The address on the Request Form is for the Fairfield County Board of Elections and is the correct address. I live in Franklin County so this Request form would send my Request to the WRONG Board of Elections, even if I made sure to check the Voter Eligibility Box.


Look for the “I am a qualified elector and would like to receive an Absentee Ballot for the November 4, 2008 General Election” Check Box.  

I received my official Franklin County Absentee Ballot Request Form early this week, it was filled out, with my correct address, and was postage paid. The McCain Request Form required a stamp.

I registered Independent when I last registered to vote a few years ago. I voted Democratic in the last Ohio Primary and now show up as a registered Democrat on both the Franklin County Board of Elections and the Ohio Secretary of State websites.  There are questions if the forms were sent to just Democrats or to Republicans.

That's my experience.  I know I will be looking for my Absentee Ballot in the mail come September 30th.  If it does not arrive you can be sure I will be at my polling location on November 4th.

1 comment:

the secret knitter said...

I've been a registered Democrat since college, so I haven't received anything like this. Just one more thing for the parties to squabble over here until Election Day. Can we get a card stock argument going like '04?