I don’t like reporting about this story, but if we oppose the GOP’s efforts to suppress voters in Democratic precincts than we must also oppose efforts by a Democrat to suppress voters in Republican Districts:
About one-third of the absentee ballot applications received at the Hamilton
County Board of Elections have been ruled invalid because Republican Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign printed a version of the form with an extra, unneeded box on it.In a narrow interpretation of Ohio law, Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner says many of the McCain forms have not been completed properly. If the box stating the person is an eligible elector — or qualified voter – is not checked, Brunner said, the application is no good.
Even though the box is unneeded, by not checking it voters are essentially admitting they’re not eligible, Brunner said.
“I have not seen a ruling that indirectly impacts voters to the enormity of this since I’ve been here,’’ Hamilton County Board of Elections Deputy Director John Williams said of his nearly five-year tenure at the board.
Do the right thing, Secretary Brunner. Reverse your ruling. This type of baloney was wrong when it was done to Democrats in 2004 by a Republican Secretary of State, Ken Blackwell. It’s equally wrong when a Democratic Secretary of State does it to disadvantage potential Republican voters.
And yes, I know that Republicans are mounting a vast right wing voter suppression effort to keep millions of potential Obama voters off the voting rolls, but it does no good to complain or mount court challenges to those activities if Democrats are adopting the same tactics.
Obama should also condemn this publicly and then demand that the McCain campaign do the same with respect to ongoing efforts by Republican officials to block votes by Democrats. Let every vote count. We’ve had enough of elections where some people have special rights to vote and other have no right.
