Posted on 08/02/2010 3:33:04 PM PDT by BulletBobCo
DENVER (AP) ― Colorado Secretary of State Bernie Buescher is asking the federal government for a waiver of the requirement to mail ballots to military service members overseas 45 days before the November election, a move that means some ballots might not be counted.
Spokesman Rich Coolidge said the ballots will still be mailed, but some soldiers in remote battlefields might not have enough time to mail them back, even though the state will give them an extra seven days after the election. He said they can also send them by e-mail or fax.
Coolidge blamed late primaries and petition deadlines. He said ballots for the Aug. 10 primary also went out under short notice, but the 45-day deadline doesn't apply to those elections.
"Our timelines are very tight with the caucus and the petition process," Coolidge said.
Under a new federal law President Barack Obama signed in October, states without a waiver must deliver ballots to soldiers 45 days before the general election so they have enough time to vote. The only exemptions allowed include a late primary election, a legal challenge or a state constitution ban.
Colorado's Aug. 10 primary leaves 84 days to comply. However, under Colorado law, election officials can wait until 32 days before the election to deliver ballots to election offices.
Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich told lawmakers there are exceptions for "undue hardships" that will be considered on a case-by-case basis. He said no decisions have been made for this year's general election. He said the department is prepared to file a lawsuit against states not in compliance.
Bob Carey, federal voting assistance program director for the Department of Defense, said waiver requests have been received from Washington, New York, Hawaii, Alaska, the Virgin Islands, Delaware, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.
The Military Postal Service Agency urges military voters in Iraq and Afghanistan to send ballots back at least 28 days before an election, and voters at other overseas military installations at least 21 days in advance.
"Military and overseas voters face not having their ballots sent from their respective states in time to receive them, vote them, and send them back to their respective state's ballot deadline," Carey said.
Republican lawmakers said Colorado's decision to seek a waiver is unacceptable.
State Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Cortez, said ballots for all soldiers should count and the state should protect the privacy of their vote.
Tipton said in a letter to be sent to Buescher that Obama signed the new deadlines in October, as part of the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act, to address voting challenges for the military.
"Unfortunately, it has come to our attention that Colorado will soon be submitting an application for a waiver from an important provision of the act. This is an important provision that guarantees that military personnel serving our country abroad can cast their votes in time for those votes to be counted, and that the privacy of those votes can be protected," Tipton said.
Buescher warned last year that he probably wouldn't make the deadline, along with other states with late primaries, including Washington.
Coolidge said Buescher is working with the Secretary's Best Practices and Vision Commission to revise the state's election calendar, which may involve moving the primary.
"Obviously, this will require legislation and when the calendar changes it creates a domino effect for all other dates in state election law," Coolidge said.
Disgraceful.
If the Trotskyites at UC Boulder get the same treatment it will be a wash.
They should be ashamed. Maine has never been able to successfully get a ballot to my son’s during any of the elections.
Here’s the thing....which I think even Secretary Gates would agree to. Get every single ballot to one central distribution point in the US...and let the US military deliver them. My bet is that we could every single ballot into the hands of a GI within five days....no matter if they are deployed at the ends of the Earth. Give that GI seven days to vote and return it to the same distribution center...and then FEDEX it back to one point in each state. All of this could be accomplished with 21 days...in my humble opinion.
But in return for this...we ought to have an absolute rule on accepting military ballots. If a state or county poll counter doesn’t count a vote....they deserve six months in state prison...for each vote that they refuse.
Can’t have our military citizens outvote the undocumented democrats.
Excellent idea except I’ll add that the sentences should be surved consecutively not concurrently.
And I hope that our military folks are well informed of this - so that they know just exactly what is meant when they remember their oath to protect the constitution (which this request apparently violates) against all enemies - foreign (liberal) and domestic (liberal).
Hey—why doesn’t obamination just sign a blanket executive order that prohibits mailing any overseas military a ballot at all? That is his intent by allowing waivers in the first place. God forbid there should be “undue hardship” on the parasites sucking up benefits in the states while our military in the ME obviously lives the life of Riley and shouldn’t be given the opportunity to say anything.
Why the HELL can’t they do them on-line!
Everything else is on the internet...why not let our brave
troops have that option to have their vote counted!
Takes less than 5 days to get to the damn space station! They ferry military personnel back and forth in 24 hours...they could do the same with the ballots.
I’m MAD!
>> “Our timelines are very tight with the caucus and the petition process,” Coolidge said.
Here’s a suggestion, you lazy government puke. You might try the tactic we frequently use in the private sector when faced with a “tight timeline”:
WE WORK OUR BUTTS OFF.
Try it sometime. It builds character in a way that public sector union work rules don’t.
Let me guess: Democrat? Right?
Dear Colorado, you are either with the USA.... or you’re against her.
There is no other choice, there are no acceptable excuses, and there damn sure won’t be any quarter shown to those that choose wrong.
Those that fight and die for our freedoms, should damn well have their vote counted.
To even suggest that our Troops shouldn’t have their votes counted, is nothing less than treason.
No state side ballots should be counted, PERIOD, before the military has their votes in! What a bunch of absolute jerks in our government!!!
The push is on! Colorado TEA Parties and 912 groups should make this a TOP priority. The Soros Secretaries of State members will be trying to sneak these in. We need to scream bloody murder in every possible venue.
The push is on! Colorado TEA Parties and 912 groups should make this a TOP priority. The Soros Secretaries of State members will be trying to sneak these in. We need to scream bloody murder in every possible venue.
The push is on! Colorado TEA Parties and 912 groups should make this a TOP priority. The Soros Secretaries of State members will be trying to sneak these in. We need to scream bloody murder in every possible venue.
Bernie Buescher is the current secretary of state of Colorado. A Democrat, he was appointed to the office in 2009 by Governor of Colorado Bill Ritter to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Republican Mike Coffman.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.