Illinois officials "caught lying" about military ballots

Election Law Center ^ | October 15, 2010 | Christian Adams

[jazusamo]

An amazing revelation over at BigGovernment.com. They report Illinois has been “lying” about whether or not military ballots mailed on September 18 as required by Federal law. They lied to the DOJ.  Obviously if they did lie, this is not a happy day for America’s servicemembers.

But take special note of why the lie worked: because the Department of Justice deploys a Keystone Kops enforcement operation. You can actually read the extent of the Justice Department’s inquiry to Illinois here.  It isn't much.  After the Illinois board of elections tells the DOJ that the ballots mailed in time in all the counties, “Thanks very much for the update” represented the full measure of follow up or skepticism. It appears not a county was called. Instead, the DOJ did in 2010 what it did in 2008: it relied totally on the word of state election officials.  It did nothing else to verify whether or not ballots really were mailed by the counties.  We can now report they did not in at least THIRTY FIVE Illinois counties.  Shameful.

How does the saying go: fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice….

The fact that DOJ deployed the exact same investigative method that got them burned in 2008 merits immediate action against the person responsible. Instead, they will deny there is anything wrong with an investigative methodology that over and over results in military voters being disenfranchised. They will say, what else can we do?

They can do what the Military Voter Protection Project is doing. They are finding violations when the DOJ is not. The DOJ lawsuit against New Mexico was because MVPProject uncovered the failure to mail ballots, not the DOJ.  And MVPP isn’t relying on $138,000 a year GS-15’s to do the work. They are relying in citizen volunteers.

The attorney working on the Illinois matter should call the attorney who had to file the affidavit in Virginia in 2008 and ask for a Word copy of the document - all he needs to do is change a few names and dates.  Because the same mess just happened again. 

I have learned this morning that a whirlwind is forming in the Congress against the Keystone Kops operation in the DOJ. Senators have had enough of amateur hour. They are about to clang the gong on this act. The saddest part is that the true amateurs are detecting failures to mail military ballots when the six figure professionals are screwing it up.

One final note, the attorney who thanked Illinois very much for the update in the email is not to blame for this. Others imposed this crazed investigative method on him. It is the same method that led to a disaster in 2008. Only in government would a proven defective method be used twice. Its time to clean up the mess, and it seems that more than just John Cornyn are ready to do it. 

Yet another very very very bad day for James Cole.

[jazusamo]

I have learned this morning that a whirlwind is forming in the Congress against the Keystone Kops operation in the DOJ. Senators have had enough of amateur hour.

I sincerely hope that's true and the Senate will finally go after DOJ for not enforcing the MOVE Act.

[ozzymandus]

What does the RAT-endorsing VFW have to say about deployed service members being denied their Constitutional rights?

[Doogle]

I have learned this morning that a whirlwind is forming in the Congress against the Keystone Kops operation in the DOJ

lip service

[TigerClaws]

Military has mostly conservative voters.

DOJ should sue to prevent disnfranchisement of those serving our country.

[sgtyork]

I hope the Senate fixes it. Perhaps we need to allow soldiers to personally sue these slimy bastards for violation of their civil rights.

[jazusamo]

They probably don’t know a thing about it, they’re too busy endorsing leftists.

[jazusamo]

Please bump the Freepathon and donate or become a monthly donor!

[DPMD]

This, and the same stuff in New York, was never a matter of them trying to meet the deadline and missing it. There was never a failure to get the ballots out on time. There was a refusal, a deliberate and calculated one, to get them out at all.

Giving them the benefit of the doubt by suggesting just a failure to get the ballots out suggests that, in the 10 years since the recount in Florida, when the military was originally disenfranchised, democrats just haven’t learned how to allow the military to vote, is beyond the pale.

Nobody is that stupid, not even liberals.

Even though they do come pretty close.

[AU72]

I see Obama is requesting an absentee ballor from Illinois.

[SkyPilot]

Never fear. Eric Holder and Reggie Love's boyfriend are on the job.

[jazusamo]

I agree...The fiasco of the military ballots not being counted in the 2000 election brought military voter disenfranchisement to the attention of the public.

Even so it took nine years to pass the MOVE Act and now the Democrat run DOJ and almost entirely Democrat states are ignoring the Act or looking for loopholes to not follow the law.

Heads should roll at DOJ and the states and counties not complying.

[jazusamo]

I saw that, it’d be a hoot if it was lost.

[Drill Thrawl]

In other countries this would be enough to cause a military coup.

[kromike]

Unexpectedly! Did the Illinois officials use the “Tee-hee, I’m Manchelle Obama and I didn’t know it was illegal” Defense?

[jazusamo]

Surprising this would happen in Illinois of all places. /sarc

[lowbridge]

bump

[arrogantsob]

Yet, we have super-”conservatives” right here working to elect the RAT Senatorial candidate, Alexi G.

[ANGGAPO]

I suspect that the ballots were intentionally late to insure they would be late getting back and could not be counted. The Rats know how the military votes.

[IrishCatholic]

Ministry of Love bookmark.

[rockinqsranch]

“....have learned this morning that a whirlwind is forming in the Congress against the Keystone Kops operation in the DOJ. Senators have had enough of amateur hour. They are about to clang the gong on this act......”

Clang, Clang, Clang all you will Senators, ‘cause YOU are the ones caught with the lie. YOU are the ones that know what the Dems are up to, and participate in it. It’s their, the Democrats Standard Operational Procedure (SOP), yet they have successfully once again no matter your grandstanding, your huffing, your puffing blocked the military vote.

The bottom line is the military vote has been successfully blocked once again by the majority Democrats who are joyfully pointing the finger at DOJ, and the States while they knew all along what was going down.

It could have been stopped had they wanted to stop it.