Ballots In Box Of Teacher Not Hers

Rocky Mountain News ^ | October 18, 2002 | Lynn Bartels

[Sursum Corda]

Ballots In Box Of Teacher Not Hers
Mix-up likely due to last name, but voter fraud worries arise

By Lynn Bartels, Rocky Mountain News
October 18, 2002

West High School teacher Jennifer Portillo found two absentee ballots in her school mailbox Thursday.

One was addressed to a Mary Portillo, the other to a Frank Portillo. The instructor said she had never heard of either person and neither had anyone who worked at the school.

"What if?" Jennifer Portillo said she asked herself.

What if she weren't honest and filled them out and turned them in? What if Frank and Mary never checked on what happened to their ballots? What if this were happening statewide?

"I mean, I could just fill them out and send them back," Jennifer Portillo said. "That's all I would have to do."

She said the ballots were addressed to the Portillos at 951 Elati St., which is West High School's address.

The instructor said the ballots probably were put in her mailbox because they have the same last name.

The ballots likely were intended for Frank and Mary Portillo, who live on Inca Street near West.

"We were waiting for them but we hadn't gotten them yet," Frank Portillo, 69, said Thursday.

Alan McBeth, spokesman for the Denver Election Commission, said he has no idea what happened.

"When people ask us for an absentee ballot, we ask them where they want them sent," he said.

"If they want them sent to Barbados, that's where we send them."

McBeth said he planned to check today to see if he could figure out what happened.

And McBeth pointed out that voters must sign absentee ballots or they will not be counted. Signing someone else's name is voter fraud.

The incident fueled concern over Amendment 28, a measure on the Nov. 5 ballot that would require county clerks to mail absentee ballots to active voters.

Currently, voters must request them.

"This is incredible," said Jon Caldara, president of the Independence Institute and an opponent of Amendment 28.

"When you treat sacred ballots like grocery store coupons and fling them through the mail, of course this type of abuse is going to happen," he said.

"For every honest person like this teacher, how many dishonest people would take advantage of the situation?"

Mary Portillo, 67, said her grandson's girlfriend called and requested the ballots for the couple.

She said she asked the girlfriend to do it because she was worried she would find it too complicated.

"I don't think she gave them West's address," Mary Portillo said. "I can't imagine why. She probably doesn't even know the address."

West High School is the couple's polling place if they were to vote in person.

Mary Portillo said the couple likes to vote at home because she is ill and her husband cannot read or write and needs help with the ballot.

bartels@RockyMountainNews.com or (303)892-5327

[Sursum Corda]

Yikes! I hope the Colorado Republican Party is paying close attention to this. There are a number of close races in Colorado which could be lost due to this kind of fraud.

Sursum Corda

[randita]

In PA, you can't just call and ask that a ballot be sent to someone. You can call and ask that a "Request for Absentee Ballot" be sent to someone other than yourself, but not a ballot itself.

Upon receipt of the "Request for Absentee Ballot", the person who wants the ballot has to fill it out and attest to its validity with a signature. Then it is returned and the ballot itself is sent.

I followed the above procedure in 2000 for my two sons, who were attending college out of state. I wanted to be sure W got their votes.

The absentee ballot system, the way some states have it set up, is very easy to game. I hope that gets tightened up.

[metesky]

Mary Portillo said the couple likes to vote at home because she is ill and her husband cannot read or write and needs help with the ballot.

Um, yes, the Republic needs more illiterate voters in order to survive.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Why is it that I haven't read a single story about the GOP being involved in election fraud schemes? Our election system is broken and in need of a complete overhaul. Clearly, these absentee ballots are a case of fraud and not simply an honest mistake. I don't know what the answer is but we cannot run our elections like they do in the 3rd world fer cryin' out loud!

[varon]

Mary Portillo, 67, said her grandson's girlfriend called and requested the ballots for the couple.

She said she asked the girlfriend to do it because she was worried she would find it too complicated.

These type of voters are a real danger. Anyone finding the process of making a phone call to ask for "Request for Absentee Ballot" too complicated must not have a clue as to any issues or candidate. Aren't mentaly impaired disqualified from voting? If so, so should people like the Portillos.

[Dr Warmoose]

". Aren't mentaly impaired disqualified from voting?"

At one time that was true - but the demoncats get quite a number of their votes from this otherwise disenfranchised community.

At one time, the Texas Constitution made it a requirement to own property too!

[RippleFire]

BUMP

[SkyPilot]

WHOA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What is happening there in Colorado!!!

[Freeper 007]

They're old. How about blind and crippled?

[metesky]

My 95 yo Pa doesn't needed help with his ballot even though he cast his first vote for Herbert Hoover in 1928.

[Freeper 007]

Fine.

...and all old people age the same.

Blindness and loss of motor functions doesn't really happen. Your dad is fine, so everybody else's dad must be fine.

:- (

[metesky]

No, 007, I'm worried about the loss of brain function.

[slimer]

Signing someone else's name is voter fraud.

Is that illegal? ;) Oh yeah, only if you get caught.

[Freeper 007]

Would you prefer that we have a government agency to evaluate each person to make sure that they are fit to vote?


While it's pretty much understood around here that the majority of the people who vote Democrats into office are just greedy morons with their hands out, I'm not yet willing to accept that just because a guy got old that he should lose his right to vote.

My grandfather died while in his 80's. His mind was very sharp, but his body fell apart on him. He lost his vision and broke his hip. He spent the last several years of his life laying in bed. We would come and read the paper to him because he had a thirst for knowledge about current events, but had no way to get any information without help.

He went from a being a succesful lawyer who had everything, to an old man in a bed. Getting old sucks, but I can't imagine discounting the life of a person just because they are not as mobile as they used to be.

The bottom line is that you are just flat out wrong in asserting that you know anything about the people in this story. The guy could be a total moron who never knew how to read, or he could just have lost his sight. In fact, we don't have any clue to their political affiliation or any other information about them except that the husband is old and ill. I can't really blame the woman for not wanting to make the call to the election office. If she is caring for her sick husband then she is already very occupied, and one trip to almost any government agency is enough to make you avoid all contact with the government whenever you can.

[metesky]

What a great country that allows you your opinion and I mine.

[Freeper 007]

On that we agree.

:- )