And my two emails to IAVA

Back in September I got something from IAVA on an alleged effort by the GOP to disenfranchise service members in Ohio.  Does that strike you as absurd?  It sure struck me that way.  Here is an article about it:

With one lawsuit pending in the Ohio Supreme Court regarding the first week of absentee voting, several voting-rights groups have filed a separate lawsuit in federal court over the same dispute.

It involves the overlap between the start of absentee voting Tuesday and the Oct. 6 voter-registration deadline. Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has directed that citizens can register and immediately cast an absentee ballot during that time.

Republicans cried foul, saying that amounts to illegal “same-day” registration and voting, and that Ohio law requires citizens to be registered for at least 30 days before they are eligible to vote. That’s the basis of the Ohio Supreme Court lawsuit.

But the federal lawsuit, filed late Wednesday by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless (NEOCH), 1Matters, Project Vote and two individual voters, argues that federal law says an “election” occurs when votes are tabulated, not when they are cast.

Of course, by the time Paul got a hold of it, via the ACLU, the case was about service members:

The brief points out that the consequences of this suit would not only impede absentee voters during the 7-day overlap period but “actually would threaten far more sweeping harms that would impact many first-time voters, both absentee and in-person, including significant numbers of military personnel and disabled veterans who depend on absentee voting.” “Ohioans have made tremendous sacrifices in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since September 11th more than 46,000 of the state’s sons and daughters have deployed,” said Rieckhoff. “We owe these and all servicemembers an absentee voting process that is fair, predictable, and clear.”

But, I figured whatever, let Paul play his game. That is, right up until I got this sent to me:

The patchwork problem of federal and state election regulations strikes again.

Military ballots are being tossed in Fairfax Co, VA because of a “technicality.” Not a lot of them compared to the size of the electorate, but more than a few.

The registrar of voters in a Democrat. He thinks it “stinks,” but the law is the law.

Fairfax general registrar Rokey Suleman said Thursday that he has had to reject some of the ballots because of a Virginia law passed in 2002. That law — then called Senate Bill 113, sponsored by then state Sen. Bill Bolling — requires that when an overseas citizen wants to request an absentee ballot and cast a vote with the same paperwork, it requires not only a witness signature but also the current address of the witness.

So I sent Paul an email asking when they were going to back up Fairfax County service members, like my guys, who were overseas at the time. He never even bothered to respond.

Needless to say, because the ACLU and Paul’s buddies didn’t get involved, neither did IAVA.

My second email was to tell him to take me off his fuggin dog and pony email list. I didn’t feel like being a tool for left wing causes when real veterans were being screwed over.

Category: Politics