OH voter reg forms - Did we just win?

Outraged at the news that the OH Sec. of State was not going to accept new voter registrations which weren't printed on the proper width of paper, I just called the OH Dem. party.

The person answering the phone replied that the board of elections had told them than they would be accepting all voter reg. forms.

Was this person confused?

Did we just win?

What's going on?

•  Would be wonderful news

  Though maybe they've just told whoever is answering the phone to say that, to get all of us off their backs. Given the GOPs general hypocrisy, that would be par for the course.
  

  by mecki on Tue Sep 28, 2004 at 08:26:35 AM PDT

•  Has there been any further reporting

  on this issue following the daytondailynews.com article posted on Kos yesterday.

  It got mentioned on AAR's Majority Report but, I think that was been about it.

  by BartBoris on Tue Sep 28, 2004 at 08:28:30 AM PDT

•  The Rethugs seemed to try to outsmart

  us again.  See these fascists seem to believe that if they can trick us into believing that they arent cheating, they can cheat far easier.

  This needs to go to court.  

  by IhateBush on Tue Sep 28, 2004 at 08:28:40 AM PDT

•  Why Ohio Democratic Party

  Why don't you call Blackwell's office.  
  Toll Free:  1-877-767-6446
  General:    1-614-466-2655

  The person answering the phones at the Ohio Dem office likely doesn't know what's going on.

  by ohiodem on Tue Sep 28, 2004 at 08:28:57 AM PDT

•  did they just mean cleveland area?

  in yesterday's reports, officials for the county containing cleveland said they're ignoring the sec of state and accepting all. maybe the person answering the phone was giving the cleveland area's answer.

  just a thought. hopefully it's actually for statewide!!

  by rugbyrooki on Tue Sep 28, 2004 at 08:32:32 AM PDT

•  Don't know if this is the reason

  but Atrios had detailed the federal election laws stating that Ohio couldn't do this.

  Here is the relevant section of the US Code

  http://www.thecre.com/fedlaw/legal6/uscode42-1971.htm

  by B Rubble on Tue Sep 28, 2004 at 08:35:52 AM PDT

•  Ohio Dem Office

  I can't say this with certainty, but I doubt that the person at the Ohio Dem Office knew what they were talking about.  I volunteer at the Hamilton County office and know that some of the folks who answer the phones may have no clue as to what this is all about.  Call Blackwell.

  by ohiodem on Tue Sep 28, 2004 at 08:37:17 AM PDT

  •  Hamilton County?

    I'm down there all the time for my candidate.

    WF

    by Wes F on Tue Sep 28, 2004 at 08:57:38 AM PDT

•  The Original Story

  I read cited one local official, don't remember the city/district, who said that he would be accepting the forms regardless of the ruling. I assume that the areas with heavy Dem. registration are in the hands of Dems who will do as they Dem well please, kinda like Florida Repubs putting Nader on despite a court ruling to the contrary. I'm tempted to say that this will thwart the voter supression effort as it's one thing to turn away a voter at the polls based on a technical fault on the form, it's another to try to overturn votes after they're cast based on this, but nothing is beneath these pigs. Let's settle this, in court. NOW.

  by Bill From PA on Tue Sep 28, 2004 at 08:46:02 AM PDT

•  Cuyahoga County

  The folks in Cuyahoga County are ignoring Blackwell.  Big surpise considering it is the most heavily Democratic area in the state.  Cleveland and its surrounding suburbs are in Cuyahoga.  We need to make sure the rest of the counties in Ohio do not have to follow this order.  

  by ohiodem on Tue Sep 28, 2004 at 08:53:31 AM PDT

  •  Franklin, Summit, and Stark

    Are also ignoring him, according to their emails.

    by Drew on Tue Sep 28, 2004 at 09:25:08 AM PDT

•  aaaaaaargh!

  C'mon you guys. Please get the facts straight. We're better than this.

  The Blackwell memo was orginally circulated to the BOEs in DECEMBER 2003. I know this is new to a lot of folks here but the vast majority of Ohio voter reg groups have already dealt with this.

  The article in the Dayton newspaper has some glaring inaccuracies. The Cuyahoga County BOE is not ignoring the directive. When the PD printed the clip out voter reg form in the paper in January (IIRC), the CCBOE asked for and received approval from Blackwell's office that it would accept the thousands of new registrations received on newsprint.

  Blackwell's office has consistently blamed the paper stock requirement on obscure HAVA regs from the Feds. Yes, Blackwell is an absolute snake with longstanding political ambitions on the 2006 gubernatorial race. Yes, Blackwell is well-funded by the corrupt NeoCons in the Ohio Statehouse. Yes, Blackwell is very tied in with moneyed Republican interests, not the least of which is Diebold. I am not defending him in the least bit.

  The Ohio Dem Party has known about this requirement since December and did nothing to oppose it. The League of Women Voters has known about this and did nothing to oppose it. ACT Ohio has known about this and did nothing to oppose it.

  The voter reg groups, 527s, unions, campaigns, and others who've been registering new voters have worked through the requirement -- we all printed the form on regulation 80# stock and/or picked up stacks of cards from the BOEs. I don't want to see anybody disenfranchised from voting. But this election is far too important for well-intentioned but ill-prepared organizations to be out registering voters. Ignorance of the law is simply not acceptable when the stakes are this high.

  Please, p l e a s e, please get the facts straight on this issue and don't allow yourselves to get sucked in by a poorly written, poorly researched newspaper article on a story that actually broke 9 months ago.

  by em dash on Tue Sep 28, 2004 at 09:44:56 AM PDT

  •  Diebold?

    I'd be careful with the Diebold charges considering it was Blackwell that ruled the Dieblod machines wouldn't be used in Ohio during this election because the technology wasn't tested enough.

    On the other hand, he's part of one of the most corrupt administrations in Ohio history.

    by SonsofLabor on Tue Sep 28, 2004 at 09:54:02 AM PDT

    •  agreed on both counts

      Blackwell's decision had more to do with political CYA than anything else. The instability of the Diebold machines can be used for and against the Rethugs. Kenny is a smart boy and the groups lining up to file legal challenges in Ohio were mounting fast and furious. He would have never survived it and NOTHING will stand in the way of that man's political ambitions. His desire to move up the Repub ranks is damn near rabid animalistic.

      The guy just oozes NeoCon Death Cult^tm.

      by em dash on Tue Sep 28, 2004 at 10:02:14 AM PDT

  •  Doesn't matter

    The Ohio law is both illegal due to the Voting Rights Act and is unconstitutional due to the 14th Amendment.  It doesn't matter who knew about the law or didn't.  This law is used for the clear purpose of legitimizing disenfranchisement.  Even if the voter registration form were printed on toilet paper, it ought to be accepted.

    by IhateBush on Tue Sep 28, 2004 at 12:59:56 PM PDT

•  Seriously, isn't this a win?

  http://www.nbc4i.com/politics/3767297/detail.html

  by DelRPCV on Tue Sep 28, 2004 at 01:15:16 PM PDT

•  Who is Worse Though

  Blackwell, Joe Deters or Betty Montgomery?

  by SonsofLabor on Tue Sep 28, 2004 at 02:02:02 PM PDT