Unbelievable!
This just in from Columbia County: when Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s absentee ballot came up in the queue, the poll watchers for Jim Tedisco objected to it, saying the senator was in the county on election day and should have voted in person.
First it is people who have second residences in NYC, then it is Skidmore students. Now it is a sitting Senator!
My comment at the Times Union blog:
Good God Almighty! The Tedisco campaign is being absolutely shameless with these challenges.
People who are actually involved with elections–poll workers, election officials, etc.–usually vote absentee even though they are in their local areas on election day. They do this because they are too busy to go vote. Did every single Tedisco staffer and volunteer vote in person on election day? Hey, if not, let’s challenge their ballots also.
The Tedisco campaing operatives are crying "voter fraud" over their challenges, even though there is no evidence that any of the people who cast the ballots they are challenging ever voted in two different locations for any election.
Now they claim one of the state's US Senators shouldn't be allowed to vote because she cast an absentee ballot even though she was in the district that day?
I'm at a loss for words--anyone?