Montana Republican Party withdraws voter "challenges"

[Boondog]

Source: Missoulian

HELENA - The Montana Republican Party on Tuesday night announced it was abandoning its challenge of the legitimacy of thousands of Montana voter registrations.

In a letter to Vicki Zeier of the Missoula County elections office, Jacob Eaton, executive director of the Montana Republican Party, wrote that the group no longer wished to challenge thousands of Missoula County voters or any others statewide. The letter was released to Montana reporters Tuesday night. Eaton wrote that the party launched the challenges in “good faith,” but media reports have since suggested the challenges were an effort to suppress voter turnout.

The Montana Democratic Party and two challenged voters filed a five count lawsuit in federal district court on Monday challenging the legality of the voter challenges.

Read more: http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/10/08/news/local/news02.txt

[Lone_Star_Dem]

1. Boondog, please edit your post to four paragraphs.

Due to copyright restrictions no excerpts from news, articles or other copyrighted material is to exceed four paragraphs.

Please click edit and snip your posting to the required size.

Example:

HELENA - The Montana Republican Party on Tuesday night announced it was abandoning its challenge of the legitimacy of thousands of Montana voter registrations.

In a letter to Vicki Zeier of the Missoula County elections office, Jacob Eaton, executive director of the Montana Republican Party, wrote that the group no longer wished to challenge thousands of Missoula County voters or any others statewide.

The letter was released to Montana reporters Tuesday night.
Eaton wrote that the party launched the challenges in “good faith,” but media reports have since suggested the challenges were an effort to suppress voter turnout.

Thank you,

Lone_Star_Dem
Democratic Underground Moderator

[CitizenPatriot]

2. excellent post! thank you for sharing!

the Dems are not taking this shite laying down this year.

Chalk another one up to the good guys. I guess the Piggies don't like being portrayed as trying to stop democracy...after all, this is AMERICA, right? Isn't the right to vote one of the freedoms the terrarists are trying to take away from us (sarcasm)?

Or is it just the Republicans who are trying to take away our right to vote?

We can pay taxes and bail out their wall street friends, but we can't vote unless we vote their way?

BITE ME.

[Boondog]

8. It was an inartful (mildly stated) voter suppression attempt in many ways -

especially as it related to veterans and current US military personnel

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4183306

As stated by John Bohlinger, MT Lieutenant Governor (and a republican), “Frank St. Pierre, of Anaconda, fought in World War II. He is one of the most decorated living veterans in America. And yet, on Wednesday, my party - the Montana Republican Party - tried to invalidate his voter registration because he lives in a county with a lot of Democrats. Incredible as this may sound to you, it is the truth. The legendary Frank St. Pierre, 86, who helped save thousands of allied troops at Dunkirk in World War II and has 10 Medals of Honor. St. Pierre moved from one end of town to the other, and the Republicans tried to void his and his wife's registrations. I have a copy of the signed affidavits from the Republicans, declaring that Frank and Marilyn St. Pierre's voter registrations must be purged. An utter disgrace. The list also includes Babe Aspholm, of Anaconda, an elderly man, simply moved across town from his house to a senior living center. The Republicans tried to void his registration. Tom Detonacour, a policeman from Deer Lodge County who simply bought a house in another county, also got targeted.” http://www.mtstandard.com/articles/2008/10...

The list also included Kevin Furey, a former Montana Democratic state representative and Army Reserve officer who has been activated for duty in the Middle East. Furey, reached while visiting his grandmother in Chicago before he deploys to Kuwait, said Friday he had forwarded his mail from his Helena address to his parents in Missoula County. He is registered to vote at his Helena address. Furey said the challenge may affect many people in the military, and that it's "really egregious" if the challenges end up preventing members of the military from voting. “It is ironic that at the same time I am about to return to Iraq to help build a democracy, that my own right to vote is being challenged at home for partisan purposes," he said in a statement released earlier. "These challenges are a blatant and offensive attempt to suppress the rights of voters." http://leftinthewest.com/showDiary.do?diar...

[Boondog]

9. deleted - duplicate post

[Endangered Specie]

3. They are so deperate that they are trying to rig MONTANA???

wow

[Boondog]

6. deleted - duplicated

[vkkv]

4. RepubliScums are so far removed from it, they can't even fake Honor.

RepubliScums are SO far removed from truth and honor that they
can't even fake it well.. Just blame the media a little more
and cry, cry, cry... "why do they hate us?".. Easy,
I have an answer for you RepubliScums - Greedy Old Pedophiles.

[Raster]

5. Thanks for your post! Excellent news!

Wecome to DU!:hi:

[vinylsolution]

7. Sheer desperation....

.... Montana has been red for years, but reality may now be setting in.

When the huntin' shootin' and fishin' crowd are backing Sen. Obama, you know progress is taking hold.

The Democrat team up there (Brian Schweitzer, John Tester) has done a terrific job in wining hearts and minds.

[AndyTiedye]

18. Quite a Few Democrats Have Been Moving to MT

[keithjx]

10. Hey Boondog!

I'm over in Helena. Good news indeed.
Thanks for the update.

I'd say welcome, but it looks like you've been here a while....

:hi:
KJ

[Boondog]

13. Hey KJ!

That stellar complaint clearly shows just how ham-fisted and blatant this attempt was. Jay has the complaint up for reading at Leftinthewest.com. I don't know what the next step will be in the litigation. There could still be harm from this given that a few counties sent out the challenge letters (not Missoula or Lewis and Clark, hooray). There was a request for declaratory relief in the complaint that could survive withdrawal of the challenges(?).

[sandnsea]

11. Congratulations Montana Democrats!!

Welcome Boondog! How are things in the Zoo? I lived there for most of the 90s, there and Stevi. Love it. Just got to be too dang cold.

[Boondog]

14. Definitely congratulations to all involved!

ForwardMontana did a great job getting the word out.

Missoula's great though I do enjoy some sand and sea and sun in the middle of February to fight off inversion blues.

[wryter2000]

12. Welcome, Boondog

Great post. :hi:

[Boondog]

15. Lawsuit's still on

Plaintiffs want U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy to block any further GOP challenges.

http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/10/08/bnews//br21.txt

[Roy]

19. Now I can relax!!

They most likely are dropping the suit because they thought they would lose.
But, they did not want the loss to be a precedent.
Thanks Dems force a ruling, stop this mess from returning.

[intheflow]

16. Wonderful news!

:bounce:

[EFerrari]

17. Well done, guys!

:woohoo:

:applause: