Activists: Advisory proves Blackwell suppressing vote

[mtnester]

From the Celeveland Plain Dealer August 4, 2006
http://www.cleveland.com/politics/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/isgov/1154688932198710.xml&coll=2

Columbus -- Voting-rights activists on Thursday produced what they said is the most compelling evidence to date that Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell is trying to suppress the vote in November.

In an advisory that contradicts a provision in the voter-reform bill legislators passed last year, Blackwell's office informed county boards of election on June 5 that voters must present a photo ID "showing the voter's name and current address" to cast a regular ballot.

That conflicts with the new law, which permits a person to vote by regular ballot even if the ID -- typically a driver's license -- has the voter's former address.

<snip>

Among 27 elections boards that were surveyed, 11 said voters who show up with ID that doesn't match their address in the poll book will have to vote by provisional ballot. Michael Vu, director of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, said his poll workers have been instructed to allow such voters to cast a regular ballot.

[JimDandy]

1. Lists of poll workers are often available up to a month in advance

in my state. If that's the case in Ohio, then get copies of those lists and mail each of the poll workers a notice which cites the law. If the cost of postage is prohibitive, ask democratic precinct chairs and poll watchers to hand-deliver the notices to the poll workers, when the polls open on election day. If Ohio has an election fraud statute that includes interfering with the vote, check to see if this might fall under that large umbrella. If so, include a statement to that effect in the notice to the poll workers. Follow up by calling a statistically significant percent of provisional voters and asking them if they were denied a regular ballot due to their former address appearing on their I.D.

[bleever]

2. K&R.