Major Screw-up: NY Board of Elections May Jeopardize New York Soldiers Deployed Overseas from Voting in Nov. Election
Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on October 11, 2010
This is inexcusable… utter gross incompetence.
From NY Daily News, Board of Elections gaffe may nullify New York soldiers’ overseas absentee ballots:
Sen. Charles Schumer blasted Board of Elections officials Monday for blowing a deadline for sending ballots to troops overseas – putting their chance to vote at risk.
“Our troops sacrifice their lives to protect our freedoms. They should never, ever be denied the right to vote,” Schumer said.
There are approximately 50,000 New York City residents serving overseas – and 320,000 statewide.
Elections officials were originally supposed to ship the ballots to troops by Sept. 17. Because New York primaries were held Sept. 14, the federal government granted local officials an extension until Oct. 1.
But the state Board of Elections last week informed the Department of Defense that officials in New York City, Westchester, Putnam, Erie and Niagara Counties had failed to send the ballots by the Oct. 1 deadline.
The federal MOVE Act, a bill Schumer sponsored that passed in 2009, requires states to mail ballots to troops 45 days before the general election, scheduled this year for Nov. 2.
Absentee votes are counted until 13 days after election day.
Schumer said that sending ballots via regular mail can take up to 13 days, so he urged election officials to send them using overnight delivery to ensure that military votes are counted.
From FOX News, Mayor Bloomberg Slams Board of Elections for Failure to Mail Military Ballots:
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg slammed the state’s Board of Elections on Monday for failing to mail out absentee ballots to military and overseas voters from New York City and four additional counties.
“I don’t know whether or not the Board of Elections has failed to send out absentee ballots to the military or anybody else, but if they have failed it really is reprehensible,” Bloomberg told Fox News. “We send our young men and women overseas to fight and to die for us and we don’t care enough to make sure they get the right to exercise their franchise? That’s what they’re over there fighting for as much as anything else.”
FoxNews.com first reported Sunday that New York had not mailed out absentee ballots to all its 320,000 military servicemen and women and overseas voters, in clear violation of the MOVE Act.
As of Monday at noon, the ballots still had not been sent.
“It would not surprise me if the Board of Elections screwed up in this; they certainly did not do a good job the last time,” Bloomberg said. “I’ll do anything I can to help them, but they’ve been given more than adequate monies to make sure that everybody in this city and in this state can vote, can vote privately, can vote for whomever they want, can vote at times that are convenient and accessible to them in places around the state.”
From WCAX News, Schumer: NY missed deadline for military ballots:
Sen. Charles Schumer lashed out at elections officials in New York City and four upstate counties for missing a deadline to send military ballots, but elections officials say the ballots are in the mail.
Schumer said Monday that election officials in New York City and Erie, Niagara, Putnam and Westchester counties missed an Oct. 1 deadline for mailing ballots to troops overseas.
State elections spokesman John Conklin said Westchester mailed its ballots on Oct. 2; Putnam, on Oct. 5; and Erie and Niagara, Oct. 7. New York City certified its primary vote on Oct. 5 and had ballots in the mail this past weekend.
Conklin said the state has 49,468 registered voters overseas, and many use email ballots. He said the Board of Elections is working on extending the deadline for receiving ballots back from military voters.
Additional related reading:
Frugal Café Blog Zone: Despite Troop Withdrawals, American Soldiers in Iraq Still in Danger and Lack of Class: Obama Gives No Credit Nor Thanks to Bush for Iraqi Surge in Address, Will Take All Credit for Himself (video) and Dallas-Fort Worth Airport Surprise… George W. and Laura Bush Greet Returning Soldiers and Connecticut’s McMahon vs. The Despicable Liar: Republican Linda McMahon Will Run Against Dem AG Richard “I Lied about Serving in Vietnam” Blumenthal for Senate (video) and Deep in the Heart of Texas: Obama Attacks Bush in Bush’s Home State, Dems Avoid POTUS, Gov. Perry Greets President with Letter on TX Border Security Problems (video) and Best Memorial Day News Story: Sergeant Audie Murphy Club Welcomes New Inductee, Sgt. Holly Burke – Plus, Bio & Videos of Audie Murphy, Most Decorated WWII American Soldier and Memorial Day: God Bless Our Troops, God Bless America, & God Bless Bob Hope (video)
Gateway Pundit: Top Democrat: Withdrawing Troops Is Essential to Success… Huh? and John Bolton Goes Off on Obama’s “Cold-Blooded, Cynical, Grotesquely Political Manipulation” of National Security (Video) and Figures. Robert Gibbs Lies About Obama’s Position on the Iraq Surge (Video) and More Bad News For the Defeatocrats… Vast Majority of Americans Believe Iraq War a Success and Awful– Harry Reid Now Denies Saying “This War Is Lost” (Video) and McCain on Obama’s Speech: I’m Not Surprised He Didn’t Thank Bush, That’s Just Not In His DNA (Video) and OBAMA’S IRAQ SPEECH – Pathetic Cut-&-Runner Takes Credit For Victory and Charles Krauthammer on Obama’s Iraq Speech: “It Was Both Flat and Odd”
Camp of the Saints: Rally ‘Round The Flag: Message From A Friend
Diary of a Mad Conservative: Ronald Reagan at Arlington (1986)
Doug Powers, Michelle Malkin: Troops Returning from Iraq and Afghanistan Get a Little Surprise at Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport
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