Fairfax elections officials reject some overseas military ballots
By William C. Flook
Examiner Staff Writer 10/24/08
U.S Ist Lt Nath Perry drops his voter absentee ballot in a mail box at a US military base in Bagram north of Kabul, Afghanistan. Fairfax County elections officials are rejecting about 200 overseas ballots that weren’t properly filled out. AP Fairfax County elections officials are rejecting about 200 overseas ballots, many of them from members of the military, saying the voters failed to observe a minor technicality in filling out their absentee forms.
The decision to invalidate the ballots has angered local and federal Republican officials, who say the county is disenfranchising a group most deserving of the right to vote. The county’s registrar argues he has no choice but to obey a law he recognizes as flawed.
“I’m not the guy disenfranchising people,” said Fairfax County Registrar Rokey Suleman. “The commonwealth of Virginia is disenfranchising people.”
Under the 2002 law, overseas voters sending in their absentee applications and ballots simultaneously must have a witness sign the form. That witness is required to provide an address.
But the federal government changed the form three years later to cut out the space for the address, officials said. Many voters who got a witness to sign their ballot left off the address, for which there was no clear space. That rendered their forms officially invalid, under a strict reading of the law. The State Board of Elections last week instructed county officials to adhere to the letter of the law.
But several Virginia localities, including Alexandria and the military-heavy Hampton Roads region, said Thursday they will ignore the glitch and count the overseas ballots.
The problem is especially sensitive because the turnout of armed forces voters in Virginia could help determine whether Sen. John McCain can win a swing state that’s critical to his presidential campaign.
Suleman brought the problem last month before the Fairfax County Electoral Board, which “saw no other recourse” and told him to work with the State Board of Elections to seek a change in the law, according to the Sept. 16 meeting’s minutes.
Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity, a Republican, announced the ballot problems at a news conference Thursday.
“We need to be sure that we can count the ballots of the men and women overseas defending our right to vote,” he said.
Suleman took heat earlier this month for sending his staff, at the request of defense attorneys, to the county jail to sign up nonfelon inmates to vote, which was first reported in The Examiner. It was the first such visit to the jail in at least 30 years.
“Our fighting soldiers ought to get at least the consideration that the prisoners in the jail get,” said District 11 Rep. Tom Davis, a Republican, who said the disparate treatment of overseas voters violates federal law.
Suleman was active in Ohio Democratic politics at his previous job with the Trumbull County Board of Elections, and ran for office earlier this year before taking the job at Fairfax. The office he holds in Virginia is officially nonpartisan.
The ballots in Fairfax won’t officially be rejected until the election. Suleman said he’s checking records to see if some of the about 200 voters had sent in absentee applications separately, which would allow their votes to be counted.
16 Comments
Reader Comments:
POSTED Oct 24, 2008
glick@aol.com: "These scum Democrats will steal an election any way they can, and from the military personnel no less. Why the hell would anyone vote for scum like them?"POSTED Oct 24, 2008
Rob: "Suleman and Brunner both recorders from Ohio, both Democrats, both thieves and liars. There has got to be a recourse for this! Is their NO justice left in this great country of ours? If Obama is elected I fear we will look back on 'this' election as the good old days! With Obama,Reid and Pelosi at the helm the thievery will then begin in ernest. They'll be deeper into the courts, the fairness doctrine will cut off any dissent, the MSM already in their pocket...People we have got to win this!"POSTED Oct 24, 2008
JOHN HAMMACK: "Yeah, let's reject the ones who actually have to pass a test of mental ability to get in the military and who actually work for a living protecting the rest of us. Instead give votes to those typical of the democrats-prisoners in jail."POSTED Oct 25, 2008
Lelia: "This is just another brick in the wall. If the Democrats win, those in uniform will leave the service in droves, because patriotism has become paying taxes. Then where will the new enlistees come from? Obama has said at least twice that he supports registering women for the selective service. So when we start drafting for Biden's crisis, we will be drafting mothers, sisters, and daughters. If we don't, the military will consist of 95% African American. (I retired from the military and am a woman...it is definitely a man's world. I only support women volunteers.)"POSTED Oct 25, 2008
From Iraq: "I just reviewed the electronic absentee ballot I received from Alexandria, and it has no space for an address of the witness. If I find that my ballot was not counted, there is going to be a "frank and direct exchange of views" which is a subtle way of saying..., well, it won't be pretty. And I would hope those voters disenfranchized by Fairfax County would have the same discussion. Disgusting!"POSTED Oct 25, 2008
vdavis: "it's the law that needs to be corrected... the official is following the letter of the law... funny if were ballots coming from a heavily populated democratic county would the GOP be complaining out the votes being counted??? i think not...."POSTED Oct 25, 2008
vdavis: "to all the posters on here... it is the law that needs fixing... i thought republicans were sticklers for the law... the form DOES NOT have a space provided to have the witness to sign, how is this the democrats doing???"POSTED Oct 25, 2008
vdavis: "the federal gov't changed the form in 2005, which at the time i believe W. was still commander-in-chief... so go ahead and blame someone else which is the GOP game plan... and some counties said they will ignore the glitch(the law on the books) and count the votes(from counties with a high GOP registered base)... i guess it's okay to ignore the law when its in your best interest..."POSTED Oct 25, 2008
vdavis: "glick@aol.com how could you complain about anyone stealing an election after the fiasco of the last two presidential elections... rob i would assume by your post that you know both the individuals you mention by name as being thieves and liars??? maybe you need to reread the article again slowly to catch the true cause behind this situation... the article clearly states that the federal government changed the form in 2005... i know it's hard to face the facts when it doesn't line up to your way of thinking... but when has the facts mattered when politics are involved???"POSTED Oct 25, 2008
Veteran: "vdavis: How did you feel when you were in the military and your vote was not counted because of a missing line on a form. You did serve in the military, DIDN'T YOU?"POSTED Oct 25, 2008
cphillips: "vdavis - you idiot you even said read the article the men and women completed the form they were given, I don't care who changed it - they completed it correctly as given and it should count! I, my husband and son, have been or are currently serving and have had to complet absentee ballots on bases while stationed overseas. The voting officers are very helpful and try to ensure we all complete properly. We have had to take more steps to vote the the prisoners in jail while serving our country. How unfair is this? Talk about disinfranchisement...."POSTED Oct 25, 2008
pep: "Glick, "Them" = Republican Administration, House and Congress and Majority Right Supreme Court? Rob, look up Ashley Todd. Veteran, are you really???? Of what? Service in peace time does not count. cphillis, You should learn to rite more better, you illiterate oaf."POSTED Oct 26, 2008
Following the Law: "This should be fixed of course. But the registrar is simply following the rules. The federal form requires a witness signature. I suspect that those ballots will be allowed since Democrats want every vote to count as a matter of principle. It's the Republicans who are throwing up roadblocks at every step of the way to suppress absentee ballots (INCLUDING NORTHERN VIRGINIA). Blaming someone for following the law is typical of the Republicans."POSTED Oct 26, 2008
Psutton: "If anyone's votes are counted it should be our troops! It doesn't matter if you are Democrat or Republican...the question is are you a patriot or not! If it takes the Supreme Court to act for these votes to count, then that is what should happen! And FAST!!!! They are the ones dying for our freedom to vote as well as our freedom to speak out in forums. Everyone has a right to their opinion without being insulted."POSTED Oct 26, 2008
dj: "This is absurd! The boxes were monitored and this should not pose a problem. This is the same thing that happened in the last election. The rights of the military are being discriminated against because of a simple signature. Surely, there is a way of rectifying this situation in order to insure that these brave men and women can have their voices heard in this monumental election."POSTED Oct 27, 2008
Donna Belmont: "I think this entire situation is ridiculous. These people have taken their time to fill out the ballots now they DESERVE to have them counted toward the election!!! I am sure there is SOMETHING the Board of Elections can do to make these ballots valid. IMPROVISE, DO SOMETHING !!! GET THIS PROBLEM FIXED !!!!"