Voter disenfranchisement in Larimer County, CO.

[meldroc]

First, you might want to check out this article in my local news rag... This concerns the most populous part of Colorado's 4th District, where Democrat Angie Paccione is running against House Representative Republican Marilyn Musgrave.

http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061019/NEWS01/610190354/1002

Ballot costs 63 cents to mail
Instructions don't warn voters about postage hike
By LAURA BAILEY
[e-mail]

Voters who plan to mail in their votes this election might find themselves disenfranchised if they assume the cost to send a ballot is a standard 39 cents.

While one postage stamp might have covered ballots in the past, this year the state ballot is historically long, and nothing less than 63 cents will deliver it to election officials. While ballot return envelopes do state that "additional postage may be required," the ballot instructions do not warn of postage increase.

While election officials have known it will cost 63 cents to return the ballot, Larimer County Clerk Scott Doyle said his office decided not to include the information in ballot instructions. He said doing so would steer astray voters who send back unnecessary material with their ballots. While only the ballot is required, Doyle said people often send unneeded items, such as instruction pages or drivers licenses, causing their postage to increase.

In light of that, the office decided it better to leave the responsibility to the voter to have their ballot envelopes weighed before sending, he said.

Does Doyle think we all have postage meters in our homes? "Steer astray voters?" He's steering voters astray alright! Most people aren't going to think of something like this - they'll stick their ballot in the envelope, put a stamp on it and drop it in the mailbox and think that's the end of it. As a result, hundreds of votes won't get counted because their ballots will be returned to sender.

Yeah, I'm calling it what it is - vote suppression! :mad: :mad: :mad:

[Eric J in MN]

1. Scott Doyle blathers about "responsibility"...

...while not fulfilling his own responsibility.

He doesn't know the exact cost if voters put in additional documents, but he can tell voters that it's a 63 cent minimum.

[meldroc]

2. Kicking my own thread...

I know it's crass, but I'm mad as hell to see my own county clerk pulling this crap.