When McCain advisers speak in impolitic terms on the senator’s strength in “real Virginia,” beltway elites shudder but “real Virginians” know what he’s talking about. He means the rest of the state; outside the capital beltway, untouched by Washington’s infamous self-absorption and unallied to the culture of the New York-to-Washington managerial “elite.”
Real Virginia – my Virginia – would never dream of disenfranchising deployed servicepeople like the Fairfax County registrar is attempting to do:
The Fairfax County Registrar—and possibly other Registrars in Virginia—is rejecting most Federal Write-in Absentee Ballots (FWAB) cast by our men and women in uniform.
The FWAB is a federally mandated write-in ballot that allows military servicemembers and their dependents to cast an absentee ballot when they have not received a ballot before the election. It is a safety net that allows a servicemember to vote even if the mail truck hasn’t reached his or her remote base in Iraq or Afghanistan in time to cast a regular absentee ballot.
Why is the Fairfax Registrar rejecting these ballots? The Registrar states that the witness who signs the envelope containing the FWAB must include his or her address—but most of the ballots don’t include the witness’ address…
To make matters worse, the Federal form (SF-186A) that is used for the FWAB does not have a space for witnesses to include their address. And the Department of Defense’s official Voting Assistance Guide, which it provides to servicemembers as an instruction manual for casting votes while overseas, does not tell servicemembers that they must include an address for their witness. The servicemember would thus have no way of knowing of this requirement.
The following is a list of other classes of absentee ballots requiring the address of a witness in Fairfax County:
There. All done.
This isn’t blue state or red state, it’s a matter of simple fairness and keeping faith with those who have pledged their lives to keep faith with us.
Follow the link to learn how to express your feelings about the Fairfax County registrar’s actions.
“It’s the soldier, not the reporter who has given us the freedom of the press.
It’s the soldier, not the poet, who has given us the freedom of speech.
It’s the soldier, not the politicians that ensures our right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
It’s the soldier who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag.”
Thanks for the heads-up Lex. Though I’m from NC, I shall be calling our good friends in VA tomorrow about this issue.
Funny, I suspect that “they” wouldn’t allow this insult to our troops to happen if “they” thought what “they” were doing would hurt “their” candidate.
Unbelievable
Yeah, I’m not only going to call them, but both my senators as well.
Northern Virginia ain’t Virginia. It is Southern Massachusetts. At best.
Both General Lee and President Washington are whirling in their graves…
That’s the communist part of VA. I’d bet Grant, Sherman, and Sheridan are rotating in time with Lee and Washington – all supersonically.
But…but…but….
Only rethuglicans can/do steal elections!!!!11111!!!eleventy!!!
Roughly 7000 absentee military voters from Fla in 2000 may beg to differ with this assertion, however.
FEW things anger me more than these types of reports! I watched some of those the 2000 Florida ballot ‘protests’ on C-SPAN. And seeeethed.
Nice try, though – Bush still won despite the REAL disenfranchisement efforts from an un-named political party (does not have the letters G-O-P).
Conservatives are law and order types – why can’t someone take LEGAL action? Of course, some deployed ‘kid’ (being somewhat stereotypical I know) won’t or can’t fly home to challenge these things in court.
Where is the ACLU here? It is not about some witness verifications, addresses, etc. It is about keeping votes for McCain from being counted.
However, ACORN ops will go scott free – they’ll just scream ‘racism’! Frauds, liars and scum. Sorry Captain, but I’m P*SS#D.
“He keeps spending 10BIL in Iraq while our own country struggles?” – That’s an “Obamanos” TV ad I listened to as I read this thread. Gee, and here I thought we had f_kin Americans in Iraq.
Skippy? Fliterman? riposte?
This must be some kinda Mars-Venus thing cuz I can’t figure out what planet this idiot’s on.
Seems issue is a bit broader. VA generally required both civilians and military overseas (or anyone using the Federal Write In Absentee Ballot) to have witness addresses.
http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/Voter_Information/Tips_to_Get_your_Vote_Counted.html
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+24.2-702.1
But as pointed out, no other absentee voters are required to do this:
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+24.2-707
VA doesn’t appear to trust folks outside the country.
How in Gods Earth can that Registrar sleep at night? I’d sooner fall on an Ensigns sword than disenfranchise a Seaman Recruit.
We were planning on opening up a branch office, perhaps in Reston, 25 good jobs, paying $50/hr. Sort of having second thoughts now.
I’m sure the Virginia State Board of Elections doesn’t have to care about the opinion of some out-of-state honcho.
Wonder if a polite letter to the Governor explaining why I’m going to open an office anywhere-but-there would have an influence?
– Max
Max – go for it!
I’ll be sending this to everyone I know. I’m also sending a fax of the post referenced above, with suitably outraged commentary, to the Registrar. Words like shame, arrogance and despicable will be part of the narrative.
Well, the fax number won’t answer. So I checked online and there is an email address:
info@sbe.virginia.gov
Good old “Occupied Virginia”.
Antics like those of the Fairfax voting czar, ACORN, the Ohio Secretary of State and assorted other corruptocrats are casting grave doubts on the integrity of our nation’s election process.
Their actions are not unlike those in Athens, McMinn County, Tennessee, in August 1946 where the local corrupt political machine was trying to steal yet another election.
A group of GIs recently returned from service overseas defending our country had to resort to violent means to overthrow tyranny at home.
http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/1985/2/1985_2_72.shtml seems to be the most authentic account, but variations have been circulating recently from various right wing sources.
I am not advocating anything like that, but those stealing elections need to be aware that there are millions of men and women who have sworn an oath to”… support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign AND DOMESTIC.”
According to the Virginia State Board of Elections web site, the POC for military absentee voting is: vickie.williams@sbe.virginia.gov.
Nose: General Lee turning over in his grave? I think I’ll just ziggy down to Lee Chapel and take a look. On the way, I think I’ll stop and see how Stonewall is doing. They are both just a few klicks from this fellow resident of “the real Virginia.” Should make it back in time for a “stiff one” to settle me down after reading this.
McCain will win the battle of Va in the southern part of the commonwealth- real VA- Hampton Roads and take the state! The Army of Yankee-Liberal occupation in N.Va. will, despite their cheatin proclivities, retire from the battlefield!
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[...] Lex had already posted on [...]
[...] for an absentee ballot previously don’t need a witness address on their ballot. According to Lex, this affects at least 42 voters that they’re aware of. Hopefully, those 42 will get things [...]