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Bush/Cheney absent on absentee ballots in Randolph County
(IllinoisLeader.com) RANDOLPH COUNTY - Something was missing from absentee ballots recently sent to military personnel from Randolph County in southwestern Illinois, according to servicemen who received the ballots.
The absentee ballots, which appeared to have been made up on ordinary paper, failed to list two fairly high profile candidates-- President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
David Blow, a member of the U.S. Air Force, stationed in San Antonio, Texas, called his cousin who resides in Randolph County and asked him to see if the "Special Write-In Absentee Blank Ballot" was really legal.
Blow told his cousin Rick Hall that "in the place where the Republican Presidential Candidate's name would appear, instead was the message 'Nominees will be certified following selection by the Republican National Convention.'"
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Alan Keyes' name did appear on the ballots in question.
The ballot appeared to have been hand made and did not look official, Hall said.
When he inquired at the Randolph County Clerk's office how they would count this ballot, he was told they would transfer the votes to a punch card ballot after it was returned to the county. Hall said that 62 servicemen were sent absentee ballots.
County Clerks in Montgomery County and Jersey County said they waited until the Illinois State Board of Elections had certified the ballot with President Bush's name on it.
There had been confusion on deadlines due to the late date of the Republican National Convention and the dates set by Illinois regarding the certification of the Novemnber general election ballot.
Linda J. Crotchett, long time Jersey County Clerk, questioned why a clerk would send out ballots prior to certification, since the deadline for certification was September 3rd, well before absentee ballot voting is permitted to begin.
When the certification was received from the Illinois State Board of Elections on September 3, Crotchett said her vendor was ready and immediately sent her the specimen ballot for her to proof.
Copies of the specimen ballots from the vendor containing all candidates were immediately sent to military who had requested an absentee ballot. The regular punch card was sent with the specimen ballot as per normal voting procedure.
Pat Freeman of the Illinois State Board of Elections said that a special meeting was held on Sept. 3 by the State Board in order to make certain the President appeared on the ballot and a memo was immediately sent to the County Clerk of each county.
Freeman said she was aware that Randolph County had sent 10 ballots before September 3 to military personnel who had requested absentee ballots but they had since sent a second ballot with the President and Vice President on the ballot.
A clerk in the Randolph County Clerk's office said no ballots had been sent prior to September 3.
When asked if a printed ballot had been sent prior to the certification date without the president's name, she said she could not answer that question and referred the matter to County Clerk Pat Laremore, who was unavailable to respond to IllinoisLeader.com's inquiry.
(c) 2004 IllinoisLeader.com -- all rights reserved
By: Joyce Morrison
Source: IllinoisLeader.com
Publish Date: October 13, 2004
Online at: http://ifrl.org/IFRLDailyNews/041014/1
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