GOP Officials Trying To Disqualify Iowa Student Ballots

The Iowa GOP appears to be distancing itself from a Monday effort to challenge thousands of student ballots at Grinnell College.

Spokesman Nathan Treloar told the Huffington Post on Tuesday that while he has "seen reports coming out that its Republican lawyers" objecting to student ballots, he claimed "this could be a local thing" at the county level.

RELATED: Check Out HuffPo's Voting Problems Big News Page

Asked whether the state party has encouraged or endorsed the strategy, in which students who did not register to vote by affixing a PO box to their official university mailing address are being challenged, Treloar said "No, not that I have been made aware of." Treloar then suggested contacting the Republican chair in Poweshiek county, where Grinnell is located.

But if the Iowa Republican Party is not eager to be associated with the challenging the ballots of young voters, they have yet to communicate their displeasure to those who are responsible for the tactic.

Reached by phone, Poweshiek Republican county chair Harry Meek not only claimed responsibility for the strategy, but said he had no idea whether the state party backed his move. "Yeah, it was us," he admitted, sounding somewhat resigned. Asked if he knew how the state party viewed their legal challenge of young voters, Meek said, "I couldn't tell ya."

"We were told that Secretary of State in Iowa had made some concessions for students -- as long as they put down the [university] post office address along with a PO box, that was adequate. So the ones we challenged were those that didn't have a PO box. It's real simple, we're just going by the rules. It says so right on the challenge affidavit."

Alec Schierenbeck, Vice President of the College Democrats of America and a student at Grinnell College, sees it differently. "That is a technicality that they're using to try and disenfranchise students," he said, noting that while only 50 votes have been challenged out of 700 early ballots on campus, the result is mass confusion on campus today. "At the last minute, we've had to rearrange the way we are getting out the vote on campus. I fear some voters were disuaded by the idea they're going to go to polls today, and a lawyer is going to harrangue them and shake a book at them. It spreads a lot of disinformation."

Schierenbeck says that all students who cast challenged ballots have been contacted, and are signing statements in advance of a Thursday hearing on the issue. "Given the [last-minute] context of challenge, and the history of way we've registered, we're optimistic these votes are going to be upheld," he said.

"The is a last-minute tactic by a party that's adrift, and has little left to do but disenfranchise people," Schierenbeck added. "That's why the state party has cut them adrift. They don't want to take responsibility for it, either."

RELATED: Over 1,000 Students Lined Up To Vote At Penn State (VIDEO)

Comments

[bojonvelvet]

What are we now, Zimbabwe?? For crap's sake, let people vote!!! I remember the good old days when everyone complained that such a low percentage of eligible people voted. Now people are engaged in our democracy and everyone wants to game the system to their advantage. As we go around the world trying to shove democracy down everyone's throat, we're not exactly setting an exemplary example here at home. Sheez!!!

[kalidescopemind]

I've come to believe that Republicans PREFER to win by shenanigan's. They think they are "entitled" and above the law!

[claudiam]

Why do we tolerate this in America? America that wants to spread democracy? Something needs to be done for future elections. We need to make it easy to vote in America and we should prosecute anyone who participates in unlawful behavior. claudiatucsonaz

[Jason404]

I think they must be these pro-americans that Sarah Palin was talking about

[scrzbill]

But we must enforce the law. THE LAW WE ARE A NATION OF LAWS. Unless it is the president or one of his flunkies. Then we are the law. EVERY republican president since Ike has broken the laws of the constitution. EVERY ONE. Not One Not Two. ALL of them.

[standup2them]

Iowa don't give up, keep voting!!! You have the right to vote!! We need you! Obama/Biden 08"

[pup sydney]

anyone interfering with the right to vote is a criminal. This has to stop. We cannot scream and worry about it every four years. Make it a federal crime ( if it isn't already) similar to terrorism since its objective is to attack our democratic process, period.
The prisons would be full of republicans and we, progressive liberal democrats , would then and certainly guarantee their right to vote then, proudly.

[GOP-Iowa]

The students were given special accomodations for registering and voting on campus early.

This was a provision of this...needing the information noted.

Some students left this off. Those votes are being challenged.

Hypocritical how this is considered disenfranchisement when someone does not follow the rules set to vote, yet when military folks abroad vote early, and their is something even remotely amiss with their ballot, the grand ol Democrat party works 10x time to toss out every one of those ballots for rules...and I never seem to read the up in arms bashing for any of those ballot being thrown out...yet those men and women are over abroad serving our country.

[4akinderworld]

Links?
This the first time I've seen anything of the sort.

[MsLiz]

Cite evidence of your allegations, if you can.

I don't assume that military/citizens abroad ballots are only cast by Republicans who support McCain.

[Bitsko]

Does your mama give you a reach around while you're reading Mein Kampf?

[Mike169]

Voter suppression has been the hallmark of the Republican Party sdince Paul Weyrich set the pace in the Reagan years. If people are critical of your party it is because the Republicans have proudly proclaimed this and have staked out the turf. The federal attorney's scandal was, after all, an attempt by the Republican Party to use federal power to suppress legitimate voters and to solidify Republican power in the US. This is something the Republicans ahould be ashamed of but something, I think, many Republicans are proud of.

[JFB]

The only time that overseas military ballots have been challenged is when their post mark has been after Election Day. You are referring to the GOP challenge that the Virginia military votes not be set aside for counting until after the Election Day – a last minute tactic that is designed to slow down the reporting of results from Virginia in this election cycle.

The attempt at voter suppression aimed at Iowa students is beneath contempt. And for you to justify it on a set of rules that were devised to make things confusing is transparently corrupt. Are you not aware of the right of each citizen’s right to cast a vote? Shame on you and your party too.

[standup2them]

Iowa college students you let your vote be counted!!! Don't give up! Keep voting!!! Don't stop, this is not over!!! Vote like mad!! We need every single vote!!! Obama/Biden 08" Let your voices be heard, and stay strong!! America needs every young American to vote, this is way too important !! Keep going and do stop!! You are the hero's we are rooting for, go give up, keep going strong and vote for Obama/Biden 08" Vote till last person in line gets to cast their vote!!! We need a touchdown!!!

[p2p2008]

This is disgusting. We live in WA state. My 19 y/o daughter woke up at 5am this morning to go the Obama campaign office to help. She's been volunteering for weeks now. She and another volunteer are in the Auburn area still canvassing, encourgaing people to vote. If Obama lose this election because of cheating, she and miilions of young voters will be so broken hearted and might just not believe in this democrazy. What is it about the Republican with their claims of they love the country but yet suppress real democratic process?

[cariintexas]

Republicans cannot win an election fair and square, so they revert to rigging, like flippin votes, destroying ballots, etc. God I'm glad I don't have to live with their consciences.

[Sammy00400]

Sure they can... if a large number of people in a particular area agree with its philosophy and get out to vote. If you think otherwise and really suggest republicans "cannot win" then you havent traveled around enough. Nobody is inherently Democratic.

That said, I dont like the legal tactics the Republican party (national and local) uses to affect the outcome in their favor and I find it gratifying that they lose in court most of the time. If you ask around I am sure you would find the vast majority of Republicans dont like it either.

[OldKnute]

How absolutely PATHETIC.

They have torn apart the very fabric of America and now they feel they must steal this election.

Torture, Death, War, Lies, Division, Hate, Fear, Racism, Distortions and now they resort to disenfranchising our youth?

Pathetic!

Desperate and pathetic.

All the best

Knute

[NoSandwiches]

The difference between Republicans and Democrats.
Democrats believe in and will follow the spirit of the law
Republicans will manipulate events to their advantage by abusing the letter of the law.

[4akinderworld]

Grinnell is a Quaker college. Quakerism is built on the testimonies of Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Ecology and Equality - all liberal ideologies. You BETCHA they would like to have these kids' votes not count!

[reckless]

Grinnell has no religious affiliation, but its students have a long history of progressive politics. The students overwhelmingly vote Democrat. To give you an idea, when I was at Grinnell during the 1988 Iowa Caucus, every Democrat came to campus, but only one Republican. The Republican was Jack Kemp and, the next day, the New York Times ran a story with the headline: "Kemp Assailed By Hostile Students."

[4akinderworld]

Thanks for the clarification. My heart was in the right place, and my message is still the same.
I went to a Church of the Brethren (another peace denomination) college, and the few times we had a Republican come to speak at a convocation, our best debaters tended to frustrate them.

Go Obama! 270 EV and then some!

[4akinderworld]

Correction - Grinnell was founded by Congregationalists, but that group had its beginnings as nonconformists in England, so there is a rich history of social activism. My above statement stands - they would most likely not have been weighted toward the conservatives.

[GeoLee]

IF the democratic party wins all the houses of congress, I am going to demand they create uniform laws throughout the country for voting for 2010 and use all these stupid challenges as a guide to what practices to specifically outlaw. If we don't get 60 in the senate, then we should be working very hard to call those blocking it in the senate out and really focussing on their districts in 2010 for any who are up for election in two years. As citizens throughout the united states, we are learning we have power in little people coming together and I think we can Bachmann any senator we want or any house member withour 5 and 25 dollar contributions. Let's make Bachmann famous for the rest of her life as the one who proved one wrong move will get their opponent finncial help. Her race and Dole's race are almost as important to me as the presidential race. Bachmann them by Dole-ing out the money to those who represent what is best in America and take back this country. I am so proud to be an American all the time. But the fervor inthe last few months has reinforced why. Those who have said Enough to negativity and the politics of fear have made this 60+ white woman hopeful we can do what we thought we had accomplished by the Brown vs Board & Civil Rights Act. 44 and 54 years ago.

[charlygardel]

I fully agree with you. Nicely said. Many of us think this way, so I'll be surprised if we go into 2010 or 2012 with this disaster of an electoral system.

[Progress08]

What a bunch of cowards. I live in Iowa and this sickens me. This douchenozzle should immediately resign then hang himself.