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

[PT6]

We call ourselves the "GREATEST DEMOCRACY IN THE WORLD" then why:

1. Corruption in Military Contracts
2. Corruption on Wall Street
3. Corruption in Mortgage Lending
4. Corruption in Healthcare Costs
5. Corruption in "Staging a Fake" War

and Corruption in OUR DEMOCRATIC VOTING SYSTEM!

[skirtingtheedge]

My biggest concern is that BO will win the popular vote by an unprecedented landslide, like 5 or 10 million, but he'll loose the electoral college vote. The Reps will rig the vote in just a view state where they know they can, and where the electoral college vote will override the popular vote. If that happened, it would be a travesty. Would Americans accept that outcome?

[gallimaufry03]

Yesss ... this is my fear too. And there will be no way to find out what happened, how it happened, or who did it. It will all just ... disappear into a m/p presidency. Oi. *still looking for a xanax*

[WolfI]

Not necessarily. Don't forget that Obama is a constitutional lawyer. Voting falls under his area of expertise. If something happens, we can hope he will seek redress, unlike Kerry who just shrugged and said "oh well."

[bmxking28]

hopefully the american people would remember why and how this country was founded and take our country back. This is a government thats basic pricipal is "We the people" not we the people that are in power. It is sad how often people forget that.

[OkieIntellectual]

Well they've already done it twice, maybe they're going for a hat-trick.

[veggiequeenmo]

even now these losers won't quit. give it up, your boy and witch are going to lose.

[jwatso7]

Here's the irony in the Republican efforts to suppress votes. People hear this, it's blatantly partisan, and it makes moderates and independents angry. Fine, so they throw out some ballots. In the long run, I would think they'd risk having people vote against Republicans as backlash, which would balance out ballots being thrown out. Plus, it's reached a point this election cycle where it's so obvious what Republicans are doing. They have no shame in trying to stop thousands of people from voting. That's lower than low, and incredibly unAmerican.

[ljmoffice]

But they are probably all wearing their flag pins, flag shirts etc...to the polls today. I can always spot em.

[bmxking28]

colleges and universitys are where political activism has always had its roots and has had its strongest support. Im sure that everyone can remember of at least one time where a political demonstration at a school ended in violence. With that in mind I cant believe that the rethugs would be so stupid as to go into a college and challenge voter registration during such a historic election, with such a combustable environment of young strongly democratic voters wanting to be part of something so monumental its only going to take one spark before the whole voter fraud tinderbox ignites in the face of the despicable people who have tried for so long to deny us of our rights as Americans to vote. I for one would have to be forcibly removed before they told me i couldnt vote today, because unlike rethugs i have read the constitution and understand that it is EVERY AMERICANS right to vote. Go change the world today.

Obama/Biden

[BernieBernie]

These tactics will lead to the demise of America. We all must stand together to end these tactics once and for all!!

[kellygrrrl]

Stand Up Young Americans

Make Your Voice Loud and Clear

[PepeLepew]

"A party that's adrift..."
Spot on! They've turned into a party for hatemongers and extremist fundamentalists.

[CharlesJ]

You have got to be f---in kidding me!
What hell. If the student gets his mail by putting his name, the university name, city,state and zip code and the mail is delivered what is the problem. I was always of the understanding that a PO BOX number was not acceptable in most states, that it had to be a physical address. Because the student did not use the Universities PO BOX number your challenging his/her vote.
You republicans party heads are a freaking joke, a bunch if blundering idiots.

[old lady]

Afterthought - publish names of lawyers involved so we can monitor their political careers!

[old lady]

Now that they show they can follow rules - lets change the rule! Students nationwide should be registered on their dorm room address.

Will somebody publish email addresses of these slugs so we can tell these lawyers what we think of them.

[bpowell1]

GOP what are we teaching our kids. You want these same kids to go and fight and die for this country, but, then you want to deny them their voting rights. Stop it Republicans just stop it. Some of them may actually be voting for your guy. Stop trying to disenfra

[Greg285]

I see the GOP is starting really early with voter suppression tactics !! How low can these people sink to try to stay in POWER…..

[Crozier]

as low as it takes, Greg, to achieve their nefarious aims......they have no morals.....just theocrats.

[kellygrrrl]

very very very low -- to the depths of he!!

[Crozier]

Does it bother you to see Holy Joe Lieberman behind McCain at GOP rallies? at the RNC in StPaul?
Are you tired of his betrayal of Neil Lamont and his win in CT by becoming the de jure GOP candidate?


Are you tired of allowing Lieberman to sit in the Senate Democratic Caucus and not the Senate Republican Conference? Does it bother you that he calls himself an " independent Democrat" and has a Senate Committee Chair?

Are you sickened by comments like John Kerry that they should allow him back into the caucus in2009? Well, this average Democratic voter and Obama supporter wants this man removed from the Senate caucus and invited to vote with the GOP conference

HOW MANY WANT JOE LIEBERMAN OUT OF THE SENATE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS ??????????

[Abraxaas]

Amen! Lieberman certainly doesn't represent the Democratic party I love!

[lemonyashes]

Democrats need to restore morale and show they have a moral authority not to hang on to Lieberman just because he adds a vote to the Dems. My sixteen year old daughter is confused why the Democrats would allow him to continue as chair of committee when there are more loyal and deserving. Explain the morality of that to my daughter John Kerry, it's a moral issue as far as she is concerned.

[CTVoter08]

Crossing party lines to endorse a candidate as Colin Powell and many others have done is one thing, but speaking at the Republican Convention and standing on the stage at McCain-Palin rallies says it all...he should just switch parties.

[Ipanemagirl]

Now the truth comes out !!!!t..the ".good christian values" at work, and patriotic "country first" , bla bla bla....while they are now cheating voters, wow!!! whoever believed them in the first place should see this! Hippocracy at its finest!
It all boils down to: : they dont believe what they preach and that most people dont care for their u issues anymore; and that they are poor losers on top of it all!

But they should all be prosecuted to set an example! This is so childish and embarassing!

[GreenEyedGuru]

hypocrisy.. not hippocracy.