Wisconsin has become one of the most watched battleground states in the country, and forces on both the Democratic and Republican sides have activated their field operations and get-out-the-vote, or GOTV, efforts to woo registered Independent and undecided likely voters. Democrats have been hoping to turn this traditionally red state into a purple or possibly even blue one this year. But just before polls opened last Tuesday for Wisconsin's general assembly primary, numerous, unconfirmed allegations began to surface of a behind-the-scenes effort by the McCain-Palin campaign to manipulate the vote totals in Wisconsin and other key states this November.
On the Monday night before the primary, thousands of Wisconsin registered Independents and voters who have re-registered in the last year received absentee ballot applications enclosed in McCain / Palin direct mail pieces. The pre-printed, re-mailable absentee ballot applications appeared to be customized to the recipient's mailing address, with the addressee's local election office already on the form. Such mailers have been a tool for political campaigns, labor unions, GOTV interest organizations, and state and county election offices for a number of years. Other states reportedly saw similar mailings hit mailboxes, possibly totaling in the millions.
On the surface, the mailings appear to be a legal GOTV effort to re-register targeted recipients for the November 4 general election. But reports in the blogosphere, progressive media, and by other individual sources allege that the forms could instead be part of a larger effort to purposefully manipulate voter registrations in Wisconsin and possibly nationwide. The mailers, if true, may be a type of voter fraud because if someone receives an absentee ballot but does not send it in, he or she cannot go to the polls and vote on election day. The allegations imply that the McCain campaign is sending absentee ballots to people in the hopes that they will not send them in and when they try to vote in person will be turned away.
On Thursday's and Friday's nationally-broadcast Thom Hartmann Show, which airs on Air America Radio Network and streamed online, guest host Lee Rayburn of AAR affiliate The Mic 92.1 FM in Sun Prairie, Wisc., broke the story about the mailings and fielded numerous calls from listeners echoing their concerns about them.
In Wisconsin, the core center of government, the state capitol of Madison, is notoriously liberal. And Milwaukee, the economic center along Lake Michigan, tends to lean left. However, over the last three decades the rest of the state, proud of its independence, its agricultural and green technology industries, and religious conservatism, has proven to be moderate-to-conservative, primarily voting so-called red most of the time. In the last 12 years Wisconsin also has had its share of alleged voting irregularities, although investigations into the allegations have not yet been aggressively pursued by the state assembly or attorney general's offices.
This year, however, may be different. As the economic policies of George Bush have played out, and 3000-plus Wisconsin National Guard reservists were called up last weekend to deploy to Iraq this fall, the state's residents seem to have shifted their opinions of the Republican Party, and the presidential and vice presidential contests. As a result, Wisconsinites are scrutinizing every angle of electing their public officials at a level that has not been seen before. Members of the military who are deployed abroad, by far the largest group of absentee voters, are being courted particularly heavily by the political parties, as dissension in the ranks has swung both political contributions and absentee registrations towards the Democrats and away from Republicans in many states.
Direct mail campaigns containing absentee ballot applications from political parties and campaigns targeted at registered Independents are not new. Wisconsin is an Independent stronghold due to the popularity of Independent U.S. Senator Herb Kohl. Mail campaigns also affect the local and statewide races by activating those potential swing votes. Democrats have been active too, coordinating GOTV efforts for contested Wisconsin General Assembly seats with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). SEIU distributed direct mail pieces to thousands of households on behalf of their endorsed candidates to likely voters in Wisconsin and other states. In Wisconsin both direct mail campaigns hit mailboxes on or before Monday night, September 8, just in time for Tuesday's primary activities. The SEIU mailers did not contain absentee ballot applications, nor did they include endorsements of the national parties or the Obama-Biden campaigns.
McCain's political pitch is targeted squarely at pro-life conservatives. The headline, "A faith that sustains me...," leads to a main story starting with his POW experience in Vietnam, his adoption (with wife Cindy) of a little girl from Mother Theresa's orphanage, and delivers the pro-life position to the reader right between the eyes.
Quoted McCain lines from one of the mailers include these:
"My faith in God sustained me, protected me and gave me the strength to endure."
"That's why I have consistently fought to defend the right to life and the rights of the unborn."
"That's why Cindy and I have worked to promote adoption here and around the world as an alternative to abortion, including adopting our own daughter from Mother Theresa's orphanage in Bangladesh."
"And that's why I will appoint judges that respect the values and protect the rights established in our Constitution, faithfully applying the law without legislating from the bench."
Local party officials and labor union organizers are mixed on the effect the national efforts will have on the races at the local level, and on the results in November. Wisconsin's 2nd Congressional District Democratic Party Chairman Peter Rickman, an experienced political operative and labor organizer for the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), indicated in a Thursday phone interview that the national campaigns are prioritizing their efforts in Wisconsin towards GOTV efforts, but that more statewide and local media buys would be necessary to sway the voters in his district. Rickman insisted that the local candidates and parties were more focused on winning the Wisconsin General Assembly for Democrats, because local politics, he said, is where "real governing happens," and was pessimistic on whether the Obama campaign had done enough to support the entire ticket in an effort to spur the kind of change Obama spoke about in his Democratic National Convention acceptance speech.
"They're focused on their guy and getting him elected, and that's great, but the Obama Campaign could do a lot more to help out in local and statewide races, supporting the whole ticket," Rickman said. "If they really want to make change happen, it's going to have to be at the grassroots level, and although they have raised a lot of individual contributions and support from the grassroots, I haven't seen much of that money coming back in the way of paid media." Rickman did say, however, that the Obama-Biden Campaign and other national organizations are mobilizing large numbers of volunteers and paid staffers in his state and others to bolster GOTV efforts, which would go a long way to insure that likely voters are delivered on November 4.
Wisconsin Republican Party officials at the state and county levels in several areas were contacted for this report, but numerous requests for comment about the allegations surrounding the McCain-Palin mailings went unanswered. Democratic officials, including Rickman and Dane County Democratic Party Chairman Wayne Bigelow, did not mention the absentee ballot allegations in their respective interviews, but have been contacted for follow-up on this story. Efforts to contact state election officials about the allegations are still ongoing, but at press time, requests for comment have yet to be answered.
Follow Scott Foval on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ScottsBigMouth
I addressed this in a previous comment. As I was referring to the overall officeholders at all levels of the state, elected in the past 12 years. Indeed, even though in the Presidential elections there has been a shift over the past few years, at the local and state level the Republican Party has continued to maintain an overall edge in overall elected officials. That does not mean, of course, that progress has not been made as of late...it has.
That said, you and others are correct in your assertion (and justified in your surprise) to hear WI described as a "red state." It really does come down to which numbers the author (in this case, my responsibility) is referencing. I'll keep this in mind in future reporting, so as to be as specific as possible.
The last thing I wish to do is confuse anyone, lest someone lobs a block of cheddar at my head the next time they see me at Woodmans in East Madison. I know the pain of a hunk of aged cheddar impacting the back of my noggin, and of the Bears getting their butts kicked by the Pack.
Thanks for keeping me in check!
ScottsBigMouth
--
--
Scott Foval
scott@foval.com
www.scottsbigmouth.com | offthebus.ning.com/profile/ScottFoval
www.linkedin.com/in/scottsbigmouth | www.foval.com
fovalgroup SKYPE | sbfoval AIM | scott@foval.com GTalk/MSMsgr
But today, when I was thinking about the lying, manipulative Harris, I remembered where I had seen her before: Palin! Miss KathrynHarrisclone Palin, who has such similar personality traits and visage that it is eerie.
but to sum it up, a wiki has been established to help track this very thing:
votersuppressionwiki.wetpaint.com.
Please check it out . Please spread the word anyway and every way you can - especially to those voters who may not have access to this useful information. It is going to take all of us, every last single one of us, to stand up and take back our government....
Bring this into the light of day so everyone can see how Republicans win elections.
Every time it happens, in every state.
John McCain told us he would not run a nasty campaign, which he has done. He stated if Barack Obama had done what he had suggested his campaign would be more civil.
John McCain assured us he would have an experienced Vice President, in case something happens to him. He nominated Sarah Palin, who has limited experience.
She was introduced at the Republican convention as a maverick, a reformer, did not take earmarks, and did not support the bridge to nowhere. She is an expert on the economy, versed in foreign affairs, and more experienced than Joe Biden and Barack Obama.
Sarah Palin was interview by Charles Gibson (reporter for CBS) he proved the claims about her to be false. She is a Christian, who refuses to tell the truth. She is compromising her religious faith to be the next VP.
She has extreme beliefs like she thinks the Iraq war is God's will, and does not believe in abortion even in circumstances of incest and rape and wants to overturn Roe V. Wade. Her church stated Jews have been persecuted for not believing in Jesus.
September 15th through 16th market fell more than 800 points, and Lehman Brothers filed bankruptcy. McCain made the following statement “he thinks the economy is fundamentally strong”. Does anybody really think McCain is in touch with this economy?
Melissa
Its time to REPRESENT!!!!!
This election season has remained too close for comfort and to close to call! We have 100,000s of unregistered and millions who remain on the fence! Its time for us to come together, voice our unity, and make a difference!
Tuesday September 30, 20008
everyone is asked
to do two things
1) WEAR BLUE
2) REGISTER TWO VOTERS!
(If you can't register two voters talk to two people who may be on the fence/and sway them to become an Obama Supporter).
LETS MAKE OBAMA BLUE DAY a DAY OF ACTION!!!!
BARACK THE VOTE!!!!!!
PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO EVERYBODY WHO MAY BE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING!!!
"On the surface, the mailings appear to be a legal GOTV effort to re-register targeted recipients for the November 4 general election. But reports in the blogosphere, progressive media, and by other individual sources allege that the forms could instead be part of a larger effort to purposefully manipulate voter registrations in Wisconsin and possibly nationwide.
The mailers, if true, may be a type of voter fraud ****because if someone receives an absentee ballot but does not send it in, he or she cannot go to the polls and vote on election day. ***The allegations imply that the McCain campaign is sending absentee ballots to people in the hopes that they will not send them in and when they try to vote in person will be turned away."
THE FAKE ABSENTEE BALLOTS REPORTEDLY COME IN MCCAIN PACKETS. TRASH THEM.
IF YOU NEED AN ABSENTEE BALLOT, CALL YOUR VOTER REGISTRATION OFFICE IN YOUR AREA. MOSTLY YOU WONT. DON'T LET ANYONE STEAL YOUR VOTE FROM YOU.
Former POW says McCain is "not cut out to be President"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KjsEs46C70
The voice of a Medal of Honor recipient.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYXCplJN1uo
Another female vereran for Obama/Biden -- the honorable guys
The Barack Obama website makes it real easy to check our voter registration status no matter where we live. It takes about 2-3 minutes to make sure everything is in order. (I would give link but I am not computer up-to-speed).
Also, all states need volunteer poll workers on 11-4. This is a great way to let everyone know we are watching, engaged, and will not let this election be stolen.
Also, another poster suggested we all wear blue on 11-4 to let the world know we voted for Obama.
Even if it were true that a voter who used the pre-printed form to request an absentee ballot would be prohibited from voting in person, it would seem that this "vote-suppression" tactic is aimed at likely McCain voters.
BTW, I have voted straight Dem for 40 years, will do so this time, and, coincidentally grew up in Wisconsin. I now live in California, where local registrars of voters periodically send out applications for PERMANENT vote-by-mail status, which means you always get a vote-by-mail (absentee) ballot.
In California, at least, you can mail it in, turn it in at your local polling place, or -- if you change your mind after filling it out -- take it to your polling place and trade it in for a regular ballot. If you lose it, you can vote a provisional ballot. Perhaps Wisconsin election law is different, but I cannot see how sending out vote-by-mail applications could lead to vote suppression in California.