King County tells voters not to worry about notification (WA)

[struggle4progress]

SEATTLE -- King County election officials scrambled to reassure hundreds of voters who received letters notifying them that their voter registrations had been challenged.

All 1,944 challenges were filed Oct. 26 by Lori Sotelo, senior vice chairwoman for King County Republicans. The challenges, alleging invalid residential addresses, triggered notification letters signed by Dean Logan, county election director. <snip>

"Do I think it was partisan? Yes I do," County Executive Ron Sims told KING-TV. Sims is seeking re-election in Tuesday's election, facing Republican challenger David Irons.

King County Republicans "wanted to accuse us at the last moment of not having our voter registration records clean," Sims added. <snip>

http://159.54.227.3/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051106/NEWS06/511060356

[wakeme2008]

1. It would be interesting to know how many of the 1944 challenges

were register Dem vs Repug. I would almost bet it is 2 to 1 Dem to Repug.

[newscott]

2. That's usually the way it's done

Sometimes they send a letter to you and if you don't respond to it, they place a challenge against you.

Another way to do it is to have like-minded seniors sign the challenge paperwork in a rubber stamp type operation.

I believe this was done in Washington last time and got a lot of people removed from voter roles.

The 2004 election brought all these ugly tricks to light.

[SeattleVet]

6. Of course they are; why do you think they only targeted King County?

Also see http://www.horsesass.org/ for some good articles about the challenges and the background of the woman who acted as the "challenger", and how badly they have screwed this up (she signed an affidavit that she had personal knowledge about each voter, and may wind up facing a perjury charge).

They bitched and moaned about a minuscule error rate in the last election, but they are running at least a 15% error rate in their challenges to the registrations. They are also insuring that a lot of people who might not have bothered to vote will make it to the polls this time.

[damntexdem]

7. I doubt that.

I'd bet that almost all are Democrat, and that any Republicans are mistakes by the GOP.

The GOP will stoop to any trick to undermine fair elections.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

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[pa28]

4. "Iron Clad"

That's how Republicans originally described these challenges to the county. Now that it's proven to be a thinly disguised effort to disenfranchise Democrats Ms. Sotelo should be reminded of the fine print on the forms she signed.

"Under Penalty of Perjury".

I hope she's prosecuted to the fullest extent.

[glitch]

5. Oh, please make it so. nt