[EL] Colorado Absentee Ballot Fight: Data Can Help This!

[Bev Harris]

Hip hip for using real data. Gronke writes:

"While speculative—it is likely that the proportion of unreturned ballots is
higher among inactive voters—these figures speak directly to the claim being
made by Andrew Cole. And the problem of unaccounted for ballots, if viewed this
way, is obviously much greater among active voters"

There's something more subtle going on here though, and that's the framing of
the issue. Ballots that are mailed to voters but never returned are not
"unaccounted for." They are accounted for in records that show "date requested
- date sent - date returned".

If the ballot is not returned, the voter must cancel it to vote at the polls. If
the ballot is not returned and the voter does not vote at all, it is still
"accounted for".

Accounting and reconciliation practices in the elections industry as a whole are
quite poor. Looking at real data, I don't see many problems with "unaccounted
for" absentee ballots, whether to active or inactive voters, but there
typically ARE problems with "unaccounted for votes" (more votes than voters);
with "unaccounted for voters"(ie, voters recorded as having voted, when the
number of ballots cast, including blanks, is less than number of voters who
voted). Material mathematical impossibilities like these are shrugged off with
the excuse that "no election is perfect".

The unsaid story in Colorado is that Sec. State Gessler is deciding not to
automatically mail ballots to inactive in-state residents who are on the
permanent opt-in list, who are perfectly capable of going to the polls.
Colorado uses reckless no-fault and permanent opt-in absentee voting, which is
extra friendly to inside fraud. It's probably prudent not to be sending ballots
out willy-nilly to people who have no need to vote absentee and haven't voted,
but it would be more prudent to eliminate no-fault absentee voting, and
especially, to nuke the permanent opt-in absentee system.

And lest anyone think it's peachy keen for Colorado Clerks to love their
unaccountable no-fault permanent opt-in absentee system, remember that they
have recently decreed that NO election records can be examined by the public --
read: NO accounting or reconciliation documents whatsoever -- for 45 days
before and 20 days after an election. That's right. Colorado election officials
recently declared a blackout on timely delivery of all open records at election
time.

Bev Harris
Founder - Black Box Voting
http://www.blackboxvoting.org

* * * * *

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people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right
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know. We insist on remaining informed so that we may retain control over the
instruments of government we have created.

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Renton WA 98057


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