Up To 600,000 Uncounted Ballots in Arizona - Voter Suppression Outrage

From multiple sources:

Arizona election results: 600,000 early, provisional ballots still to be counted
(abc15.com)

Breaking: Arizona Outrage Over Unprecedented Provisional Ballot Mayhem; Record Latino Vote Marred
(huffingtonpost.com)

Provisional-ballot woes swamp county
(azcentral.com)

Tell AZ’s Maricopa County Recorder: We want a fair election system!
(promiseazaction.org)


It's been 2 days since the election, and there are still 600,000 ballots not counted in Maricopa County - home of Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Did Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio Really Win?
Several hundred thousand votes remain uncounted.
(alternet.org)

The scale of voter purging is unprecedented. Even when voters turned over multiple forms of ID, including driver's licenses, they were still not permitted to vote, and forced to use provisional ballots - and as yet 600,000 of these have not been counted.

This calls into question whether Joe Arpaio actually won reelection and whether the state isn't bluer than it's being portrayed.

Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell told ABC15, as of Wednesday morning, the Recorder's Office still has 300,000 early ballots to count. Workers also have to tally an additional 115,000 provisional ballots for Maricopa County.

Purcell admitted the votes could end up changing the outcome of some of the races.

"I know Congressional District 9 is close," Purcell said. "There are legislative races that are close, so it could certainly affect that."

According to the Secretary of State's office, there is a total of 602,334 ballots yet to be processed in counties across Arizona -- 439,961 early and 162,373 provisional. (ABC News)

Despite record early voting ranks among Latinos, Arizona took a giant step ahead of the nation into the quagmire of provisional and early ballot mayhem, as outraged Latino voters and allies converged on the Maricopa County Tabulation Election Center in Phoenix today, demanding clarification and proper counting of unprecedentedly massive numbers of uncounted ballots that could potentially affect the outcome of the high profile races of Sheriff Joe Arpaio and U.S. Senate candidate Richard Carmona, among others.

While estimates of uncounted provisional and returned early ballots vary wildly -- from 150,00 to more than 400,000 in Maricopa County alone, and thousands more across the state -- many Arizonans are now questioning the extraordinary levels of provisional ballots issued, and numerous voters have emerged with stories of undue barriers and difficulties at the polls for Latino voters. (Jeff Biggers)

600,000 'lost' votes out of a state of 3.1 million registered voters is a substantial percentage of votes.

602 ,000 AZ ballots remain to be counted
(Arizona Daily Star - azstarnet.com)

In Pima County, huge backlog of early, provisional votes could stretch chore into next week.

reply to post by Blackmarketeer


Why did you say purged? That's misrepresenting what is actually going on. They just haven't all been contend yet. They will be counted.

The Hispanics are making noise because they have called the election for Arpaio. They keep claiming this means those votes don't count, which is not true. They're just upset at a process they don't agree with.

You wanna know the real outrage?

It's when 12 million undocumented/illegal immigrants come to this country and rob the American taxpayer while committing crimes and showing no interest in assimilation.

600,000 suppressed votes? Spare me. They can take their self righteous declarations and stick it.

If they want their voices heard, they can go back to where they came from and fix their own problems back home.

God damn leeches.

the thread title makes it seem like obama is in trouble, but surprise it's obama's enemy sheriff joe! So what, 600,000 ballots were lost which got Joe elected, meaning democratic votes were supressed presumably, but this did not affect the national elections?

Originally posted by filosophia
the thread title makes it seem like obama is in trouble, but surprise it's obama's enemy sheriff joe! So what, 600,000 ballots were lost which got Joe elected, meaning democratic votes were supressed presumably, but this did not affect the national elections?

More misrepresentation . . . Where does it ballots were lost?

There is no supression. The reading comprehension on this site is baffling sometimes. Not to mention the multiple other threads on this same subject that have gone over this.

When the early ballots and provisionals are counted, if Joe loses he won't be sheriff any more. Until all of the votes are counted all of this blustering by the hispanic special interest groups is grandstanding, at best. They are not the only racial group that sent in early ballots or were asked to fill out provisional ballots at the polls. Their "supression" is self-inflicted, as it is in their minds. Why aren't republicans griping about the same issue in any of the races that democrats took, in Arizona? Their early/provisional voters haven't been counted either.

Maybe it's because this whole thing is a non-story. Controversy sells and the news outlets love it when the Hispanics are upset . . . they make the most noise in the state.

reply to post by solomons path


Oh, so the "early" ballots were not counted yet, and the election is now over, yet you are offended by me calling these ballots "lost" or "suppressed." Sounds like voter suppression to me.

reply to post by filosophia


What is so hard understand about the word "yet"?

They will be counted. It will effect the outcome of some races. Any races that have been called are provisional pending the outcome of the count.

I don't know what is so hard to understand about that unless you are intentionally trying to drum up devisive outrage and hate amongst the community.

Do you work for a Hispanic special interest group or just using selective reading?

Originally posted by solomons path
reply to post by filosophia

 

What is so hard understand about the word "yet"?

They will be counted. It will effect the outcome of some races. Any races that have been called are provisional pending the outcome of the count.

I don't know what is so hard to understand about that unless you are intentionally trying to drum up devisive outrage and hate amongst the community.

Do you work for a Hispanic special interest group or just using selective reading?

Yes, I work for the hispanics, you got me !

What is so hard to understand, the election is over.

Do you always accuse others of working for the 'Hispanics'?

reply to post by filosophia


No just you, as you are ignoring the simple facts of how the process works. And, I didn't say Hispanics. I said Hispanic special interest groups. They ignore the same facts you are.

Ballots don't stop being counted when 12am Wednesday hits. They are still counting the votes and will be into next week. This isn't anything new and happens in a lot of states. Florida is still counting votes, too . . . why isn't there articles about all of the Latinos currently being supressed in Florida?

. . . Because Sheriff Joe isn't in Florida.

If you can't see why there should be no outrage, I have to believe you are part of the agenda promoting it.

reply to post by solomons path


'Purged' because legitimate voters, who have voted before, found themselves deleted from the registered voter rolls and had to use a provisional ballot instead.

Originally posted by solomons path
reply to post by Blackmarketeer

 

Why did you say purged? That's misrepresenting what is actually going on. They just haven't all been contend yet. They will be counted.

The Hispanics are making noise because they have called the election for Arpaio. They keep claiming this means those votes don't count, which is not true. They're just upset at a process they don't agree with.

I'm pretty sure "suppression" is just fine when it comes to Arpaio.
Maricopa is where they sent reminders to spanish speaking communities to
" Vote on the 9th"

reply to post by solarstorm


So you're okay with voters being suppressed?

Originally posted by solarstorm
You wanna know the real outrage?

It's when 12 million undocumented/illegal immigrants come to this country and rob the American taxpayer while committing crimes and showing no interest in assimilation.

600,000 suppressed votes? Spare me.

If they want their voices heard, they can go back to where they came from and fix their own problems back home.

God damn leeches.

Sounds mighty Jim Crow of you.

reply to post by Blackmarketeer


As I've previously stated, Hispanics aren't the only racial group that this happened to. If they were, I could see your point. And, it wasn't only democrats that had to fiil out provisionals. Both sides of the aisle and all races were touched by the ineptitude of Arizona's voting system.

There is also the issue of people not showing up at the right polling place . . . if you don't you won't be found and have to fill out a provisional.

I live in AZ and had to fill out a provisional even though I went to the same poll I always have. Problem is they switched my poll (apparently) due to a change of address to my car's registration? I don't know it that is really correct or not, but I'm not hispanic or a registered Dem.

If they want to voice outrage over the system being run by monkeys or being understaffed to count the votes in a time maner, that's fine. They have a right to be. However, misrepresenting the situation (or not really understanding what is going on?) and running to the press with it coupled with racial overtones. Self-serving actions and only doing so to make waves. It's devisive, disingenuous, strickly political, and possibly slanderous.

Bottom line is they hate Joe and are mad the election was called for him (provisionally). They be best served to wait until all the votes are counted, but that's not their style.

In Ohio, provisional ballots will not even counted until November 17.. What are the rules for AZ.? No suppression!! Just the rules. The provisional ballots were causing massive delays in our polling stations. I checked the AZ SOS site and could not find much regarding any counting rules for these ballots. In many cases these ballots need to undergo further scrutiny to verify their legitimacy....

What about all of our servicemen and women who never even received a ballot in the first place?? That's true voter suppression for you!! They never had a voice!!!

reply to post by jibeho

In Ohio, provisional ballots will not even counted until November 17. What are the rules for AZ.? No suppression!! Just the rules.

The rules are described in the last link on the OP's post.

But verifying provisional ballots can take up to 45 minutes each, and each must be checked twice, he said - a process that may last up to the statutory deadline of 10 days after the election, on Friday, Nov. 16.

That article also describes how those ballots can and will affect the races.

There is a process description here: More than 600,000 ballots in Ariz. still uncounted

And another ATS thread here: www.abovetopsecret.com...

The election is not over until ALL the ballots are counted and certified. Certification will take place on December 3 (by Arizona law).

NO legitimate votes are being suppressed, all legitimate votes are being counted. No 'called' races are final yet, so-called 'winners' are only provisional winners. Candidates who have conceded, may well find that they have won and their concession speech doesn't change that. Arpaio may lose, Barber may win.

You don't get anywhere by claiming fraud here. Voter suppression may have taken place in Arizona, I don't know. The SOS says they have a much larger provisional vote count than in previous years, and there is an awful lot of them in Maricopa County compared to Pima County. But they ARE being counted.

The polls have closed, but the election isn't over until ALL the votes are counted. They have until November 16 to count all the votes, and the result will be legally certified on December 3.

Originally posted by filosophia
reply to post by solomons path

 

Oh, so the "early" ballots were not counted yet, and the election is now over, yet you are offended by me calling these ballots "lost" or "suppressed." Sounds like voter suppression to me.

The election is not over until ALL the votes are counted and the results are legally certified. They have until November 16 to complete the count. The certification will take place on December 3.

These votes are NOT being suppressed.

Originally posted by filosophia
the thread title makes it seem like obama is in trouble, but surprise it's obama's enemy sheriff joe! So what, 600,000 ballots were lost which got Joe elected, meaning democratic votes were supressed presumably, but this did not affect the national elections?

Yes it may affect the national election. Romney is ahead in Arizona by less than 200,000 votes. If 400,000 of these as yet uncounted votes go to Obama, Obama will win Arizona and have 11 more electoral votes.

The votes are NOT suppressed. They are not counted YET. They WILL be counted. They WILL affect the final result in MANY races, including possibly the Presidential race.

reply to post by Blackmarketeer

'Purged' because legitimate voters, who have voted before, found themselves deleted from the registered voter rolls and had to use a provisional ballot instead.

Yes, I more than agree with you on this point - legitimate voters were discouraged by this 'tactic', and the 'printing error' which gave the wrong date for the election day on the Spanish side of the instructions. We cannot know how many voters were discouraged from going to the polls by these things.

But that is a completely different argument than claiming that 600,000 actual votes are not being counted and will not affect the outcome. Because they are being counted, and they will affect the outcome.

reply to post by jibeho

What about all of our servicemen and women who never even received a ballot in the first place?? That's true voter suppression for you!! They never had a voice!!!

That did not happen. Do you have a reliable source that says it did?

Related comment for your info: 31 states allow overseas military personnel (and civilians for that matter) to vote electronically. They don't send out ballots.

Originally posted by rnaa
reply to post by jibeho

 

What about all of our servicemen and women who never even received a ballot in the first place?? That's true voter suppression for you!! They never had a voice!!!

That did not happen. Do you have a reliable source that says it did?

Related comment for your info: 31 states allow overseas military personnel (and civilians for that matter) to vote electronically. They don't send out ballots.

Your statement is incorrect.

Just one example

At least 30 Wisconsin municipalities failed to send absentee ballots to military voters before the 45 day deadline, according to former U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Anthony Principi, and he's demanding the Government Accountability Board address the problem immediately.

As reported by the website WisPolitics.com, Principi sent a letter to the GAB on Monday pointing out the failure to meet the 45 day deadline is in violation of Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voter Act.

"This violation is particularly unsettling in light of the fact that, only six months ago, a federal court entered a consent decree against Wisconsin and the Government Accountability Board for similar violations of military voting rights," wrote Principi.

Principi cited a study by the Military Postal Service Agency, which found less than 45 days is not enough time to ensure service members can receive, complete and return in time.

"Your office's violations therefore may deprive service members of their fundamental right to vote," he wrote.Screen shot 2012-10-01 at 7.09.56 PM.png
This comes on top of a report by the MacIver News Service that the Federal Voter Assistance Program was providing Wisconsin service members the incorrect deadline for when their ballots must be received by for the general election.

www.maciverinstitute.com...

The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) is a United States federal law dealing with elections and voting rights for United States citizens residing overseas. The act requires that all U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands allow certain U.S. citizens to register to vote and to vote by absentee ballot in federal elections.[1] The act is Public Law 99-410 and was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on August 28, 1986.[2]

Groups of people covered under the act are:

Members of the seven Uniformed Services
Members of the U.S. Merchant Marine
Eligible family members of the above
U.S. citizens employed by the federal government residing outside the U.S.
Other private U.S. citizens residing outside the United States[1]

en.wikipedia.org...

A group of Republican senators said Monday that thousands of voter ballots are unlikely to reach military service members until after Nov. 6.

One day ahead of the election, Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), John McCain (R-Ariz.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) sent a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to express their concern over delays in ballots reaching military voters overseas.

“We write to express concerns over another serious failure by the Department of Defense (DoD) to safeguard the voting rights of our overseas military service members, which we believe could result in the imminent disenfranchisement of thousands,” the letter stated.

Mail redirection in the military can take between 14 to 50 days, meaning a ballot could reach the voter possibly more than a month after ballots have to be mailed back in order to be counted. The Military Postal Service Agency (MPSA) identified problems with the system after the 2010 election, but hasn’t implemented changes.

thehill.com...

Still waiting on these