Betty Brummet has won back (and, in fact, never lost because her November 8 ballot was counted), her right to vote in Washington State. The 82 year old grandmother and World War II veteran had her right to vote challenged in a misguided sweep by frenzied Republicans trying to narrow the gap. The G.O.P. focused on evening the score after their hapless gubernatorial candidate narrowly lost a recount in a hotly contested and litigated election.
On being challenged, Betty and her supporters swung into action, contacting newspapers, local politicians, the A.C.L.U., Democratic and Republican Party officials, as well as the King County Prosecutor's Office.
This weekend, Betty Brummet received a self-serving and officious letter from the Republican Party telling her that her right to vote had been "challenged in error."
The Republican efforts backfired. As one citizen put it on the Sound Politics web site, "The only thing Chris Vance and the Republican Party succeeded in doing this election was to use a mean-spirited last-minute voter registration trick which backfired horribly to mint thousands of new Democrats. " ___________________________________________________________
King County Republican Party
November 18, 2005
Betty Brummet
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Dear Betty Brummet:
We have found that your voter registration address was challenged in error. It was never our intention to challenge your registration address [1], but it was, unfortunately, included on the forms delivered to King County Records and Elections on October 28, 2005. We have delivered a letter to Dean Logan today asking that your voter registration address be rescinded from our challenge.
It is the intention of the Voter Registration Integrity Project that all legal voters in King County be registered properly. Ensuring that only properly eligible and registered persons can vote is essential to prevent diluting the votes of all citizens. There are tens of thousands of duplicate registrations, illegal registrations and registrations of people who are either deceased or have moved. We trust our government to value the sanctity of our vote. When clean voter rolls and not a priority, our vote is not valued. Out intention is to hold our government accountable to its citizens.
We value the right of every eligible person to vote and have no intention to undermine that right in any way. Please accept my apology for any inconvenience this may have caused you.
Sincerely,
Lori Sotelo, Sr. Vice Chair
King County Republican Central Committee
[1] All This Is That Editor's Note: In fact, Ms. Sotelo wrote under oath on the affidavit that accompanied the challenge to Betty's voter registration that Sotelo "has personal knowledge" that Betty did not in fact reside in the house where she has lived the last 52 years.
5 comments:
Jack,
This story is such a nightmare/fairy-tale it's hard to believe. The Repubs going after little old ladies? They obviously didn't know who her son was. LOL.
On another subject, you should do a post on how Bob Woodward has lain down with WH dogs and gotten up with more than a few fleas. What a disappointment...
You're right. I am just so disgusted with him I won't bother. It's been a while now that Bob has come to love the good life but of late he has become such a republican insider, he's lost all traction. I was, of course, a little suspicious after his alleged conversations with William Casey (who was in a coma at the time).
The really disgusting part of all this is that the NYT forced Judy Miller out, while leaving Woody to work three hours a day and hobnob at Dukes at lunch. . .
Obviously, above, I meant the Washington Post, not the NYT!
Woodward is a part of the game now. What a transition. Who is he protecting from prosecution?
NYT Graphic
Dogbowl -- I missed that graphic, and I even subscribe!
That is sweet!
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