Ohio's Sec. of State outlaws voting Democratic

Things are going to be ugly this fall in Ohio. First, there are reports that Ohio already can't handle new voter registration at its current rate.

In Ohio's largest counties, election boards are getting nearly double the number of registration cards submitted in 2000. The scramble is only expected to intensify this week, as the Oct. 4 registration deadline nears.

"We think this will be the sleeper issue in this election," said Kay Maxwell, national president of the League of Women Voters. "Plenty of people can fall through the cracks."

Now, a majority of these new voters appear to be registered as Democrats. Hiring more workers should help the cause and make sure everyone is registered in thier proper place. But it gets worse. MyDD and Daily Kos both have the story (and who to write in disgust) of Ken Blackwell, Ohio Secretary of State and his Katherine Harris like attempt to supress these new Democratic voters:

In the final days before the registration deadline Ken Blackwell, Ohio Secretary of State, has ordered the local election boards to send out new applications to applicants who have submitted registrations on the wrong paper. The ostensible reason for this order is to insure that the applications can make it through the postal system without being damaged. The Secretary didn't point to any examples of voters who were stupid enough to mail regular weight paper as a postcard, nor did he cite examples of complaints from the Postal Service that this has been a problem. Never mind also that the applications he wants thrown out have already been delivered to the election boards safely.

Not bad enough? Okay:

Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell recently issued a directive to county election officials saying they are allowed to count provisional ballots only from voters who go to the correct polling location for their home address.

Blackwell has ordered that if residents go to the wrong precinct, poll workers must find their correct precinct and tell them where to go, Blackwell's spokesman Carlo LoParo said. They also may cast provisional ballots at their county election board.

Provisional voting allows properly registered voters to cast ballots even when their names don't appear on registration rolls because they moved or they were left off.

"It has a potential of being a very big issue, and how we train and how we prepare for it will dictate how we handle the situation," said Michael Sciortino, president of the Ohio Association of Election Officials and director of the Mahoning County elections board.

The key will be educating poll workers and voters before the election about the process, Sciortino said.

This would mean that votes cast at the wrong balloting place because of state error have the potential to be thrown away completely and not counted at all. Which would seem to be illegal in light of this:

No person acting under color of law shall deny the right of any individual to vote in any election because of an error or omission on any record or paper relating to any application, registration, or other act requisite to voting, if such error or omission is not material in determining whether such individual is qualified under State law to vote in such election.

Silly voting rights laws. Don't you see how out of date you are? Both Daily Kos and myDD at the links above have people you should contact about this mess. Do so. Now.

*UPDATE* Seems the party is already on one case:

The Ohio Democratic Party sued Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell on Monday to allow voters to be able to cast ballots - even at the wrong polling place - as long as they are in the county where they are registered.

Blackwell, a Republican, sent county boards of elections a directive on Sept. 16 ordering them to deny provisional ballots to voters who show up at the wrong polling place. Instead, poll workers must call the board and find out the correct polling place and send the voter there.

Provisional ballots are provided to registered voters who have moved but have not updated their registration with the boards. They are set aside and inspected by Democratic and Republican board employees to ensure they are valid.

Democratic leaders said at a news conference that the Help America Vote Act, which Congress passed in 2002, allows voters to cast provisional ballots at any polling place in their home county.