Four More Years: Thanks Mr. President

Abuses of Early & Absentee Voting Are a Danger

Opinions expressed are those of the author, not necessarily the editors of the Insider

For the first time in any state virtually all voters in Ohio were this year mailed absentee ballot applications. Normally, a voter who does not expect to be physically present on Election Day applies for an absentee ballot. 

With the presidential election expected to hinge on Ohio, the state’s former secretary of state, Republican Kenneth Blackwell, is warning that a little-known change in the Buckeye State’s absentee-ballot process could lead to a “nightmare scenario.”

And that scenario could force the entire country to wait 10 days after the election to find out who will be the next president of the United States. It’s a complicated situation, to say the least, but one that could have a far-reaching impact on the Nov. 6 election process...

The concern is that thousands of Ohio voters may complete the absentee-ballot application and receive an absentee ballot, but not bother to complete and mail in the ballot. 

Anyone who is sent an absentee ballot — including those who do not complete it and mail it in — and later shows up at the polls on Election Day to cast their ballot in person will be instructed to instead complete a provisional ballot and, and under Ohio election law, provisional ballots cannot be opened until 10 days after an election. 

One estimate is that there could upwards of 250,000 of these provisional ballots to be counted 10 days after the election, not an insignificant number in a state where there is  expectation  of a very close election. Read more about the Ohio election here.

This writer believes that this will not be a close election, that Mitt Romney will be elected with a strong  majority of both the popular and electoral votes. However, we cannot risk another Florida type scenario where the results are not known for days or weeks afterward. Lax voter ID requirements, rampant in person early voting, and abuse of the absentee ballot process are some areas where changes are required if we are to remain confident in the accuracy of our electoral processes.

Continued:

Presidential Debate 2012 Haiku Contest

Did you watch the presidential debate last night between Obama and Romney? The web is buzzing with opinions on who won, who said what, and who's facts were on point.  Express your thoughts in a friendly reader contest! Write a debate haiku, email to middletowninsider@gmail.com- we will post those we receive by Saturday at midnight. Winners may vote in comments and selected Tuesday, and an exclusive collectable Middletown Insider prize will be sent to the winner. Hey, maybe we will even do a snappy graphic to accompany the winner's piece!
What is haiku?
Haiku is a Japanese poetry form. A haiku uses just a few words to capture a moment and create a picture in the reader's mind. Traditionally, haiku is written in three lines, with five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second line, and five syllables in the third line. 
update: in the spirit of Middletown this contest will also be judged according to the Councilman Tom Serra rules of what makes some one qualified to be given a City, BOE police officer or chief job: someone  who is related, and who "lives and worships in Middletown." will be given preferential treatment and all others intimidated into coercion.