Voters report in the LA Times that city police and elected officials in Bell (CA) came and had them sign absentee ballot forms but never asked them to vote the ballot itself.  Among the allegations that city elected officials participated in this activity, and city police officers:

“A 42-year-old Bell woman, who asked to remain anonymous, told The Times that a Bell police officer and two other people came to her door in 2007 before a City Council election. The officer, she said, told her she should support Hernandez and Councilman Victor Bello and asked her to sign a form. She agreed to sign even though she said she was not sure exactly what the form said.

A few weeks later, when she and her husband went to cast their ballots on election day, poll workers told her she had already voted absentee. The poll worker told her the vote could be canceled, and she voted again.”

Maryland’s waiver request to exempt out of military voting protections has become a political issue in the campaign for Governor.  Washington Examiner has more.  It is amazing to see Maryland apply for a waiver because they didn’t have the will to take up the matter in the legislature.  The Maryland legislature has a well deserved reputation of a “60 Minutes” legislature.  Every time a problem appears on 60 Minutes, no matter how petty or large the problem, Maryland rushes to solve it through government intervention.  Yet it couldn’t get around to protecting military voters.  Priorities, I suppose.

Other entities that are now on the political hot seat regarding military voting waivers:

1. Secretaries of State in Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, Delaware, Hawaii, Washington, Colorado, Alaska, Wisconsin, Rhode Island,  and Massachusetts.  All of these waivers could be withdrawn.  If citizens put enough pressure on these states, it might happen.  Colorado is one of the most disgraceful requests.  The primary will be over in Colorado over August 10.  That leaves plenty of time to print and mail ballots to military voters.  But Colorado says they are not going to do it and requested a waiver.  Here is how to contact the Colorado Secretary of State and voice displeasure.

Secretary of State Bernie Beuscher
Suite 200 
303-894-2200 ext. 6307
303-869-4861 (FAX) 

2. The Department of Justice Voting Section.  The Voting Section thankfully has a limited role in the waiver process.  They can offer an opinion which the Pentagon is free to ignore.  I have heard that after a scolding that Senator Cornyn gave DOD officials, the Pentagon is inclined to entirely ignore any advice from DOJ to grant a waiver – which makes any effort by DOJ to encourage a waiver seem now like one of those dastardly “wastes of resources.”   Nevertheless, citizens can always petition their government, the Voting Section, and voice their demand that the DOJ recommend that all waivers be denied. 

Principal Deputy Chief, Voting Section
Civil Rights Division
Room 7254 – NWB
Department of Justice
1800 G St., N.W.
Washington, DC  20006
(202) 514-6342 

3. Finally, the Department of Defense (FVAP) has the authority to deny waivers.  Citizens wishing to tell them to deny these waivers can petition their government at:

Federal Voting Assistance Program
Department of Defense
1777 North Kent Street
Suite #14003
Arlington, VA 22209
1-800-438-VOTE (8683)
vote@fvap.gov

It is hard to imagine how this new tactic can be used in voting cases, but York has a strange story at the Washington Examiner.  In pertinent part:

Beverly Hills Courier : Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon pleaded not guilty today to 18 criminal counts, including perjury and voter fraud, alleging that he lived outside the district he represents and lied on candidacy statements and driver’s license applications.

The indictment charges Alarcon, 56, with:

• two counts of filing false declarations of candidacy on Dec. 6, 2006, and Nov. 6, 2008;

• seven counts of voter fraud, for allegedly fraudulently voting in elections in 2007, 2008 and 2009; and

• nine counts of perjury, including three for allegedly filing false driver’s license applications.

His wife was charged with six counts, including:

• three counts of perjury, for allegedly claiming she lived at a Panorama City home within Alarcon’s 7th District on a provisional voting ballot, in registering to vote and on a drivers license application; and

• three counts of voter fraud, for allegedly fraudulently voting in an election in 2008 and two in 2009.

Nearly a quarter of all states have asked the Pentagon to grant them a waiver to a new law protecting those in the military from voting in the 2010 election.  Congress passed a law last year requiring states to send ballots overseas at least 45 days in advance.  According to Fox, these states have asked for an exemption from the new law:

Hawaii

New York

Delaware

Alaska

Washington

Maryland

Massachusetts

Wisconsin

Colorado

Rhode Island

New Hampshire

Washington, D.C.

Former DOJ Voting attorney Eric Eversole noted in the article:  “There also are at least six states (Alabama, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire and New York) that have not complied with the electronic delivery requirements under the MOVE Act. Those provisions — which are not subject to the waiver requirements — should have been in place months ago. Again, it is not clear why the Voting Section has waited to take action.”

Ohio, DOA.

I’ll be on the Roger Hedgecock radio show tonight (nationwide) in the 7 O’Clock hour (EDT) to discuss my Pajamas Media article on military voting.

I’ll be on WCBM 680-AM in Baltimore Saturday at 8pm to discuss my latest Pajamas Media articles.

My latest article at Pajamas Media:

“In the fall of 2008, Tarrell Campbell was a student at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. With his three separate master’s degrees, he had been on a college campus, somewhere, for more than a decade. He was so interested in the outcome of the 2008 presidential election that he cast a ballot in Illinois, then drove across a Mississippi River bridge to his hometown of St. Louis and voted again.

Last week, Mr. Campbell entered a guilty plea to federal voter fraud charges for illegally casting two votes in a federal election. He may well sit out the next presidential election in federal prison.

This strange case of a highly educated criminal seeking to game our electoral system is not as rare as you might think. While some dismiss voter fraud as a myth, as common as unicorns and Sasquatch, others claim fraud regularly determines election winners. Both views are wrong. The truth lies somewhere in between. . . . “  Full story here.

Arraignment of 30 felony charges relating to qualifying signatures.  More from the Fresno Bee: