Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Department of No Surprise: Even Toothless Dogs Bite

Kirsten Gillibrand is the New York state senator chosen to replace Hillary Clinton in the US Senate.  Jim Murphy is the name of the fellow who was recently elected to replace her, over a Republican named Jim Tedisco.  

But the Albany Times-Union reports:

This just in from Columbia County: when Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s absentee ballot came up in the queue, the poll watchers for Jim Tedisco objected to it, saying the senator was in the county on election day and should have voted in person.

Senator Gillibrand's response gives this claim the drubbing it deserves:  

"The Republican's challenge is frivolous and without merit. This is part of their larger attempt to disenfranchise legal Democratic voters and delay the inevitable Democratic victory in the 20th." ...

NYS election law says that an elector must intend to be out of the COUNTY on Election Day when the elector submits the absentee ballot or requests the application. Senator Gillibrand requested and completed an absentee ballot because she did not expect to be able to vote at her polling location since votes were scheduled in the Senate that day. Furthermore, Republican claims that she was in the county are false. She was not in Columbia County on Election Day.

Although we may (or may not) be experts on piracy, we at the egg are certainly not experts on Empire State election laws. But it sounds to us as though Tedisco's people are liars and imbeciles.

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