They say Bush is ahead in the polls. But the GOTV effort this year clearly favors the Dems, and it's equally clear that the GOP is laying the groundwork to challenge new voters in swing states. In Iowa, there's a battle shaping up over absentee ballots. Sec. of State Chet Culver (D) has sent out absentee-ballot requests to all Iowans, no matter thier party. Democrats have requested to vote absentia 3 to 1 over Republicans.
The Des Moines Register has a story this morning that lays the groundwork being done by the GOP. Buried in the story is this update on handleing absentee ballots, I put it first because it demonstrates how craven the GOP smear campaign is:
Culver on Tuesday defended absentee ballots as a tool to make voting more accessible, and he assured voters that fraud is not likely to occur.
"I feel very good about the new absentee balloting system," he said. "I think it really ensures the integrity of the voting process."
Culver said that questions were raised during the 2000 presidential campaign about absentee-voting fraud, but that no one was prosecuted.
"There were a couple of concerns across the state, so the Legislature made some of these changes," he said.
A new state law tightened the process. Among the new rules, couriers who collect ballots from voters must be trained and certified.
"We've done everything we can to protect the integrity of the ballot," said House Speaker Christopher Rants, a Sioux City Republican.
This is a tale of phone calls as a tool for causing voter confusion. The smear begins with reports that a few Republicans received phone calls from an unidentified source telling them to tear up their absentee ballots (the story doesn't clearly say if the calls were live or memorex, though the impression is of a live person.)
This is followed by a pre-recorded phone call to Republicans from Ed Failor Jr., executive director of the Republican get-out-the-vote effort. His words?
"Shadowy organizations like ACT and MoveOn.org are working with the Democrats to collect absentee ballots. If you vote by absentee, do not give your ballot to anyone who is not officially credentialed by the Republican Party of Iowa. Better yet, postage has already been paid for. Fill your ballot out, vote Republican, seal it and mail it to your auditor. Don't let these shadowy organizations jeopardize your vote. Paid for by the Republican Party of Iowa. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
And the reason these organizations are shadowy?
Failor said the Democratic-leaning groups are clearly "shadowy." In June, a national spokesman for America Coming Together confirmed that the group hired felons in Missouri, Florida and Ohio to help with door-to-door efforts.
Key GOP strategy: spew fear and hatred while laying the groundwork for challenging election.
Then there's the next phone call:
U.S. SEN. CHARLES GRASSLEY: "I don't like seeing our tax dollars wasted so I'm calling to ask a favor of you. This is Chuck Grassley. You need to know that Iowa's secretary of state, Chet Culver, is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to send an official absentee ballot request form to every Iowan. It should appear in your mailbox in the next few days. That money will be wasted unless you use the form to request your ballot and vote by mail. And remember, you don't have to be out of town on Election Day to exercise your right to vote by mail. So please, when you receive the application from the secretary of state, use it to request your ballot and then cast your ballot for the Republican ticket. You'll be doing a favor for me, for yourself and for every Iowa taxpayer. This call was paid for by the Grassley Committee Inc.
Anyone interested in writing LTE pointing out the smear and vote challenge tactic? Here's the info:
Letters to the Editor
The Des Moines Register
P.O. Box 957
Des Moines, IA 50304
The fax number is (515) 284-8560
email: letters@dmreg.com