Judge Rules Absentees Can Revote in New Jersey

[stephanie]

wt!

By JEREMY W. PETERS
Published: February 2, 2008
Voters in New Jersey who cast absentee ballots for a candidate who has dropped out of the presidential race can vote again, a judge has ruled.

The decision, which was issued on Thursday by Judge Vincent J. Grasso of Superior Court in Ocean County, dealt specifically with the county clerk there but has bearing statewide, according to the attorney general’s office.

The ballot for Tuesday’s presidential primary was printed about a month ago, before six of the candidates dropped out of their respective races. Four Democrats — Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, former Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, Representative Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico — are no longer running. On the Republican side, Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, and Fred Thompson, a former senator from Tennessee, have withdrawn.

Under Judge Grasso’s ruling, someone who cast an absentee ballot for one of those six candidates will be allowed to request a new ballot from a county clerk and vote again.

David Wald, a spokesman for Attorney General Anne Milgram, said New Jersey law did not specifically address whether absentee voters could vote again if their first choice for a candidate was eliminated before the election.

read the rest..
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/02/nyregion/02ballot.html?ex=1202533200&en=3761e680954ded10&ei=5099&partner=TOPIXNEWS

[avatar4321]

How do they know whether they actually voted for one of the people when they cant look at the ballots before the day of?

[Kathianne]

That is nuts! When you first request an absentee ballot, you should know that your choice may drop out. You are also likely to be voting on referendums and such. So now these people will get to vote for Hillary/Obama or McCain/Romney. By signing the affidavit I assume they'll take away a vote from one of the drop outs, but how many of these people will remember their correct choices on judges? Referendums? etc?

If for absentee ballots, why not for the 'vote early'?

[avatar4321]

That is nuts! When you first request an absentee ballot, you should know that your choice may drop out. You are also likely to be voting on referendums and such. So now these people will get to vote for Hillary/Obama or McCain/Romney. By signing the affidavit I assume they'll take away a vote from one of the drop outs, but how many of these people will remember their correct choices on judges? Referendums? etc?

If for absentee ballots, why not for the 'vote early'?

I think the only way to do it is if the ballot has their name on it when it's sent it and then afterwards separated to be anonymous. i am not sure how its possible though because i dont know how New Jersey absentee ballots work.

[Dilloduck]

We need TM to explain all this crap to us !! :laugh2: