George Bush called me about Absentee ballots..and I live in OH

My wife told me last night when I got home that I had a message in voice mail that I needed to hear. She wouldn't tell me who it was. So low and behold when I get my messages, the first one is from Shrub telling me to request my absentee ballot here in the battleground state of Ohio.

My question: Do republicans not trust their own machines?

Absentee ballots are fraught with danger. I don't know all the ins and outs of how the Repugs use them, but when you had Jeb sending a ballot and a plea to use it to ALL registered Repugs in FL in 2000 (with his gubernatorial seal on it to boot), you KNOW they're up to no good.

They can get lost, forgotten, tossed in the trash. Or, I suppose they can also be an indicator (if looked at early) of how many more need to quickly come in from voters -- FL (again) has been a hotbed of vote fraud in that arena.

On a less sinister note, it's also one way to get the votes early in case there are any last minute surprises that could turn people off, and since it's so much easier than standing in line somewhere on a cold November day, maybe it ups the participation numbers. But I do NOT trust them, period.

What are your state laws about how they should be handled? You oughtta check them out for clues.

I'd also advise the Kerry campaign in Ohio about this. IOMO they're up to no good, period.

At her work. Of course, she works for the county's Children's Services (gub'mint), so the RNC were probably able to mass-dial or something like that.

She can go on for hours about what a crock "No Child Left Behind" is.

http://www.startribune.com/stories/587/4958388.html (free registration required)

Absentee-ballot push raises eyebrows
Bob Von Sternberg, Star Tribune
September 1, 2004 ABSE0901

Well, that was bizarre, Paul Bartlett thought when he listened to his answering machine after work Monday: a recording of President Bush asking for his support in November.

After all, Bartlett's front yard in Eagan is filled with campaign signs for Democrats, including one he produced himself, proclaiming his property a "Bush-Free Zone."Yup, I'm the perfect person to support the president in Eagan," he said.

But even odder, Bartlett thought, was the fact that the message from Bush asked him -- twice, no less -- to mail back the absentee ballot application that will be mailed to him.

"What does he know about the voting system that is so rigged that I'm being asked to use an old-fashioned paper ballot instead of this wonderful new expensive software?" Bartlett asked.

He was referring to new software for compiling and verifying voter registrations in Minnesota that is debuting this summer, even though it hasn't yet been debugged by the office of Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer.

>>snip

Great to sleazy GOP tactics turn into BBV publicity. Kiffmeyer is a total GOP dingbat, by the way.