Breaking: NJ Secretary of State Wells Responds Re: Dem Ballot Request

Yesterday we commented on a story that appeared at the Corner on National Review regarding a letter sent from the Democratic State Committee attorney Paul Josephson to New Jersey Secretary of State Nina Wells. The content of the letter was allegedly a request to change state policy on absentee voting when signatures on the application do not match the signature of the voter on file. This is a tactic similar to other actions taken in the past by Democratic operatives in Washington State and Minnesota which led to significant questions of voter fraud.

We have made the attempt since yesterday to get a copy of the letter in question to determine exactly what was suggested to the Secretary of State. However, after contacting the Secretary of States office, we did get the following prompt response:

It has come to my attention that voters may be concerned with the process in use by county clerks to authenticate vote-by-mail applications. Please be assured that the Division of Elections, county election officials and I share the commitment to fully protect the right to vote and the integrity of the electoral process.

The Election Laws of New Jersey require county clerks to ensure that each applicant is a registered, qualified voter and is identified as such. The current signature verification system was the practice for many years with absentee ballot applications, and remains the practice today with vote-by-mail applications.

I have issued no recommendation to change the legal mandate for county clerks to authenticate the identity of every vote-by-mail applicant.

Furthermore, voters whose vote-by-mail applications have been rejected have the option to reapply in person at their county clerk’s office by 3 pm on Monday, November 2, or they may vote at their polling place on Tuesday.

We are committed to working with our election officials to protect the rights of voters and ensure that every vote is counted as required by law.

Nina Mitchell Wells
New Jersey Secretary of State

Kudos to Secretary Wells. If you are one of the people who have had their absentee ballot questioned, you still have time to either visit your county clerk or vote on Tuesday.

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NJ Democrats Prepare for Election Theft!

One would think that here in New Jersey Democrats would not have to engineer election theft as was done in Minnesota and Washington State. With a clear advantage in voter registration and long standing tactics and techniques for encouraging voter fraud, New Jersey Democrats typically don't sweat elections that much. From the ongoing scandals in Atlantic City and Essex County, to the blatant campaign 'votes for cigarettes' stories we hear in every election, Democrat vote fraud is assumed part of the fabric of New Jersey election politics. But apparently, New Jersey Democrats are worried that with Jon Corzine's horrible reputation, old tricks will not be enough this year. From the Corner on National Review:

This year, New Jersey’s registered voters can request a mail-in ballot for any reason. Before 2005, voters needed to provide a reason for why they needed an absentee ballot. The state received about 150,000 absentee ballot applications this year.

On about 2,300 of those applications so far, the signature on the request form did not match the signature on the voter’s registration forms with the state.

In a development that is depressingly predictable, the New Jersey Democratic Party is asking the state to provide provisional ballots for all these voters. Those ballots, could, presumably, be used to overcome any narrow lead by Republican Chris Christie over Democrat Jon Corzine on Election Day.

I find it amazing how forward thinking these folks have gotten and how well it has paid off for Democrats around the country in the past few years. And now it has come home to New Jersey. I suppose that one piece of good news here is that the Democrats internals must be showing Corzine in serious trouble to have to resort to these formerly unnecessary tactics.

Read the entire article here.

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