Bush/Cheney absent on absentee ballots in Randolph County

Bush/Cheney absent on absentee ballots in Randolph County


Wednesday, October 13, 2004

By Joyce Morrison, Southern IL News Correspondent

Joyce Morrison reports today on something amiss with absentee ballot applications sent to some of our military men and women who hail from southwestern Illinois' Randolph County. Only one choice for President?

RANDOLPH COUNTY - Something was missing from absentee ballots recently sent to military personnel from Randolph County in southwestern Illinois, according to servicemen who received the ballots.

The absentee ballots, which appeared to have been made up on ordinary paper, failed to list two fairly high profile candidates-- President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

David Blow, a member of the U.S. Air Force, stationed in San Antonio, Texas, called his cousin who resides in Randolph County and asked him to see if the 'Special Write-In Absentee Blank Ballot' was really legal.

Blow told his cousin Rick Hall that 'in the place where the Republican Presidential Candidate's name would appear, instead was the message "Nominees will be certified following selection by the Republican National Convention."

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Alan Keyes' name did appear on the ballots in question.

The ballot appeared to have been hand made and did not look official, Hall said.

When he inquired at the Randolph County Clerk's office how they would count this ballot, he was told they would transfer the votes to a punch card ballot after it was returned to the county. Hall said that 62 servicemen were sent absentee ballots.

---