Culture of Voter Suppression

I understand that Republicans generally err on the side of suppressing votes, and in a tight election it's commonplace to challenge ballots for a variety of reasons - to keep them out of the count, and simply to make your position look better by keeping your opponent's ballots on the side for as long as possible. But this is completely ridiculous from Jim Tedisco.

This just in from Columbia County: when Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s absentee ballot came up in the queue, the poll watchers for Jim Tedisco objected to it, saying the senator was in the county on election day and should have voted in person.

First of all, Gillibrand's office maintains that she wasn't in the county on Election Day. Second, there's no law that the absentee voter has to be out of the county, if you want to get technical. Gillibrand's statement says it the best.

“The Republican’s challenge is frivolous and without merit. This is part of their larger attempt to disenfranchise legal Democratic voters and delay the inevitable Democratic victory in the 20th. Every day that the national Republicans waste with their dishonest stalling tactics is another day Upstate New Yorkers are deprived their Member of Congress. Senator Gillibrand looks forward to working with Scott Murphy in Congress to support President Obama plans to turn this economy around and create good paying jobs.”

They're never going to stop with this nonsense. Tedisco is predictably using the language of "voter fraud" to deny legitimate voters the franchise. Despite the fact that actual cases of fraud are almost nonexistent.

Murphy's going to win this anyway. But the damage to the electoral system has in many ways already been done.

...Sen. Gillibrand posts at Daily Kos, saying "let my vote and every vote be counted."