GOP is whipping up a controversy over military absentee ballots
AP reports: Military voters stationed overseas are returning absentee ballots in Pennsylvania at about the same rate as all absentee ballots are coming in, according to electronic reporting by 53 county elections offices.
The 53 counties collectively mailed 15,373 ballots to servicemen and women and their families overseas, and so far 9,522 have been returned, a rate of 62 percent, according to state records obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday. ...
The figures were released as Republicans raise concerns that mailing delays could unfairly reduce the number of military overseas ballots counted in Tuesday's presidential election. Ballots for military families and overseas voters in remote parts of the world were mailed out starting Aug. 24, and all other overseas ballots were mailed out starting Sept. 20. Domestic absentee ballots were mailed starting Oct. 19. ...
A GOP-financed federal lawsuit by two servicemen in Iraq and Kuwait filed Wednesday against Rendell and Secretary of State Pedro Cortes seeks a 15-day extension for their ballots' return. One of the plaintiffs lives in Venango County, where records show that 131 of the 134 overseas ballots mailed out have already come back to the elections office.
Fanned by conservative radio hosts, the issue has erupted over the past week, with thousands of callers jamming phone lines at the governor's office and Rendell facing repeated questions about it from the public during his ongoing bus tour in support of Democratic candidate Sen. John F. Kerry. -- Overseas military returning ballots at same rate as others (AP via philly.com)