[Peace] Will Gordy Hulten Refuse a Grandmother's Right to Vote?

[Brian Dolinar]

This post from Esther Patt about Gordy Hulten's voter suppession. The
longstanding Republican control of the county clerk position is being
challenged by Charlie Smyth, Urbana council member. Gordy is a Republican
Party hack who was appointed to the position. He made a name for himself by
running the right-wing website Illini Pundit, then being appointed for a
short term to Champaign city council.

BD

http://ucimc.org/content/will-gordy-hulten-refuse-grandmother%E2%80%99s-right-vote

Gordy Hulten, Champaign County Clerk, has created rules for implementing
Illinois’ grace period voting that will result in qualified, registered
voters being unable to vote.  Illinois law allows people to register to
vote or change their address of registration up until three days before the
election on November 3.  The registration or change of address must be done
at the County Clerk's office.  In the other 101 counties in Illinois,
County Clerks either allow or require grace period registrants to cast
their ballot at the County Clerk's office at the time that they register or
change their address.  Hulten refuses to allow them to vote.

Despite the fact that these grace period registrants provide his office
with proof of address, Gordy insists on mailing an absentee ballot
application to the voter to prove the person’s address.  It has taken 6
days for people to receive that application.  Then, when they go to his
office in person to return the application, he still refuses to let them
vote.   Instead, he sends them home to wait another 6 days for the absentee
ballot to arrive in the mail.  And, he requires that they mail it back,
noting that as long as it is postmarked by midnight on November 5, the
ballot will be counted if received within 14 days after the election.  If
the ballot arrives in the voter's mailbox on Election Day, will Gordy
accept it in person on that day?   It seems the answer is no.

An 87-year old woman who has been a registered voter in Champaign County
since 1970 was turned away from the County Clerk’s office on Monday,
October 29, 6 days after she changed her address of registration within the
county.   It was her second visit to Gordy's office in two weeks and still,
he won’t let her vote.  She’s waiting for the ballot to arrive in the
mail.  If she doesn’t get it by next Monday, for the first time in her
life, she will not be voting.

Given the time it’s taking for mail to arrive, anyone who changed their
address of registration or registered after October 24 is not likely to get
a ballot in time to vote. I was also told that from this point forward,
anyone who uses grace period registration will be sent a federal-only
ballot. That means they can vote for President and U.S. Representative but
not for anyone running for state or local office.

Gordy Hulten's behavior to suppress voting is worse than anything his
predecessor, Mark Shelden, ever did.  It appears he cannnot be stopped.
-- 
Brian Dolinar, Ph.D.
303 W. Locust St.
Urbana, IL 61801
briandolinar at gmail.com
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