Ky GOP caucus plagued by absentee voter woes

Lucille

Lucille

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Terrific.

https://www.lewrockwell.com/political-theatre/chaotic-caucus/

Republican voters in Kentucky are howling about the state party’s decision to move from a primary election to an early presidential caucus, saying the decision hasn’t been publicized enough and that some of their attempts to register to vote absentee have been bungled by the party.

The party’s Facebook page is replete with people criticizing the party and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, who pushed for the change to facilitate his simultaneous runs for re-election and for president.

“There are so many uninformed Republicans! The Republican Party of KY has done a poor job of informing its voters of this change! Timely mail should have been sent to clarify the changes,” wrote Jamie Michelle Amburgey, a Whitley County teacher.

“Didn't care for Rand Paul before and now even less!!!” wrote Judy Mills Allen.

“This caucus crap is all on Rand Paul, hope someone beats him out in the election for Senate!!” wrote Gleason Malicote.
[...]
For some members of the Kentucky GOP, the caucus will be an exercise in disenfranchisement rather than an exercise in democracy.

Paul wanted the caucus because he wanted to get around a law that prohibits candidates from appearing on the ballot more than once in most situations.

Party officials also hoped candidates would come to the state and make Kentucky a player in the 2016 election – since the election would be earlier and come before one candidate scooped up enough delegates to win the nomination.

But only one candidate who is still contesting the election – front-runner Donald Trump – made it to the state. None of the candidates ran television ads here.
[...]
Mike Biagi, executive director of the party, has defended the party’s decision not to mail reminders to voters in the state, which would have cost an estimated $475,000. He didn't return numerous phone calls and text messages from the CJ seeking comment for this story.

Since Paul pushed for the caucus, party officials agreed to do it as long as he raised the money to pay for it. The party didn’t want to divert money from advertising in state House races at a time when Republicans are optimistic they can gain control of the state House of Representatives for the first time in 95 years.

Paul has raised $250,000 for the caucus, far below the $500,000 officials estimated it would cost. The party has cut costs along the way, opting to hand-count ballots in all but about 10 counties. Candidates have paid another $165,000 in filing fees, which have also helped offset the costs.

Stansbury said it would have been cost-prohibitive to send out mailers to each voter - $90,000 in Jefferson County alone - and the local party doesn't have that kind of money.

"When we look at this in hindsight, that's going to be one of the things we're going to have to talk about - how we got the word out," he said.

Some voters, many of them older, said they didn't have access to the Internet and couldn't find out where to vote.

"Why did they do this?" asked Norma Honadel, of southwest Jefferson County.

Woods said she wishes the party would never have agreed to the caucus and that while she plans to go vote, she will do so grudgingly.

"I like Rand Paul but I'm not happy about this at all," she said.
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CPUd said:
If those people can't figure out when and where to vote, they don't need to be voting, because they are the type who will vote whichever way they are told to.
Click to expand...

^^

Fuck the establishment. They got what they wanted when they made Rand's run impossible. Sucks for everyone though that there's blowback now in a way nobody would have predicted a couple years ago...
 
I've never been a fan of absentee voting anyway. Get your ass up to the polling place on voting day if it means that much to you.

Hell, not only would I ditch absentee voting, but I'd make voting choices public record. That what when your candidate turns out to be utter shit, the whole town hates you.
 
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Hmmmm..



Kentucky presidential caucus

Last updated: March 6, 2016, 9:47 a.m. EST
REPUBLICANS
Donald Trump
Called with 4.35% margin
100% reporting
CANDIDATE PERCENT VOTES
Donald Trump 35.92% 82,493
Ted Cruz 31.57% 72,503
Marco Rubio 16.36% 37,579
John Kasich 14.43% 33,134
Ben Carson 0.85% 1,951
Rand Paul 0.38% 872
Uncommitted 0.22% 496
Jeb Bush 0.13% 305
Mike Huckabee 0.08% 174
Chris Christie 0.03% 65
Carly Fiorina 0.03% 64
Rick Santorum 0.01% 31
 
There's always somebody that's going to bitch. That story sounds like it could've been written weeks ago - just a generic summation of complaints you'd expect to hear.
 
Will voters turn out for Kentucky caucus?

It will be the first time since 1984 that one of the major parties used anything but a primary election to choose presidential candidates in Kentucky.
That year, Democrats used a caucus to nominate Walter Mondale, and Republicans used a convention system to nominate Ronald Reagan.
Click to expand...
The Republican Party made a conscious decision not to spend the money on its bargain-basement caucus getting the word out, figuring the candidates would do that.
But the candidates have been tied up in Iowa and New Hampshire and then South Carolina and Nevada.
Click to expand...
http://www.courier-journal.com/stor.../26/voters-turn-out-kentucky-caucus/80508196/

Maybe, Rand should have instead of returning taxpayer money from his congressional staff budget ($1.8 million) back to the US Treasury
made it into voter education programs to learn about how to caucus for Canadian bacon better ?

So, a record turnout? Hah, maybe it's a bellweather state from now on that doesn't need to take chit from Iowa!

[TABLE="class: eln-table eln-results-table, width: 588"]
[TR]
[TH="class: eln-header eln-candidates"]CANDIDATES[/TH]
[TH="class: eln-header eln-votes, align: right"]VOTE[/TH]
[TH="class: eln-header eln-percent, align: right"]PCT.[/TH]
[TH="class: eln-header eln-percent-wrap"][/TH]
[TH="class: eln-header eln-delegates, align: center"]DELEGATES[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR="class: eln-row eln-trump-8639 eln-donald-trump eln-party-republican eln-has-image eln-winner"]
[TD="class: eln-cell eln-name"] Donald J. Trump[/TD]
[TD="class: eln-cell eln-votes, align: right"]82,493[/TD]
[TD="class: eln-cell eln-percent, align: right"]35.9%[/TD]
[TD="class: eln-cell eln-percent-wrap"][/TD]
[TD="class: eln-cell eln-delegates eln-has-delegates, align: center"]17[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: eln-row eln-cruz-61815 eln-ted-cruz eln-party-republican eln-has-image"]
[TD="class: eln-cell eln-name"] Ted Cruz[/TD]
[TD="class: eln-cell eln-votes, align: right"]72,503[/TD]
[TD="class: eln-cell eln-percent, align: right"]31.6[/TD]
[TD="class: eln-cell eln-percent-wrap"][/TD]
[TD="class: eln-cell eln-delegates eln-has-delegates, align: center"]15[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: eln-row eln-rubio-53044 eln-marco-rubio eln-party-republican eln-has-image"]
[TD="class: eln-cell eln-name"] Marco Rubio[/TD]
[TD="class: eln-cell eln-votes, align: right"]37,579[/TD]
[TD="class: eln-cell eln-percent, align: right"]16.4[/TD]
[TD="class: eln-cell eln-percent-wrap"][/TD]
[TD="class: eln-cell eln-delegates eln-has-delegates, align: center"]7[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: eln-row eln-kasich-36679 eln-john-kasich eln-party-republican eln-has-image"]
[TD="class: eln-cell eln-name"] John Kasich[/TD]
[TD="class: eln-cell eln-votes, align: right"]33,134[/TD]
[TD="class: eln-cell eln-percent, align: right"]14.4[/TD]
[TD="class: eln-cell eln-percent-wrap"][/TD]
[TD="class: eln-cell eln-delegates eln-has-delegates, align: center"]7[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
 
i think it took votes from Trump, inflating the ratio between him and Cruz, Rubio & Kasich.
If anything it helped Ohio's governor to actually pick up 7 delegates. If Mister Trump does
not pull off a ballot ONE victory, Kentucky could end up going to a dark horse as an almost
solid block. I'd blame the frosty relationship between McConnell & Cruz for why he is 2nd.
 
Warlord said:
The CJ are butthurt. screw them
Click to expand...

Yep! Basically, there are a lot of people who opposed the caucus because they hated Rand. And the Democrats like the CJ would always be against it.

The Kentucky caucuses were actually pretty awesome... so much enthusiasm despite the terrible candidates.
 
Aratus said:
If Mister Trump does not pull off a ballot ONE victory, Kentucky could end up going to a dark horse as an almost solid block.
. . .
Click to expand...

The Don's senseless tweets about Rand over the weekend . . . Trump wants to lose this at the brokered convention doesn't he ?

btw, Colorado is all unbound even from ballot ONE . . . a total GOPe Rubio block if it matters in the end.
 
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