With Kean and Kean in Crowd, Steinhardt Derides Dems’ ‘Vote-rigging’ Scheme
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PARSIPPANY – Former Gov. Thomas H. Kean knows the value of knocking on doors.
Kean reminded loyal Morris County Republicans at a Sunday breakfast that he was in a pretty close race a few years ago. It may seem like a “few years ago” to some, but the event in question was actually 38 years ago.
That was 1981 when Kean beat Democrat Jim Florio by about 1,700 votes to win the governor’s seat.
And he said that may not have happened if GOP volunteers didn’t keep knocking on doors and visiting voters right on up to election day.
And that was the main reason for the annual breakfast hosted by County Clerk Ann Grossi at the Sheraton Parsippany hotel – turn out the Republican vote.
As for the value of door-knocking up until the last minute, Kean said, “I know that better than anybody else.”
The breakfast drew dozens of GOP local candidates, including Anthony M. Bucco and Brian Bergen, who are trying to keep the traditionally Republican 25th District in GOP hands. Kean was introduced by his son, Tom Kean Jr., who is seeking next year’s Republican congressional nod in the 7th District.
The senior Kean’s comments, notwithstanding, last-minute door knocking may not be as valuable as it once was.
That’s because Vote-By-Mail, or VBM for short, allows voters to cast their ballots weeks in advance of election day. The VBM process so far has benefited Democrats more than Republicans.
And that’s something Doug Steinhardt, the GOP’s state chair, knows well.
Speaking before the former governor arrived. Steinhardt said that the party must work hard to combat the VBM system, or what he called the Democrats’ “vote-rigging” scheme.
When there is no positive record to run on pretend the Democrats are cheating because they wants people to exercise their Constitutional right to vote. The new Republican Modus operandi says policy is not nearly as important as having power at any cost regardless of the vast majority interests.
Oregon has had full vote by mail for more than 20 years. The system has bipartisan support here.
All registered voters are sent a ballot in the mail. Completed ballots can be returned by mail or taken to one of the many secure drop boxes.
Voters don’t have to vote far in advance. They can wait until election day if they prefer. There are even a few polling places open for those who prefer that method or who need accessible devices (some voters can’t hand mark a paper ballot).
When you combine this with measures like risk limiting audits this creates a more secure voting system. Why wouldn’t folks prefer a system that is both more convenient and more secure?
Some links:
‘You can’t hack paper’: How Oregon fights election meddling
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/you-can-t-hack-paper-how-oregon-fights-election-meddling-n930481
Services for Voters with Disabilities (Oregon Secretary of State)
https://sos.oregon.gov/voting/Pages/disabilities.aspx