In a letter to Vicki Zeier of the Missoula County elections office, Jacob Eaton, executive director of the Montana Republican Party, wrote that the group no longer wished to challenge thousands of Missoula County voters or any others statewide.
The letter was released to Montana reporters Tuesday night.
“As a disabled combat veteran who has fought Al Queada to defend this country and our democracy and who has voted absentee en route to a war zone, I regret that my actions have been perceived as such,” Eaton wrote.
At issue is the legitimacy of some 6,000 registered Montana voters. The state Republican Party challenged the legality of those registrations last week, saying the voters had moved since they last registered and were not reregistered at their current address. The GOP challenge asked counties to verify the current address of thousands of voters, a task that would have required voters receiving a letter to prove their address.
Caleb Weaver, a spokesman for the Barack Obama campaign in Montana, said the party's decision to withdraw “proves what we have been saying for several days.”
The challenges, he said, were “desperation by a party that has brought no new ideas to the table” and, he said, had resorted to voter intimidation to win.
The challenges involved seven counties, but the vast majority of affected voters lived in two Democratic-leaning counties: Missoula and Lewis and Clark.
So far, only a few hundred letters have gone out.
The Montana Democratic Party and two challenged voters filed a lawsuit Monday asking U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy to issue a temporary restraining order halting the challenges and any new challenge efforts.
Molloy did not rule on the request Tuesday.
The lawsuit also said the challenges violated federal elections law and were a transparent effort to suppress voter turnout in Democratic counties.
Secretary of State Brad Johnson's office on Monday asked all county elections officers to stop sending out any letters to voters requesting proof of current address until Molloy ruled on the matter.
Bowen Greenwood, a spokesman for Johnson, also said that no one has ever complained to the secretary's office of widespread voter fraud based on inaccurate voter addresses.
Some 714 of the challenges involved Butte-Silver Bow residents. Mary McMahon, Butte-Silver Bow clerk and recorder, said this week the challenges are unwarranted and that the database of Montana voters is trustworthy.
“I would really like to see it stopped,” she said of the challenges.
McMahon said she had personally reviewed some of the challenged voters in her county and some “are just plain erroneous.”
For example, the GOP challenged the registration of one voter who has been politically active in Butte for 70 years. In that case, the woman moved from one apartment to another in the same complex.
Such a move would not affect the woman's voting precinct or the ballot she would receive.
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K M wrote on Oct 8, 2008 9:54 AM:
" The Republican Party should be ashamed of their actions. This was a desperate move by a desperate party. "
El wrote on Oct 8, 2008 10:21 AM:
" The one case that should be investigated is being ignored by the GOP, the Office of Political Practices and the SOS, Brad Johnson. The one that involves a candidate who lives in a house that both he and his wife purchased(over 2 years ago) in another district, both work in that other district but he continues to run for office in a district that he claims he intends to return to when ever. "
DownriverDem wrote on Oct 8, 2008 11:29 AM:
" I live in Michigan and we expect the same thing. Republicans are trying to intimidate new voters all over the country.
I can't believe that your state GOP would back down. That would never happen in not only Michigan, but many other states. "
I can't believe that your state GOP would back down. That would never happen in not only Michigan, but many other states. "
Joe wrote on Oct 8, 2008 12:43 PM:
" I would like to thank you Jacob for your service to our country and your attempt to rid the elections of fraud. It is unfortunate that you ran into the unstoppable force of the liberal media but with the recent election fraud attempts by such Democratic organizations as ACORN (investigations in multiple states are taking place now, something the Missoulian would never cover) your actions were warranted. "
ATLATL wrote on Oct 8, 2008 12:46 PM:
" This same tactic was used by the Republican/Rove party in Florida and Ohio to ensure both elections of Bush. It is still being used in those states because Republicans control the election process. Complete violation of voting rights and prime example of the corrupt Republican party's hatred of democracy. "
mary wrote on Oct 8, 2008 1:22 PM:
" I would like to see the Missoulian follow up on all the absentee ballots requested. 20% as reported in yesterday's article seems very high. Did they go to long time voters or to voters new this year? And if new time voters where were they sent?
In Lake County Indiana many Sen. Clinton supporters were turned away when they went to vote in the primary as absentee ballots had been requested in their names.
Please do not let real Montanan voters have their voices nullified through fraud. "
In Lake County Indiana many Sen. Clinton supporters were turned away when they went to vote in the primary as absentee ballots had been requested in their names.
Please do not let real Montanan voters have their voices nullified through fraud. "
Robert Susan Galloway wrote on Oct 18, 2008 12:14 AM:
" All county election officials in every state work very hard to protect the integrity of the American Voting System, they are the front line defense for irregularity & fraud. ACORN & other well intentioned non-profit organizations have brought disenfranchised voters to the polls and are to be congradulated, but the large amount of new voters cause problems for your county election officials. Along with the good comes the bad. We are experiencing VOTER FRAUD in many states. Mr. Eaton thank you for questioning.....it protects Americans all across the nation. Mr. Johnson you were wrong! Duplication is checked by addresses, voting cards and SSN in most states whether they vote democrat or republican. Protecting all constituents in your great State should be your priority. Protect the Integrity of the American Voting System, then check it again! "
Vrede wrote on Oct 8, 2008 7:45 AM:
Just like with the McCain campaign, every shady attack backfires. "