Goode: Include late troop ballots in 5th recount
Facing the loss of his seat, U.S. Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr. said Thursday that all late-arriving absentee ballots cast by U.S. troops overseas should be counted as part of next week’s recount in his 5th District race.
A federal judge in Richmond ruled Tuesday that Virginia’s State Board of Elections violated the law by mailing out absentee ballots to military voters too late for them to send back their ballot by Election Day. However, the judge added that the 4,750 such ballots across the state need not be counted, as they would not change the outcome of any race in Virginia.
In the 5th District race, Democrat Tom Perriello of Ivy defeated Goode, a Republican from Rocky Mount, by a margin of 745 votes, according to verified election returns. An official recount has been scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.
“We have said from the beginning that this recount is not about overturning the results of the election,” Goode said in a written statement. “This is about getting it right. One way we know we can get it right is to count the votes of the brave women and men in uniform who are serving our nation overseas. But if we leave their votes out, then we’ve done wrong by them.”
Goode called on Perriello to also ask that the late-arriving military votes be counted.
“The votes are here, waiting to be counted,” Goode said. “The only question is will we count them, or will we leave them out? Today, I am calling on Mr. Perriello to join me in asking the Recount Court to count these military votes.”
Perriello’s campaign said that it supported counting the military ballots a month ago. In a written statement Thursday, Perriello reiterated that support.
“Our brave troops serving overseas absolutely deserve to have their voices heard and their votes counted in this election and all elections as they fight for our Democracy,” Perriello said. “That is why I strongly believe that those military ballots in question that arrived late and were held aside should be included in the vote count of Virginia’s 5th District.”
Perriello’s spokeswoman Jessica Barba criticized Goode for issuing the statement.
“Given that Virgil Goode and Congressman-elect Perriello agree on this issue, it’s clear that Mr. Goode’s statement to the press is an unfortunate attempt to play politics with our troops’ right to vote,” she said. “While election officials are working incredibly hard to maintain the integrity of the democratic process and the recount, it’s regrettable that Mr. Goode is choosing to insert politics into the mix.”
Barba added that there are only 30 to 60 late-arriving military ballots in the 5th District.
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Seems CharlieT is sad that the VA legislature could not put some type of marraige amendment on the ballot to bring out Republican voters, who were so sick of Buch and Goode they did not show up.
So LU students voted in Lynchburg and their home state and McCain still did not win. Ir wasn’t how often one voted it was the discusting candidate Goode and McCain. It does seem VA voters are a little smarter then IL voters, but not by much.
GOODE BYE
Voter fraud? What a convenient excuse for a poor candidate. Bush won for the same reason and we are NO better today for it. You were one of those that voted for the worst prez are you? If so, you need to rethink why cause he(you) sure screwed this country.
The only reason Perriello won because there were so many UVA students committing voter fraud. Many had already sent back their absentee ballets but also voted in Charlottesville. Govenor Caine is aware of this and won’t do anything about it. The only solution is to not allow students here to vote unless they change their residency.
PS—I find it was in fact 3/5th’s, not 4/5ths. According to Wikipedia: “The Three-Fifths Compromise was a compromise between Southern and Northern states reached during the Philadelphia Convention of 1787 in which three-fifths of the population of slaves would be counted for enumeration purposes regarding both the distribution of taxes and the apportionment of the members of the United States House of Representatives. It was proposed by delegates James Wilson and Roger Sherman.“ Virgil Goode supporters take heart.
Sounds like sour grapes. If the ballots were mailed after the election was called I’d consider those to be ineligible. It would be an insult to our election process and the system of democracy our troops are fighting for to allow ballots be included after the election was called. If the postmark is after 11/5/08 they should not be counted regardless of the reason.
Ironically the reason our soldiers are where they are is because of an invasion Goode supported. And now he wants their votes besides their lives? :/
Actually, Perriello DID defeat Goode in an honest election. The idea that a “first time voter’s” vote counts less than anyone else is contemptible. What, should they count only as 4/5th’s of a person? Both candidates say count all the “30 to 60” late arriving absentee military ballots. It won’t make any difference in the outcome Perriello assumes, while Goode in desperation and denial hopes it might. Very well then, count them. Even the ones from military personnel who voted for the first time.
This story should not surprise anyone.
Perriello knows that he could not defeat Goode in a honest one-to-one election. The only reason he got the votes he did in November was because of so many 1st time voters voted against Bush in any way they could.
While it was their right to vote this way, how many of these people will ever vote again?
As for the troops, the past records will show (as I know because I was one of them) that troops vote regularly.
Since we owe our freedom and our rights to the sacrifice of these troops, all Virginians should demand that these votes be counted.
Either count ALL the votes or let’s have a new election.
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