Spring Break
Lost votes returned
By: Leah Cooper, Managing Editor
Issue date: 11/14/08 Section: News
College Republicans President Jeff Harris found 16 of the more than 30 mishandled voter registration cards during the group's meeting Nov. 6.
Harris said he returned the cards to Tom Green County Elections Administrator Vona McKerley Tuesday and they "fixed" the problems that had occurred. McKerley said she is not pursuing any legal action against the deputy voter registrar who was responsible for turning in the cards.
"If it was an honest mistake, it's an honest mistake," McKerley said.
Harris said he would not reveal the identity of the DVR responsible for unknowingly mishandling the cards.
"We registered people as a group, and we're going to take this coming as a group too," Harris said.
A DVR can be given a Class C misdemeanor if proven he or she unintentionally withheld registration cards more than five days after their completion.
"She had those (cards,) thought it was OK, obviously, but it wasn't," Harris said. "We corrected that and her deputy voter registrar card is actually going to be pulled. She won't be able to do that anymore."
According to Harris, both the DVR and the elections office can share the blame, but the DVR should have known to turn in the cards.
"She (DVR) went to turn them in to a volunteer there and the volunteer was busy with something else and she turned in the itemized list," Harris said. "They took that, signed off and said 'OK, you're good' so she assumed, wrongfully so, that she was okay to go and she took the cards with her."
McKerley said she has yet to locate the log.
According to McKerley, the DVR responsible should have known to turn the cards in as it was a part of the training she received in order to become a deputy voter registrar.
"The only thing you can do is trust the people that you have," Harris said "Honestly, this is, in my opinion, just a mix-up that happened with both (the DVR and elections office)… It's one of those things that shouldn't have ever happened, but it did."
Harris said he and his other DVRs could not find more than the 16 missing cards.
"At least the good thing is that people who had their receipts were still able to vote," Harris said.
Harris said he had previously wanted to respond to the "threatening" letter McKerley sent to him and other DVRs requesting they turn in any completed cards to avoid penalization.
"I really wanted to, but at the same time… (McKerley) was extremely nice. She handled everything extremely well," Harris said. "I'm glad I hadn't acted on it real quick because I was kind of in the heat of the moment, but I can see where she would send that letter out."
Harris said he still feels the undated, unsigned letter should have been written on a letterhead as it was unprofessional.
Harris said he returned the cards to Tom Green County Elections Administrator Vona McKerley Tuesday and they "fixed" the problems that had occurred. McKerley said she is not pursuing any legal action against the deputy voter registrar who was responsible for turning in the cards.
"If it was an honest mistake, it's an honest mistake," McKerley said.
Harris said he would not reveal the identity of the DVR responsible for unknowingly mishandling the cards.
"We registered people as a group, and we're going to take this coming as a group too," Harris said.
A DVR can be given a Class C misdemeanor if proven he or she unintentionally withheld registration cards more than five days after their completion.
"She had those (cards,) thought it was OK, obviously, but it wasn't," Harris said. "We corrected that and her deputy voter registrar card is actually going to be pulled. She won't be able to do that anymore."
According to Harris, both the DVR and the elections office can share the blame, but the DVR should have known to turn in the cards.
"She (DVR) went to turn them in to a volunteer there and the volunteer was busy with something else and she turned in the itemized list," Harris said. "They took that, signed off and said 'OK, you're good' so she assumed, wrongfully so, that she was okay to go and she took the cards with her."
McKerley said she has yet to locate the log.
According to McKerley, the DVR responsible should have known to turn the cards in as it was a part of the training she received in order to become a deputy voter registrar.
"The only thing you can do is trust the people that you have," Harris said "Honestly, this is, in my opinion, just a mix-up that happened with both (the DVR and elections office)… It's one of those things that shouldn't have ever happened, but it did."
Harris said he and his other DVRs could not find more than the 16 missing cards.
"At least the good thing is that people who had their receipts were still able to vote," Harris said.
Harris said he had previously wanted to respond to the "threatening" letter McKerley sent to him and other DVRs requesting they turn in any completed cards to avoid penalization.
"I really wanted to, but at the same time… (McKerley) was extremely nice. She handled everything extremely well," Harris said. "I'm glad I hadn't acted on it real quick because I was kind of in the heat of the moment, but I can see where she would send that letter out."
Harris said he still feels the undated, unsigned letter should have been written on a letterhead as it was unprofessional.
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