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Rodne gives voice to
military voters on House floor
The Washington Legislature
put its official stamp of approval today on the state’s gubernatorial
election results, despite the fact there were numerous errors in the way
thousands of votes were cast and counted.
Republicans in the House
of Representatives requested that approval of the election results be
delayed two weeks until evidence of election irregularities can be
addressed. The Democrat-controlled Legislature rejected the idea and
ratified the results on a near party-line vote.
Giving a voice to
Washington military men and women across the world, 5th District
Rep. Jay Rodne
urged lawmakers to do all they can to assure military votes are counted
– including the ones from last November’s election.
While exact numbers are
being sorted out, some have estimated there may be hundreds of military
voters who either never received absentee ballots or received them too
late to return for counting.
“Many have paid the
ultimate price in defense of this right (voting) and many throughout the
world can only dream of the day when they will have the chance to cast a
ballot in a free and fair election,” said Rodne, R-Snoqualmie, in a
speech given on the floor of the House of Representatives.
“Now imagine the
demoralizing impact on that young soldier, sailor, airman or Marine who
learns – through no fault of their own – that their vote was not
counted; that they had no voice in shaping the society that they are
currently risking their lives to defend,” he added.
Tyler Farmer, a Marine who
was wounded in Iraq, didn’t get his ballot until the day after the
recent election. His voice wasn’t heard – and he would have voted for
Dino Rossi.
“Speaking from first-hand experience, our service members abroad need to
feel that they are still connected with the fabric of American society,”
said Rodne.
Rodne, a major in the U.S.
Marine Corps Reserve and second in command of a 1,200-Marine reserve
battalion, has been on missions to Iraq, Kuwait and Somalia.
Washington was the last
state to mail out military absentee ballots. The federal government
expressed concerns about the state’s effort in this regard prior to the
election – to the point of threatening to sue the state. Time has
revealed their concerns were valid.
“Election officials have
said there is no evidence of any ‘widespread’ problems with military
voters. Time will tell if this is true.” said Rodne. “Yet, who defines
‘widespread?’ And does it really need to be widespread when you consider
this governor’s race was determined by a mere 129 votes?
“This is unacceptable to
me and it should be unacceptable to each and every one of us,” said
Rodne. “We have the ability to correct this injustice to ensure that all
voices will be heard and to ensure the legitimacy of the process.”
Rodne, a cum laude
graduate of Gonzaga University School of Law, is also concerned with a
lot of the legal issues surrounding the governor’s race.
“Absentee military ballots
are unfortunately only the tip of the iceberg in a governor’s race that
has been fraught with inconsistencies and problems,” said Rodne. “My
fellow lawmakers and other concerned citizens have articulated these
concerns well and now is the time to address them.”
There is a ground swell of
support for a re-vote as thousands of people, including many who voted
for Christine Gregoire, don’t see the results as legitimate.
“It’s becoming clear that
the only way to address the political cloud that looms over our
governor’s race is to have a re-vote,” said Rodne. “A governor’s
effectiveness is largely based on his or her ability to lead others. A
majority of the people in this state do not see Christine Gregoire as a
legitimate winner and want a re-vote.”
The legislative session
began January 10 and is scheduled to run for 105 days.
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For more information, contact:
John
Handy, Assistant Director: (360) 786-5758
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