Republicans defend ballots

Monroe County Republican Chairman Martin Stephens denounced local Democrats for their attempts to "intimidate and disenfranchise" student voters at a press conference Thursday at City Hall.\nStephens called the press conference in response to questions of legitimacy Democratic City Clerk candidate Regina Moore made concerning 216 student requests for absentee ballots.\nRecently, members of Acacia, Phi Gamma Delta, Alpha Chi Omega, Chi Phi and Delta Gamma requested absentee ballots to vote in the upcoming election, claiming they are scheduled to work from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. on election day, therefore preventing them from voting. \nHowever, Moore and other Democrats raised concerns when they became aware that all 216 absentee ballot applications were submitted due to reasons of work-related conflicts. Because the ballot requests were all made for the same reason and came from the same houses on campus, Democrats said they plan to challenge the students' absentee ballots, which could delay the election results.\nBut Stephens said Moore's opposition to the absentee ballots violates the voters' constitutional right to request absentee ballots and argued their motives should not be questioned.\n"In all my years of involvement in the election process, I have never heard of anyone questioning the motives of a legally registered voter in his or her request for an absentee ballot," Stephens said. \nDan O'Neill, IU College Democrats vice president, said he has serious doubts about the process in which the absentee ballots were filed and believes election laws have been broken. O'Neill said it appears as if one group connived students into thinking they could vote without having to show up on election day. \n"The claim that all 216 students have to work 12 hours on election day is simply a lie," O'Neill said. "That's purgatory. The proper laws need to be enforced."\nStephens, on the other hand, expressed strong concern in what he believes is an attack on student voters by Democrats. Stephens said he believes the reason Moore is singling out student voters is because she is afraid the students will cast their votes for her competitor: Matt Stevenson, a Republican and IU junior.\n"I am deeply troubled by the organized, partisan attack on student voters that is being perpetrated by the Democratic Party," Stephens said. "It is a desperate attempt to protect Regina Moore by disenfranchising voters."\nSenior Angel Rivera, president of the IU Republicans, said the Democrats' lack of concern for college students over the years has led college students to become more involved politically and stand up to the Democrats. Rivera said the students who requested absentee ballots have done nothing illegal.\n"(The Democrats) have had political control of the city for many years, and they have done nothing for students but hamper our lives," Rivera said.\nMoore said her threats of challenging the absentee ballots were not an attempt to steer students away from voting.\nBut despite that not all students will be able to vote due to conflicts, O'Neill said that is no reason to start bending the rules.\n"Election laws are there to protect us," he said. "If we let this slide, where does it end? We can't let people cheat and get away with it."\n-- Contact senior writer Colin Kearns at cmkearns@indiana.edu.