Bexar County Republican Precinct Chair Makes Stupid Statements

Complaining about the need for a voter-verified paper trail, Tim Weste, a Bexar County Precinct Chair showed just how ignorant he was of both the reasoning and the custody of a voter-verified paper trail in the lastest newsletter of the South Texas Republicans:

So what does this mean to us? Journey with me into the future: it is Election Day 2008 and the Democrats have managed to force through legislation that requires a paper trail for each voter.  The Bexar County Democratic Party is, as usual, driving voters to the polls. They take a van full of elderly people to their polling place. As the voters come out to get in the van, they must show their paper receipt as proof of how they voted. Unfortunately, one lady has not voted straight Democrat because she really liked some of the Republican candidates and the Democrats then realize there is not enough room in the van to get her home and now she is going to have to find her own way home.

We also know about the Prado, Tejeda, Uresti, and Rodriguez machines on the south and west sides of town. How much more power will they be given if they now know how the people voted? Will they reward financially or otherwise those who voted for their candidates? Will they punish those who didn’t support their candidates? Some might say that we can prosecute them if they reward or punish based on voting but then the question is how do you prove that is what they did. Some will say we must be willing to take those risks in order for people to be secure in knowing their ballot was cast properly.

First off, the paper trail is supposed to be verified by the voter and maintained by the government body in a “ballot box” in the event of “malfunctions” with the machine. Second, to even put out such garbage is simply some of the trashiest politics I’ve ever seen. This precinct chair needs to be schooled in what a paper trail really is/means.