01-20-2010, 07:19 AM
freeradical wrote:
With a 4.8% margin of victory, what's the point in counting absentee ballots?
Even if every last one of them is a vote for Coakley, it's not going to change the outcome.
In any case, a lot of absentee ballots have probably already been counted if Massachusetts is anything like all of the other states that encourage absentee voting - even if you're going to be in town on election day.
Counting of some absentee ballots is required under Federal law for national offices such as Senator. Especially any from military overseas, even if it will not effect the outcome. As for already having counted them, they are not allowed to open the return envelopes until election day. They also have to verify that each is from a voter who did not end up showing up at the polls and voting there. With officials and election volunteer workers busy taking care of the polls, absentee ballots get counted later.
So, even if it will not change the outcome, they do have to follow proper procedure. And the total number of absentee ballots is not known until they are counted in all towns. The town clerks can not assume they do not matter just because there is a large victory margin in the unofficial counts reported election evening.