Elections Supervisor Caroline Fawkes Sunday night suspended early voting on St. Croix, which began Tuesday, following the V.I. Supreme Court order Friday that Sen. Alicia "Chucky" Hansen be removed from the ballot.
The decision to suspend early voting was announced in a news release Sunday night.
Fawkes said she took the action "pursuant to her authority under Act 7643 and in compliance with the Court Order … ordering that Supervisor Fawkes remove candidate Alicia “Chucky” Hansen’s name from the 2014 General Election ballot."
The news release refers only to early voting on St. Croix, suggesting St. Thomas and St. John early voting are unaffected. It says that early voti9ng on St. Croix has been suspended "until further notice," suggesting it could be resumed. It also makes no mention of what would be done with ballots already cast.
Earlier Sunday the Elections Office announced there would be a n emergency meeting of the V.I. Joint Board of Elections at 10 a.m. Monday at Gertrude’s Restaurant on St. Croix. (The meeting agenda can be seen here.)
The court’s decision (See related link, below) ordering Hansen’s name removed from the ballot is the latest in a long series of court action over the senator’s candidacy. Hansen’s name has been ordered on and off the ballot repeatedly seesaw battle with St. Croix Elections Board Chairman Adelbert Bryan.
VI Watchdog
John dejongh vetoed the early voting-Shooptronic bill earlier this year. There is no law in the VI allowing early voting. This process came up with no announcement whatsoever. Nevertheless, consider these thoughts:
1. Voters were led to believe early voting would be accomplished on the DS200 system. Meaning, they complete their ballot in secret and private, maintain custody of the ballot to insert into the scanner, review the display and cast, change or are notified the ballot is spoiled. From beginning to end they have physical knowledge of the ballot in secret and private as mandated by federal law (HAVA).
2. Prior to use of the DS200 it is to be tested and certified as having passed testing within 10 days of the election. Not done. If done, then the issue with the party symbol would have been apparent and the process halted. The DS 200 is in effect “neutralized.”
3. Notice to the public and the media regarding testing is to occur no later than 48 hours of the testing. Angel Bolques sent the STT notice out 24 hours prior to “testing.”
4. What is occurring now is Plan B. That is, the arbitrary decision to treat the ballots as a stand alone paper ballot. Voters complete the ballot and the ballot is detoured into a receptacle. Chain of custody is broken and election officials pick up where the voter left off. No benefit of the DS200.
Thus, they now become the proxy for the voter, determine voter intent and disenfranchise the voter. The vote becomes known to the third party, no verification of the ballot by the voter occurs, no independent check and balance is created via an audit trail. If the ballot is learned to be spoiled then no opportunity by the voter to correct.
So, why test the DS 200’s in the first place? To make sure the ballots are secure within the unit?
All of this defies federal HAVA mandates, local laws and was done without an official convening of the boards with public notice to establish Plan B.
Remember, VIC 18, Section 6 strictly prohibits changes to our election laws and processes within 6 months of an election by the Legislature. Changes can ONLY occur via a court order from a court of competent jurisdiction.
“Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary” is not an option. Early voting was vetoed twice by deJongh.
Once in May and recently. He quoted/paraphrased VIC 18, Section 6 both times therefore confirming that law.
Conclusion: all the early ballots should be destroyed. Those voters should be given a second chance.
caribbeantongue
What happens if a voter is unable or unwilling to vote a second time? Thanks to the mad man o n STX BOE, the election system is in chaos. We like it so! This confusion will continue as long as that crazy man is in office. He killed his son and got away with murder. My fear is he will kill again if any one tries to bring the system to normalcy. Be is desparetly trying to destroy Sen. Hansen’s career but he just becoming more frustrated. The people love Chucky because of her fighting spirit. Mad Bert has followers that are blind to his evilness. It is so sad that he is unwillinging to accept defeat. The people have not pardoned him for viciously shooting his son like a dog. Chucky is no saint either but she has buffered enough. She is paying her taxes now and have not stain her record by commiting another crime. On the other hand, the sicko on the BOE persists in violating election laws, acting improper and never expressing remorse for ending the life of his wife’s only male child. He committed adultery and the son that was produced by infidelity was also killed by bullets. Life is a cycle! If you live by the sword, you die by it! Digging a grave for someone? Dig one for yourself. Karma is a *itch!
Most places other than the Virgin Islands would have neither of these people in a position of power.
The fact remains that she was 3 times convicted of fraud and tax evasion and never should have been elected to serve in the legislature, after her convictions.
She was not eligible to be on the ballot then and is not now. Chucky has the wool pulled over your eyes and has gone to great lengths and colluded with many to get back on the ballot, to no avail with the rendering of the Supreme court’s decision.I am not a Bert Bryan fan but I have to applaud his tenacity in this instance as well as the great job his attorney did.
A society of sheep will in time beget a government of wolves.
That’s what we’ve got right now!
VI Watchdog
I understand why you want to change the subject from Chucky to Bert. But maligning citizens does not change the facts. The early voting is illegal. It needed to stop for reasons of malfunction, not for Chucky reasons.
And be careful you are committing slander. The defense of oneself against an armed son with a long police record after numerous police reports of death threats. Bert Bryan was never charged or convicted of a crime of moral turpitude. Chucky was charged with numerous crimes of moral turpitude, including fraudulent conflict of interest, felony tax evasion, and pled guilty to one. And if fake college degrees are a felony, she is guilty of that too.