Gant's Lawyer Admitted That Gant Has Discretion With HAVA

So much to talk about and so little time.  Stace Nelson is going to formally announce his campaign fist fight with Mike Rounds to represent the GOP in the Senate race.  Pat Powers MC is sad that teachers won't be walking around with loaded guns.  Did I mention Stace Nelson is running?

With inservice and Turner County Fair (the four best days of summer) rolling around, it is important to focus on what everyone is not reading about.

Jason Gant knows that he can use HAVA to improve elections; at least according to his lawyer.

Frankenstein said that in negotiations on her side, she persuaded the secretary of state to change what she termed “internal policies” and release South Dakota’s HAVA money for the satellite office in Shannon County, which overlaps much of Pine Ridge. He could do this, she said, because in May 2008, South Dakota had completed HAVA’s initial requirement to modernize elections with up-to-date voting machines and the like. 

From then on, Frankenstein said, the state was free to spend its federal HAVA appropriation on additional ways to improve elections, including satellite offices.Brooks v. Ganttestimony and court documents confirm this. In Judge Schreier’s opinion, she noted that Shannon County residents had “minimal” early-voting access until Brooks v. Gant was filed.

But I am sure one of the real reasons that Gant keeps misleading the South Dakota public and the elections is because as an expert testified in the Brooks et. al v. Gant, early voting greatly increases voter turnout.

Early in-person voting has been observed to stimulate participation, and is clearly supported by voters.  It has also been observed to more accurate vote counting by election officials.  As a result, election officials are generally strong advocates of early voting, and the process has been supported by the National Conference of State Legislatures and the National Association of Secretaries of State....

To summarize, early voting has substantive, procedural, psychological benefits to voting in the United States. 

Once again, Gant should have paid attention to a lawsuit that had his name on it.

UPDATE: My apologies to Pat Powers.  He did not write the entry on DWC.  I need to make sure I look for guest bloggers.