[1]
Why is it that when I wrote the headline I felt like I was really just stating a known, nearly daily fact?
Since I have been talking endorsements this week in the House 28 race, perhaps the best case made for Speaker William Howell came via a Washington Post editorial and the Democratic Party of Virginia today.
The gist of the editorial [2] is that the speaker is a hypocrite. The Post’s claim is that Howell is disingenuous for asking the State Board of Elections if electronic signatures on absentee ballots are permitted and then actually promoting it on his website (gasp!) because of all the past evil, dastardly GOP attempts to disenfranchise voters at every turn in the General Assembly. Because, you know, voter fraud is a made up problem [3]. (ed note: new link [4])
The DPVA concurs.
“Excuse us if we’re skeptical of Speaker Howell’s newfound passion for voting rights.”
When both the Washington Post and the DPVA think you’re wrong, you must be doing something right.
Postscript: Please see Brian Schoeneman’s excellent post [5] on the SBE absentee ballot law.