Huckleberries Online

Hucks: Vote Nitpicking Goes Global

Posted by DFO

Dec. 7, 2009 9:37 a.m. • 10 comments

The matter has been lost in the local blogosphere. Until now. Before Christmas, Larry Spencer challenged the right of Army Sgt. Maj. Gregory A. Proft to vote in the local elections, based on residency. And Proft fired back in a Coeur d’Alene Press comment below a Spencer letter to the editor. The key sentences are these: “It sounds like since Larry doesn’t like the results of the election, my right to cast a ballot should be cast aside, thrown out because I am not physically present in the state in which I vote. I bet Larry would not grant me a pass on the property taxes I paid on my house while I was fighting in Baquobah, Ramadi and Baghdad while he was doing whatever it is he does in Spirit Lake.” Concludes Sgt. Maj. Proft: “Instead of challenging the legitimacy of my ballot, Larry ought to be offering to buy me a beer when I return for going out of my way to participate in the democratic process.” If Spencer doesn’t offer to buy the beer, I’m sure many others will/DFO, Huckleberries. More of Sunday’s Huckleberries column here.

Question: How long do you think it’ll take Jim Brannon’s challenge to the 2009 City Council elections to play out in the courts?

10 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

nic on December 07 at 9:58 a.m.
They’ll drag it out for as long as they can.
Arpie on December 07 at 10:36 a.m.
It’ll be over soon. No one will come up with the money to post the bond.
Charlie on December 07 at 11:11 a.m.
When the judge says,”The bond will be $–—,” then the sniping will continue over at Opencda. Pee or get off the pot, my french for the day. ;-)
Phaedrus on December 07 at 12:53 p.m.
Charlie and Arpie get this one correct.
Sisyphus on December 07 at 1:03 p.m.
Any news on the DQ? So far that’s the holdup. Judges have wide and complete discretion on discovery. Which means they’ll wanna see what the issues are. And they need to know that for determining the bond amount which I still think is outcome determinative. But first and foremost they need a judge.

No action in the repository except the issuance of summons. There is no mention of a Motion to DQ either.

https://www.idcourts.us/repository/partySearch.do
OrangeTV on December 07 at 1:19 p.m.
>>Any news on the DQ?

Sis, last I heard they were having a sale on the Chicken Strips as well as the Dilly Bars…
nic on December 07 at 1:40 p.m.
“No one will come up with the money to post the bond.”

Looks like there was a bond ($500) and it was paid in cash on 11/30. No idea who paid it, although Starr Kelso paid the $88 filing fee. As for Judge Mitchell recusing himself, that allegation is not yet reflected on the Idaho Repository’s case history. As far as the public record is concerned, Judge Mitchell is still presiding over this case.

Like Sis mentioned, summons have been issued. My favorite: “11/30/2009 Summons Issued - Kootenai County.” So, does this mean that any Koot Co resident can show up?
Sisyphus on December 07 at 1:43 p.m.
LOL Orange. Not to mix threads but I could so see Sarah Palin roller skating up to my car. Or was that A&W?
JBelle on December 08 at 5:58 a.m.
Until he or Starr Kelso runs out of money.
spokelooneh on December 08 at 11:43 a.m.
“How long do you think it’ll take Jim Brannon’s challenge to the 2009 City Council elections to play out in the courts?”

Four to six months at District Court, who knows how long on appeal.

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About this blog

D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.