Sept. 18, 2010
Campaign 2010 Analysis: Tennant May Have Made a Costly Error
By Huntingtonnews.net Staff
Secretary of State Natalie Tennant is in a pickle. She decided, for whatever reason, to put the special election ballot for U.S. Senate on the standard general election ballot for this November, despite what appears to be a good case that state law requires them to be separate.
She says that she did this to save money, but many Republicans are saying she's trying to help her own Democratic Party, especially Governor Manchin, with this combined ballot with its potential for more straight ticket voting.
Now several county clerks are coming out to say that they warned Tennant not to rush into printing the ballots until greater clarity on this election law in question was settled. Now if a court reverses Tennant's decision, a significant cost will have to be eaten--and all fingers could point at Tennant.
"We don't ask the Secretary of State to do that much in this state," said Jack Ellis, Huntingtonnews.net's chief political analyst. "They run the corporations and administrative law divisions, and they're our chief elections official. Tennant had ample time to get this researched and settled before she went buying printing contracts for the ballots. But no, she had to go ahead for some reason, and in West Virginia, it's not hard for people to think that this reason was politics."
"For example, what if Tennant thought that she had to do something nice for Manchin since she had that earlier squabble with Manchin right after Byrd passed away," said Ellis. "So in her mind, this evens it all up."
"But in the voters' mind, it stinks," said Ellis. "The voters are tired of these people playing Democratic Party games in Charleston, and it's time the Natalie Tennants of the world understand that this is the 21st Century we're in here, not 1930s in Logan County. She should just follow the law, and if she can't handle that, then the court should tell her to step aside. Maybe Ken Hechler could come out of retirement and be a "Special Secretary of State" for this special election."
"If the court's rulling indicates that Natalie Tennant cost the state taxpayers thousands of dollars for hastily trying to help Joe Manchin in his personal quest for the U.S. Senate, you talk about hell to pay," said Ellis. "This state will come unglued."
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Campaign 2010 Analysis: Tennant May Have Made a Costly Error
By Huntingtonnews.net Staff
Secretary of State Natalie Tennant is in a pickle. She decided, for whatever reason, to put the special election ballot for U.S. Senate on the standard general election ballot for this November, despite what appears to be a good case that state law requires them to be separate.
She says that she did this to save money, but many Republicans are saying she's trying to help her own Democratic Party, especially Governor Manchin, with this combined ballot with its potential for more straight ticket voting.
Now several county clerks are coming out to say that they warned Tennant not to rush into printing the ballots until greater clarity on this election law in question was settled. Now if a court reverses Tennant's decision, a significant cost will have to be eaten--and all fingers could point at Tennant.
"We don't ask the Secretary of State to do that much in this state," said Jack Ellis, Huntingtonnews.net's chief political analyst. "They run the corporations and administrative law divisions, and they're our chief elections official. Tennant had ample time to get this researched and settled before she went buying printing contracts for the ballots. But no, she had to go ahead for some reason, and in West Virginia, it's not hard for people to think that this reason was politics."
"For example, what if Tennant thought that she had to do something nice for Manchin since she had that earlier squabble with Manchin right after Byrd passed away," said Ellis. "So in her mind, this evens it all up."
"But in the voters' mind, it stinks," said Ellis. "The voters are tired of these people playing Democratic Party games in Charleston, and it's time the Natalie Tennants of the world understand that this is the 21st Century we're in here, not 1930s in Logan County. She should just follow the law, and if she can't handle that, then the court should tell her to step aside. Maybe Ken Hechler could come out of retirement and be a "Special Secretary of State" for this special election."
"If the court's rulling indicates that Natalie Tennant cost the state taxpayers thousands of dollars for hastily trying to help Joe Manchin in his personal quest for the U.S. Senate, you talk about hell to pay," said Ellis. "This state will come unglued."
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