Complaint to be lodged against teachers union

Thursday, Aug. 17, 2000 | 10:31 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The schoolteachers union will likely face a complaint from the state's association of county clerks concerning absentee ballot request forms it sent to its members.

The Association of County Clerks and Voter Registrars plans to file a complaint with Secretary of State Dean Heller against the union. The group says the schoolteachers union ignored the law when it mass mailed the absentee ballot request forms to its members.

"They (the union) violated the law," said Carson City Clerk Alan Glover, president of the Nevada Association of County Election Officials.

Clark County Registrar Larry Lomax said the Nevada State Education Association failed to coordinate with his office on the mailing, as required by law. In addition, the teachers union had the wrong address in Las Vegas regarding where to send the request for an absentee ballot.

Because of that, some people who asked for an absentee ballot may not get one in time for this election. "They got our address wrong and our ZIP code wrong," Lomax said. "When people complain (about not receiving their absentee ballot), they will probably blame us."

A 1999 law says anyone who mails absentee ballot request forms to more than 500 voters must meet certain requirements. The form must be one prescribed by the secretary of state and be in 14-point type or larger. And at least 14 days before mailing these forms, the person or organization must notify county clerks or voter registrars.

The law was passed, Glover said, "to avoid the problems of two years ago." Both the Democrats and Republicans sent fliers to their voters advising them to ask for absentee ballots. "They flooded all the clerks and we were not geared up for it," he said.

The notice requirement was put in the law so that the registrars and clerks would be ready for any onslaught of absentee ballots, he said.

The teachers union referred calls to its lobbyist Debbie Cahill, who could not be reached for comment.

Lomax said some of the requests for absentee ballots that were sent to the wrong post office box in Las Vegas have been returned to the voters. But he said his office, when it learned of the problem, has now started to pick up the remaining misaddressed ballot requests.

Glover said the teachers union had the wrong address of the county clerks' office in two other counties. That also could result in some voters not receiving an absentee ballot as requested. The request for an absentee ballot must be received at least one week before the election Sept. 5.