Republicans say Democrats in two counties are monkeying with absentee ballots

Republicans charge Democrats in Woodbury and Carroll Counties have been calling Republicans, offering to pick up their absentee ballots. Iowa Republican Party chairman Chuck Larson says the G-O-P has hired an out-of-state investigator to probe the case. He says they caution all Iowans to be careful who they give their ballotts to, because if the ballotts don’t get turned in, they lose their vote.Larson says the investigator will review another problem. Larson says Republicans have heard some absentee ballot request forms have born the same signature. Republican Senator Charles Grassley says he’s heard Democrats are using “push polling” telephone calls to voters to give negative information about G-O-P candidates. Iowa Democratic Party chair Sheila McGuire-Riggs says there’s no basis for the allegations. McGuire-Riggs says Democrats are “outraged and disgusted” by the Republican charge that Democrats are engaging in campaign tricks. McGuire-Riggs says both parties have launched get-out-the-vote efforts that promote the use of absentee ballots. McGuire-Riggs says Republicans are just trying to cover up the fact their own absentee ballot initiative isn’t faring as well as the Democrats’. G-O-P chair Larson made today’s vote fraud allegations at Republican Party of Iowa headquarters, where nine boxes with hundreds of absentee ballot request forms sat in a meeting room.