National Republicans: Guilty Until Proven Innocent

Last week, the National Republican Congressional Committee sent out 3 glossy mailers to 6th Congressional District voters claiming that Patty Wetterling didn't vote in the last 3 elections. One mailer says, "Warning: Patty Wetterling failed to vote in 3 elections since 2000. (Minnesota Secretary of State, Voter History 2000, 2002, 2004)." Another says, "Liberal Patty Wetterling failed to vote in 3 elections." Still another says, "Even though liberal Patty Wetterling failed to vote in the 2000, 2002, and 2004 elections..."

A press release by the Wetterling campaign on Tuesday defended Wetterling's voting record: "They're trying to say that I didn't vote for myself in '04," says Wetterling, "I think the 6th District knows better than to believe that."

"If Republicans had checked the voting records, they would have seen that Patty voted in the 2004 general and primary elections, and the 2002 and 2000 general elections," Wetterling campaign manager Corey Day said in the release.

That Wetterling didn't vote in two elections, the 2000 and 2002 primary elections, is correct. Although, 84% of her fellow Minnesotans missed the primary vote this year, 81.5% of Minnesotans 'failed to vote' in 2002, and 78% of Minnesotans 'failed to vote' in 2000.

Day says Wetterling voted in the "presidential preference ballot," the 2004 vote that the NRCC claims Wetterling "failed." According to the AP: "But that's because there are no official voting records on anyone from that ballot, which was conducted by the political parties at precinct caucuses, said Kent Kaiser, a spokesman for the secretary of state's office. News reports said scrap paper and Post-It notes were used as ballots in some busy precincts."

Eric Black at the Big Question provides some context for that vote as well: "In 2004, if you recall, the DFL did an experiment in which, at the March precinct caucuses, attendees had an opportunity to vote in a non-binding straw poll. There are no public records on who voted."

But the NRCC is leaving it up to Patty to prove the unprovable: that she voted in a "presidential preference ballot" that didn't record people's votes. They told the AP: "If Patty Wetterling wants to produce documentation showing that she did in fact vote in the 2004 presidential preference ballot, then we will take a look at it," NRCC Press Secretary Jonathan Collegio said.

The National Republican Congressional Committee spent almost $96,000 on a mailing service the week leading up to the mailing according to FEC filings.