More Voter Suppression News? Or, a Mistake?

I just heard from Council Member Melissa. She and her husband, Rick Noriega, went to vote at Ripley House in the East End this morning. To her surprise, she was told she would not be allowed to vote because she had requested a mail ballot. But, she had not requested a mail ballot. Why not allowed to vote? Once a mail ballot is requested, it's as if you have already voted. You cannot vote in person.

She was there an hour, and after a call to the Republican County Clerk Beverly Kaufman's office, the hold was lifted, and she was allowed to vote.

This incidence gives me cause for concern. I've learned that both Stephen Hotze and Alan Blakemore recently got involved in Gene Locke's campaign for Mayor. Hotze runs a mail ballot program where he sends Republican voters over 65 a piece of mail with inflammatory right wing messages, a sample ballot that is already filled out - and a tear off portion to mail to Beverly Kaufman requesting a mail ballot. His PAC that runs the program - Conservative Republicans of Harris County - is a client of Blakemore. Remember, County Clerk Kaufman has endorsed Gene Locke and did this robo dial for him.

I'm thinking back to the Ed Johnson incident. Check out this from Lonestar Project - Conservative Republicans of Harris County is a client of Johnson's firm - Campaign Data Systems. Johnson was employed in the voter registration department of Harris County, while providing voter data merged with driver's license and other data to Republican clients through his firm. It took me about two seconds to peruse that list and realize Johnson's clients were also Blakemore's clients.

Is what happened here a simple goof, or is there something else going on? We have 10 days until Election Day - plenty of time for dirty tricks.

Note: These questions are mine, not the council member's. Please exercise your right to vote and vote provisionally, if that is your only option. Main message here is: be persistent!