[nfbmi-talk] bernstein can't vote

[joe harcz Comcast]

Storm blows chance to vote for lawyer rehabbing in NYC By Mike Martindale The Detroit News Comments . Laid up since a bicycle hit him three months ago,

Richard Bernstein was looking forward to voting today, but Superstorm Sandy has knocked out his chance to cast a ballot. The Birmingham attorney's absentee

ballot was delayed in the mail because of the superstorm, and the Michigan Secretary of State's Office won't issue him another one. I have never missed

voting in 20 years," said Bernstein, 38, who has been recovering in New York since Aug. 13, when a bicyclist slammed into him in Central Park, shattering

several of his bones. It's stupid and it's dumb. But there is nothing I can do about it. It's been quite a year: the accident; Hurricane Sandy; now, I'm

being told I can't vote. Sometimes, you have to just keep on trucking. Bernstein is no stranger to adversity or pain. He's run 17 marathons and toughed

out the Iron Man competition - a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bicycle ride and a 26.2-mile run - in Hawaii. He was training for this year's New York City Marathon

- which was canceled because of Sandy's destruction - when life threw another obstacle his way. He spent nine and a half weeks in a hospital and is still

learning how to walk again. What irks Bernstein about the election is that he filed for his absentee ballot as soon as he knew where he'd be staying after

getting out of the hospital last month. For now, home is the 31st floor of a Manhattan hotel. I met all the filing dates, it's just caught up in the system

somewhere," he said. If it was up to the Birmingham City Clerk, I could have printed out a ballot, filled it out with a witness - like I do back in Birmingham

- and Fed-Exed it in. But the (Michigan) Secretary of State's Office won't permit it. Secretary of State spokesman Fred Woodhams said despite the unusual

circumstances on the East Coast, there is nothing the office could do. Absentee ballots were mailed out Sept. 22 and persons planning to vote absentee

are encouraged to apply as soon as possible," said Woodhams. Special arrangements are sometimes made for voters serving overseas in the military, but he

doesn't qualify for that. Woodhams said he doesn't know how many absentee ballots from Michigan might be affected by Superstorm Sandy because ballots are

sent out and returned to clerks at a voter's community of residence. He said 1.2 million absentee ballots have been issued in Michigan and as of Monday,

"1 million have been returned. Bernstein remains optimistic. He is taking his rehab "one day at a time," hoping his pain lessens in the near future. His

goal is to run the New York City Marathon next November. It's been one rough year," he said. I guess this is just another part of it. mmartindale at detroitnews.com

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