Caroline Kennedy missed voting in several elections
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NEW YORK - Caroline Kennedy, who is seeking to succeed Senator Hillary Clinton, has not voted in a number of elections, including at least one race for the job she's seeking.
The Democrat registered at her current address on Manhattan's Upper East Side in 1988. According to city Board of Elections records, she missed Democratic mayoral primaries in 1989, 1993, 1997, and 2005.
She also missed the 2002 gubernatorial primary and general election, when Democrat H. Carl McCall lost to Republican incumbent George Pataki.
She skipped the 1994 general election, when Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan was running for reelection for the same seat she hopes to take over if Clinton is confirmed as secretary of state.
Kennedy has been working to shore up support to convince Governor David Paterson she's best qualified for appointment to the Senate.
Her spokesman, Stefan Friedman, said yesterday that Kennedy "recognizes just how important it is to vote and has a very strong record of going to the polls."
He added, "She has not voted on a handful of occasions over the last two decades."
Kennedy, the daughter of President Kennedy, did vote in this year's primary and general elections. She voted in the presidential elections of 2000 and 2004.
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The Lincoln Memorial is heavy with symbolism for Obama, who will arrive on its steps on Jan. 18 following a train ride that traces Lincoln's inaugural path from Philadelphia to Washington.
The memorial is also where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech, and the event comes a day before the nation celebrates the King holiday on Jan. 19. The inauguration is on Jan. 20.
Bill Clinton and George W. Bush also used the Lincoln Memorial for inaugural events, but the building may have more resonance for Obama. When construction was completed in 1922, the crowd at its dedication was largely segregated.
The Lincoln Memorial event will be free and open to the public.
The King holiday will be devoted to a call to service, with Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden volunteering in the Washington area.
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Franken opened up a slight lead by the end of the fourth day of a state Canvassing Board meeting to decide the fate of hundreds of disputed ballots.
The change was notable because Coleman led Franken in election night returns and also held a 188-vote lead before the board took up challenged ballots. But its significance was limited, with the possibility the lead could change again before the long recount ends.
The state Canvassing Board wrapped up work yesterday in the phase of the recount that resolves disputed ballots. Franken led by 262 votes.
Coleman and Franken are waiting to see how much they gain from some 5,000 challenges that they withdrew, and the board won't allocate those until Monday. The outcome of the recount also depends on an estimated 1,600 absentee ballots that were improperly rejected. The state Supreme Court ruled Thursday that those ballots must be counted.
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