True to form

News Hits is mighty concerned about the upcoming election, and not just because there is a distinct possibility that the born-again zealot running this country may continue his reign. News Hits fears that the city of Detroit is failing to get voter registration forms in the hands of those eligible to vote.

Carol Weisfeld, a community activist and Detroit resident, says she attempted to obtain voter registration forms from the Detroit elections office in the New Center area for the past six weeks. She hoped to register students at Wayne State University, where she works. But Weisfeld, who visited the elections office twice and called once, says she was told no forms were available.

News Hits contacted the Detroit elections office last week and inquired about the forms. We were told none were available.

News Hits, ever paranoid, immediately suspected a sinister Republican plot might be afoot. Was the Republican-controlled Secretary of State’s office trying to prevent inner-city folks (aka minorities and Democrats) from voting?

We called Republican-heavy cities and counties to learn that they keep no forms on hand, and instead download them from the Michigan Secretary of State Web site on an as-needed basis. They tell citizens to do the same.

Too bad no one at the Detroit elections office told Weisfeld to do this. It is also unfortunate that the elections office didn’t download some to pass out to folks like Weisfeld.

Detroit elections office deputy director Isa Azzouz said they did indeed have registration forms — 20,000 in all. But he warned that they are the old forms and that new ones are on order from the Secretary of State. Well, why didn’t anyone tell Weisfeld this and provide her with the old forms, which the Secretary of State’s office says are still usable? Azzouz didn’t know.

Weisfeld picked up 50 of the forms this week. You can download voter registration forms at: michigan.gov/sos.

News Hits must conclude evil Republican conspirators aren’t responsible this time. Bureaucratic incompetence is the only culprit we could find.