Battles over ballots
From the AP this morning
CLEVELAND – A coalition suing to throw out Ohio’s new rules governing voter registration drives is set to make its case before a federal judge.
U.S. District Judge Kathleen O’Malley set a hearing on the lawsuit for Friday morning. She ruled Thursday that state Democratic lawmakers could join the challenge.
Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, Ohio’s chief elections officer and the Republican candidate for governor in the Nov. 7 election, predicted the courts would let the new rules stand.
Meanwhile, Jon Craig reports on a the fight over the 2004 presidential election - yes the one from two years ago - still going on...
Here's the story in today's Enquirer
8 Comments:
at 3:00 PM, September 01, 2006 
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at 6:33 PM, September 01, 2006 
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at 7:26 PM, September 01, 2006 
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at 9:59 PM, September 01, 2006 
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at 9:50 AM, September 02, 2006 
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at 3:44 PM, September 02, 2006 
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at 4:37 PM, September 04, 2006 
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at 9:51 PM, September 06, 2006 
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Post a Comment*A very good article--more proof that an official criminal inquiry into the 2004 Election in Ohio
is needed.
There are too many stories and statistical discrepancies across the state not to warrant an investigation. And, as Dick Morris of Fox News said on-air at the time, exit polls are never wrong. In fact, exit polls are used in third-world countries to
PREVENT election fraud.
Wednesday morning after the election, CNN's exit poll showed Kerry beating Bush among Ohio women by 53 percent to 47 percent. Kerry also defeated Bush among Ohio's male voters 51 percent to 49 percent. Unless a third gender voted in Ohio, Kerry took the state.
The proof is in the ballots. Ohioans must now allow them to be destroyed. No democracy dies without consent of the people.
No Carl(not)Wieser,
It's not the same law suit from two years ago, it's a new civil rights lawsuit. There is new evidence, new plantiffs and it isn't about who won the election. It's about different treatment for different people.
4 hour waits and longer in African American precincts. Different standards in counting provisional ballots. Discrepencies between the officail count and voter registries.
Instead of pretending to know all the answers because you asked Ken Blackwell if there was conspiracy and he said no, maybe you should look at the evidence that's been collected by real investigative reporters.
Why don't you ask Ken why he told the New York Times he would protect the ballots and told the Enquirer something else?
(Who really cares, it's only democracy)
If there's nothing to hide then save the ballots for the historical record. If there is something to hide then hurry up and burn them.
when are the Democrats, Independents and fair-minded Republicans going to demand that Ken Blackwell not be allowed to both run for one office and still control the entire vote of the state - from another office?
This is insane - and if he manipulated once - why not twice - when he will then become the Governor of Ohio - and control and manipulate even more - now - and in '08!
Yes, notice how Kenny issued an 11th hour directive to counties today saying it's "up to them" to decide what to do with the public records. Way to duck your responsibility, Blackwell. Either direct or recuse, but don't abuse.
If you read the original N.Y. Times article closely, you'll notice it quotes unnamed lawyers for Blackwell. No wimpy SOS official quoted by name. Did Ken leak that story to the Times for some self-serving publicity while preempting Thursday's lawsuit??? Way to stay independent, Kenny.
Jennifer Brunner Applauds Judge’s Decision Halting Enforcement of Punitive Voter Registration
September 1, 2006 – Columbus, OH – Jennifer Brunner, Democratic candidate for Ohio Secretary of State, applauded the decision of U.S. District Judge Kathleen O’Malley rendered from the bench today in Cleveland, Ohio. Judge O’Malley granted a preliminary injunction to halt the enforcement of punitive voter registration rules adopted by Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell over strenuous opposition, that;
Penalize voter registrars with felony sanctions who fail to personally turn in voter registration forms they circulated, Require paid voter registrars to complete online training through the Secretary of State’s website, Require paid voter registrars to list their name and their employer’s name and address.
In her ruling, Judge O’Malley also ordered Blackwell to remove from his website the online training program ruled unenforceable by her order, unless he modifies the website to eliminate warnings about penalties and failure to take the training. Judge O’Malley’s decision is effective immediately, and a written decision containing her orders is expected next week.
Brunner said, “This is a clear victory for voter registration groups who perform an important function in making our democracy accessible to all citizens. The timing is essential with just over a month to the close of registration before the November election.”
Columbus Attorney Larry James, representing Ohio Secretary of State Blackwell, said the Secretary would not be appealing the court’s decision. In such an instance, it is likely the matter will be settled without going to trial, leaving voter registration groups in a position to move ahead to register voters unhindered by the threat of criminal prosecution.
The rules at issue resulted from the passage of House Bill 3 in late January. Secretary of State Ken Blackwell submitted rules for legislative approval in June that were soundly and vocally criticized by voter registration advocates. The rules impermissibly narrowed the operation of the law to criminally penalize individual voter registrars who failed to personally turn in completed voter registration forms. The rules were adopted with one of the chief architects of H.B. 3, Senator Jeff Jacobson, substituting in for another legislator in voting for the rules.
Until Judge O’Malley’s decision, the rules effectively chilled voter registration efforts of organizations, leaving them unable to perform quality checks before registrars turned in their forms. Many voter registration groups stopped operating voter registration drives for fear that their registrars would be subjected to felony prosecution. The felony penalties for failing to turn in their own forms applied to both paid and unpaid voter registrars.
Jennifer Brunner, a former Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge, is uniquely qualified and credentialed to become Ohio ’ s next Secretary of State. With her service as Legislative Counsel for the Secretary of State ’ s Office, 13 years of election law private practice experience; including serving as a special prosecutor for election fraud, and making tough decisions as a Judge, she has clearly demonstrated her ability and desire to be Ohio ’ s top elections official.
The Enquirer failed to fully investigate Warren County in '04.
Nowhere on the punch cards in Warren County is the precinct
identified by punch code, and nowhere on the front of the punch cards is the precinct identified in writing.
According to Dave Keeler, President of Dayton Legal Blank, Inc., which prints ballots for 70 of 88 counties in Ohio, the precinct must be printed
on the back of each punch card ballot, by law.
If ballots from one precinct are shifted to another precinct and tabulated as if they are from that precinct, mandatory candidate ballot rotation by precinct dictates that a true vote for candidate A becomes a fraudulently counted vote for candidate B.
Here are photographs of Warren County ballots where you can clearly see that the precinct is not identified:
http://www.freepress.org/images/columns/Ballots.pdf
The Enquirer do a full investigation? Haaah! That's a good one.
I have a feeling the Enquirer reporters are ignorant of not only how ballots are tabulated but also software. For instance I doubt they know what an if then statement is.
For instance, if this tabulation program encounters a ballot with an impossible sequence of punchs
then this program shall count every fifth vote for candidate A as if it is a vote for candidate B
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