Is the 2004 election over? You might not think so from some of the news you read.
With paper ballots from the 2004 presidential election in Ohio scheduled to be destroyed next week, the secretary of state in Columbus, under pressure from critics, said yesterday that he would move to delay the destruction at least for several months.
Yes. In the middle of the election cycle 2006, with Blackwell running to win the Governor’s seat in Ohio this again is being ‘raised with concerns’ about the election process. All this leads to the 2008 race where Ohio again will be a key state. The Dems would appreciate it if the Republicans don’t retain the seat and are using Gov. Taft’s scandal to undermine support for Ken Blackwell. The problem for Ohio is that Ted Strickland (Blackwell’s opponent) is more like Taft (or is that the other way around) while Blackwell is an actual conservative who talks like a conservative. The others do the talking but don’t do the walking.
So back to the evidence of election fraud. I love how the numbers are used without any context to persuade readers of grand-scale corruption.
In Miami County, in southwestern Ohio, official tallies in one precinct recorded about 550 votes. Ballots and signature books indicated that 450 people voted.
Those unfamiliar with the election process would say…. “Oh my. It really is bad.” But do they mean 550 ballots were used and only 450 voted? So who ditched the ballots they didn’t want counted is the only question one might draw from the above statement. Where they provisionals which get counted at the board of elections? How about soiled and defaced? What system did they used? In Allen County a voter has three ballots to get it right using the optical scan system.
Perhaps the precinct was incompetent. Was it isolated and then who was in charge? Was it a democratic county or republican? Don’t forget that 4 people are at each precinct table… 2 dems and 2 republicans. So how did they get all four to agree to commit fraud?
To many questions and no real information. BUT that was the intent of the article. To raise ‘concerns’ and not answer them. In the meantime Blackwell is to the rescue and issuing an order to look into whether they should destroy the ballots now that they can by Federal law destroy the ballots.
The decision of who decides whether the records will be preserved is quite simply not the secretary’s to make,” said Robert A. Destro, a lawyer for the secretary of state’s office.
Mr. Destro said preservation decisions belonged to the county public records commissions, the county boards of elections and the Ohio Historical Society.
“But by issuing this order,” Mr. Destro added, “the secretary of state will prevent any records from being destroyed for at least several months while this matter is studied more closely.”
In the meantime local election boards will be scrambling to find extra space for the new ballots coming up this November. Fun Fun Fun.
