Kerry left off some absentee ballots (in Ohio)

[Gaffey Duck]

http://www.cincypost.com/2004/10/18/absen101804.html



WHAT'S GOING ON? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!?!

[gmoney]

1. Notice how this NEVER happens the OTHER way 'round?

These "accidents" happen over and over again, but never seem to "inadvertently" leave the Republican off the ballot in "a few" areas.

Printing is a bitch because you don't make a mistake once... you make it 10,000 times.

There's not even space for a fuckin' write in.

[Journeyman]

5. Um, actually, Bush & Cheney were left off of a ballot. . .

in a Missouri county just the other week.

www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=890854

[gmoney]

6. my bad!

Maybe it's just in Ohio.

[Journeyman]

7. There does appear to be a lot of crap going on in Ohio.

In Missouri, they reprinted the ballots. I expect they'll do the same in Ohio (but is there time to mail them out then receive them back?).

[ArnoldLayne]

2. Once again Ohio Sec of State Blackwell

crooked as a dogs hind leg as my mother used to say. Also he is Karl Rove's chief Bun Boy.:kick:

[burrowowl]

3. A$$hole's

excuses are BS!
How are they going to rectify this?

[daleo]

4. The results for this county in the election of 2000 and two news articles

George W. Bush, R 197,339 54.46%
Al Gore, D 153,227 42.28%
Ralph Nader, Ind 8,871 2.45%
Harry Browne, L 1,187 0.33%
Pat Buchanan, Ind. 1,042 0.29%
John Hagelin, NL 520 0.14%
Howard Phillips 195 0.05%



Hamilton County balks at voting change

CINCINNATI (AP) Hamilton County is the latest of three large urban Ohio counties defying the statewide order to pick out new electronic machines to replace punch-card voting systems.

The Hamilton County Board of Elections voted Friday against choosing a new system, saying there are still too many questions about the security of electronic touch-pad systems.


Presidential Election at Risk: Ohio's electoral system riddled with flaws
September 20, 2004

Whether Kerry or Bush wins in Ohio may well depend on how many voters are disenfranchised in the state’s three largest counties: Cuyahoga, Franklin and Hamilton. Respectively these three counties contain the Democratically rich big three-C cities Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati. The voter rolls are under unprecedented scrutiny and irregularities abound.

In Hamilton County, home of the Republican Taft family dynasty, the Board of Elections moved some 105,000 voters from active to inactive status within the last four years. By contrast, Franklin County has not moved any voters to inactive status, and doesn’t intend to until 2006 because a computer transfer glitch wiped out federal election voting histories. Matthew Damschroder, Director of the Franklin County Board of Elections, told the Free Press that under law a county “may” cancel a person’s voter registration if that person hasn’t voted in the last two federal elections. But, the counties are not required to do so.

[MIMIC]

8. No probs here

I live in Cleveland (and I'm currently at OSU in Columbus) and I received my absentee ballot in the mail today. Fortunately, my ballot didn't suffer from any inaccuracies.

[loudsue]

9. Hi Mimic! And Welcome to DU!!

I'm glad to hear your ballot was ok! Now, let's get out there and bring Ohio into Kerry's column!!

:hi::toast::beer: Glad you're here!! :hi::party::silly:

:kick::kick:

[MIMIC]

15. Thanks for the warm welcome

I've been lurking for more than 4 months now. LOL. I finally decided to sign-up.

[VolcanoJen]

10. Hilarious quote from the Hamilton County Board of Elections Chairman

From the article:

It's a screw-up," said Tim Burke, chairman of the Hamilton County Board of Elections. "This just feeds the paranoia that's out there. The tragic thing is that even though I think we will have a very fair and accurate count here, this will cause people to question the accuracy of our operation."

"... this will cause people to question the accuracy of our operation." Ya think?!??

According to the Cincinnati Post article, and John Williams, the Hamilton County Board of Elections Director, the inaccurate ballot only went to two voters in Forest Park. If he's right, it's a glitch. But we'll just have to wait and see about that.

[Mel]

11. hey Jen

So, how does that saying go?

"Just because your paranoid it doesn't mean they aren't out to get you"

[maxrandb]

17. I like Pete Townsend's take

"A Paranoic is someone who has a pretty good idea what's going on"

[PhuLoi]

34. What do you call a person in posession of all the facts?

Paranoid.

[KurtNYC]

16. Right! "Question" it?!

Isn't this proof?! The tragedy is not that people will question it, it is that people printing ballots for the most important election of our lives saw fit not to put Bush's opponent on the ballot at all.

[tlcandie]

21. And just why is that a problem or a worry unless you aren't too

sure about the integrity of your office?! :+

[daleo]

27. It is 2, because only 2 have been reported

It is like mad cow disease - I think there have only been 2 cows reported with that as well.

[cmd]

12. Nader was put ON the ballot in Carroll Co. Ohio

The dems on the board of election stepped out of the room for some reason. While they were gone the rep(tiles) put Nader back on the ballot. The ballots were printed and mailed before our local Kerry office heard of it.

[Kukesa]

14. Get. Out. Do you have a link, CMD? This needs attention. n/t

[cmd]

22. No link, this is personal knowledge

In fact, I don't even think a story has been done on it. This is something I need to do something about. I'll let you know where the story stands after work tonight.

[cmd]

36. The issue has been resolved

The ballots with Nader were withdrawn and new ballots sent out. Our volunteer from Rhode Island can take full credit for this. However, there seems to be the same problem in Ross County.

[Child_Of_Isis]

23. My AB had Nader on it. I am in Ohio. n/t

[cmd]

25. What county?

We need to ID every county who sent out absentees with Nader on them.

[Child_Of_Isis]

31. Ross. n/t

[Kukesa]

30. This stinks.

We need to let people know what's going on in Ohio (I live in Dayton).

Do you know if there was a story in your local newspaper about Nader's being on the ballot?

A link of any kind?

Thanks.

[Child_Of_Isis]

33. No. Nothing in the paper that I am aware of.

I think that it was put on before the ruling. My area mails ballots the first week of Oct. They prepare them in the last week of Sept. So they told me.

[callous taoboy]

13. Yes, and I have

forgotten to teach math this year. Can't these idiots get it right, or was this intentional jiggering?
:grr: :grr: :grr: :nuke:

[omshanti]

18. "printing error", my ass! n/t

[tlcandie]

19. Huh?

<snip>
What is especially frustrating, Williams said, is that the mistake actually had been caught by the election board's proof readers. But when a broken copier forced officials to use an old copying machine, the old, mistaken ballot format without Kerry's name accidentally was printed, he said.
<snip>

This makes no sense to me whatsoever as to how the difference of one copier over another could be the issue that caused this problem. Anyone else shed any light on this for me?

:crazy:

EDIT: I just reread this statement again... is he saying they are using copying machines to make these ballots instead of printing presses? :shrug:

[goodboy]

20. this is bullshit. .....kick!!!!!!!!!!! NT

[southernlad]

24. So crazy

This is so darn crazy. It's like in Arkansas the Republican First Lady is helping run in the Polls in Little Rock.

[Nerdling]

28. Terrible

Terrible.

It perplexes me why you cant just use a little X to mark your candidate and then have a separate sheet for the Senate/House etc.

I rely on the faith that those who do not see John Kerry will write his name anyway.

[Eurobabe]

26. a PRINTING ERROR????

Gimme a fuckin break! We weren't born yesterday....

[Supersedeas]

29. Sec. of State Blackwell has some explaining to do -- Accountability

where is the Network media on this issue?

[Artemis Bunyon]

32. This PARTICULAR incident actually looks like an honest mistake.

Read the whole story before freaking out.

Plus, can you imagine the uproar if more than a handful of people got ballots without Kerry's name on them?

I suspect even most Republicans would be furious about that one.

[LisaL]

37. Actually, I think most Republicans would be happy about it.

[DS1]

35. LOL This country fucking sucks

:nopity:

[nomes]

38. Pledge Your Vote, Congress.org

http://congress.org/congressorg/pyv/

Have everyone done this? Right now Bush is ahead.