Another election mistake surfaces - Pinellas Again!

[DoYouEverWonder]

Pinellas' elections supervisor reported that a county charter amendment

Published December 4, 2004

Pinellas elections office knew soon after Election Day of a discrepancy in vote totals on a statewide slot machine initiative, but they didn't fully investigate for two weeks.

By then, it was too late to correct the mistake.

On Friday, as details of the case became known, yet another mistake was revealed.

Elections Supervisor Deborah Clark gave the state the wrong results of a Pinellas County charter amendment, reporting that voters approved it rather than rejected it, the St. Petersburg Times learned.

Clark accepted responsibility and said she would do "whatever it takes" to restore confidence in her office.

<snip>

In the closely contested 2000 presidential election, the office neglected to count 1,400 ballots and counted more than 900 ballots twice. In 2001, her office misplaced six absentee ballots in a Tarpon Springs election. In 2002, she gave voters the wrong ballots in a Lealman election. A month ago, her office lost track of 280 ballots that were not counted until it was too late.

Clark said at one point she considered the latest troubles clerical errors that could be fixed without telling the canvassing board.


http://www.sptimes.com/2004/12/04/Tampabay/Another_election_mist.shtml


Why isn't this gal being charged with election fraud? She was going to try to fix the latest problem and not bother to tell anyone? Excuse me?

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. LOL, here's the funny part

Gov. Jeb Bush, saying he didn't have enough information, declined to comment on Clark's actions. He said he wants lawmakers to amend state law so similar errors in state records could be corrected.

"If you know there has been a mistake ... there ought to be a chance for an asterisk at least," Bush said. "What would happen if the difference changed the results? It would be a big-time lawsuit and a legitimate one. I don't think the law would have been held up."


Hey, Jeb be careful what you wish for.

[teryang]

2. So called mistakes in Pinellas in 2000 were deliberate

Poll workers in my precinct tried to defraud me of my vote and intimidate me from voting.

[flyarm]

3. i am from pinellas!!

this woman is corrupt!! we all know this election was stolen from us..there was almost nothing being done by repugs here..and kerry stuff was everywhere...i was a delegate, and a poll watcher for both the priamry and 2 weeks early voting and the general...i can assure you during early when stuff could be handed out to those in long 2-3 hr waits..the majority i saw was for kerry and a vast majority.,kerrys people were handing out fans with kerry/edwards on them, buttons..that said i voted early w/kerry/edwards on them and t-shirts..well i was inside watching and i will tell you i would go home nightly exuberant...as what i saw was 8-9 out of then voters with the kerry stuff in their hands...i was convinced it was going to be a kerry landslide!! and in 2 weeks of early vote..i saw nothing to make me think otherwise!!
and i was a pollwatcher at large..so i moved to 3 different soe offices to poll watch..
the last couple days of early vote..the repugs had a pollwatcher and he never came inside to sit and watch he was just working the lines trying to intimidate voters..i had to call a lawyer there several times to get the jerk to stop his nasty behavior..i saw one religous type who was telling a indigent man how to vote on an absentee ballot,..and i stopped him...
there is no way in gods green earth bush won here...and yet or dear ms clark certified bush won by approx 155 votes..well i say infatically..hog wash!!
i know the sec chairwoman who was there with her husband when the missing box of absentee votes were counted..a media camera man was filming it..well when our chairwomans husband motioned with his finger for herd.clark to please move so they could get it on film through a window..ms clark came out and went off on the man and told him to never use his finger at her...well i would like to use more than my finger on the lying sack of..----...fly

[martinolich]

4. ...Did you report this to the Kerry people or..

anyone you thought could do something...Your experiences are outrageous!..This must all be confronted, exposed and stopped!!

[Dr.Phool]

5. Wouldn't that be admiting a mistake

After all, Clark is a Jeb Bush appointee. I listened to this lying sack of shit at a Pinellas DEC meeting when she was talking about the wonders of the new voting machines.

Before the primaries, a friend of mine saw voting machines stacked in the womens restroom 6 days before the election, in a Pinellas church.

Maybe things will change for the better. Congratulations to Carrie Wadlinger for being elected Pinellas DEC chair. You've got a good woman down there (I live in Pasco)

[flyarm]

7. YES WE DOOOO!!!

CARRIE IS JUST WHAT WE NEED!!!

AND TO PREVIOUS POSTER YES WE /I DID TELL THE KERRY PEOPLE, IN FACT I TURNED MY REPORT INTO THE KERRY PEOPLE..NOW I WISH I HADN'T , I WOULD HAVE THE RECORDS TO CHECK AGAINST..I TURNED THEM IN THE NIGHT OF ELECTION!

AND PRIOR TO PRIMARY A DEM WENT TO TURN IN REGISTRATIONS TO SOE OFFICE IN ST PETE, ON A SATURDAY AFTERNOON..DURING EARLY PRIMARY VOTING ONLY TO FIND THE DOOR OPEN AND UNLOCKED WITH THE VOTING MACHINES PEOPLE HAD VOTED ON AND THE ABSENTEE BALLOTS IN OFFICE..ANYONE COULD HAVE ACCESSED THE INSIDE OF THE BUILDING..NO ONE WAS THERE AND THEY WERE CLOSED FOR THE WEEKEND..I THOUGHT AT THE TIME ..IS THIS A TEST??
I CAN TELL YOU I SURE DO NOT TRUST THIS EARLY VOTE..ITS LIKE LEAVING THE FOX IN THE HEN HOUSE...HOW DO WE KNOW THOSE VOTES WEREN'T TAMPERED WITH..HECK THEY HAD TWO WEEKS TO DO IT!! WITH NO ONE OVERSEEING THOSE VOTES!! FLY

[DoYouEverWonder]

8. I heard that the REP were very interested

in the inactive voter rolls and were very agressive in sending absentee ballots to people, whether they asked for them or not.

I think this is where they fixed the vote.

[bj2110]

6. Ummm... so the only reason that we know about this is because...

the St. Pete Times called her on it? These votes were certified with a 17,000 discrepancy? How many other races or counties have similar problems that the SoE just hasn't bothered to make public? Or even find, for that matter?

[KaryninMiami]

9. Slot machines- Voting Machines....hmmm

Think it's an accident that the slot machine referendum passed at the last moment here in Florida after they suddenly "discovered" thousands of votes that hadn't been counted? Don't they now have to address the fact that the number of votes discovered in Pinellas County might be enough to surpass the number that mysteriously appeared just after election day?

Fraud in Florida? Not here in Jeb's state. That only happens in places like the Ukraine right and THEY GET TO HAVE ANOTHER ELECTION.

I don't know about you guys but I am ready to take to the streets. Enough is enough.

[floridadem30]

10. Great article.

[soup]

11. Livid. Absolutely livid.

Having just finished reading the article, I need to calm down before I can be even semi-coherent. Going to post a few preliminary notes, make a fresh pot of coffee, and take a few deep breaths.

Can we get a collection of Pinellas County's 'honest errors' threads compiled here? - including the one that was put up yesterday by DUer 'sled'? I've got a bunch of articles saved that I can go through and post them in a group.

We've GOT to do something about this!

What?

This can't be tolerated. She apologizes and all is forgiven? again and again and again and again?

Is it only - oh, my God, I just said ONLY - this one charter amendment that the wrong results were certified?

Sorry, I'm yelling. Need to calm down.

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Pinellas Charter Amendment #4
Change in duties of the county administrator

Subject to the provisions of the County civil service plan, shall Article IV, sec. 4.01(c)(3), be amended to change the duties of the County Administrator by increasing his or her discretion to terminate from employment any employees of the Board of County Commissioners, with or without cause, without the confirmation by that Board?

YES, FOR APPROVAL

NO, FOR REJECTION
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/10/26/Knowyourcandidates/PINELLAS_CHARTER_AMEN.shtml

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Pinellas County Charter
Amendment 4
Yes 128276
34%
No 243693
66%
94% Precincts Reporting
http://www.baynews9.com/content/16/2004/11/2/58952.html

---

Charter Amendment 4 - YES 129,229 34.43
Charter Amendment 4 - NO 246,093 65.57
http://www.tbnweekly.com/special_section/election_110204/

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Nov-03-2004 01:09 PM Eastern Standard Time

PINELLAS COUNTY
AMENDMENT 4 - ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES
PINELLAS A4 - ADMIN. DUTIES
Precincts Reporting: 377 Of 377 100%
Winner Candidate Incumbent Votes Vote %
X No 246,093 65%
Yes 129,229 34%
http://www.tampabays10.com/voter/races/race159.htm

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and from the official

Pinellas County, FL Supervisor of Elections Deborah Clark website

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first, coffee