The Washington recount for Governor is getting interesting.

[Carl Brennan]

On the surface it looks tedious, but when you look at the machinations of the process of the recount it gets a little more interesting.

In Washington there are three counters at the table: a dem, a repub and a "non-partisan" counter hired by the County Elections board. Today a red-flag went up for me when I saw someone who had been a repub counter the day before now being a "non-partisan" counter.....then I saw another....

I went to the dem coordinator and he told me to take it up with the County...

Tomorrow I am going back and looking into this further. I am going to explore how the label "non-partisan" evolved, hee. }(

I encourage everyone to spend a few hours or more in a recount. It's interesting.

[Diane R]

1. Which county was that?

I have been observing in Spokane County, and I can't imagine that happening. I believe they hired all of the counters from their election worker ranks prior to the recount.

You need to send an e-mail to the Washington State Democrats. They are working so hard to ensure that this count is sound...I am sure they will want to hear about your observations.

[Carl Brennan]

3. King County at Boing Field.

[mattclearing]

2. That's fascinating. It would have to take a major revelation...

...to force a switch like that, now wouldn't it?

[Carl Brennan]

4. One time kick for morning crowd.

[seemslikeadream]

6. "that Dino Rossi is a creationist, yet he was named after a dinosaur?"

Endless race has Washington down for the count
As a third vote tally starts, the big question is not just who will win the governor's office, but when
Sunday, December 12, 2004
KATY MULDOON

So it goes for the folks planning next month's inaugural ball in Olympia, where nobody knows whether Washington's new governor will arrive looking terrific in a tux or glamorous in a gown.

Last week, election officials across the state began tabulating nearly 2.9 million votes for the third and final time in the most extraordinary governor's race in Washington's history. No one knows whether this hand count will be more or less accurate than the first recount, which was done by machine and put Republican Dino Rossi 42 votes ahead of Democrat Christine Gregoire.

....

As Oregonians turn their weary backs on the most exhausting election season in recent memory and refresh with holiday cheer and television free of political ads, Washingtonians suffer. The 50-50 split at Washington's traditionally left-leaning ballot box has newspapers updating Web sites every few hours, radio programs jammed with recount talk, and TV stations, in a rare post-November twist, covering politics every day.

Some Washingtonians jeeringly dismiss the recount as a waste of time and money. Some say it's the only fair-and-square way out. Some just chuckle and give it an A for amusing.

...

The stakes, however, run higher than that:

Will Rossi, 45, a self-made real-estate millionaire and former Senate budget chairman, be the first Republican in two decades to hang his hat in the governor's mansion? Or will the recount give Gregoire, 57 and a three-term state attorney general, what she needs to keep the Democratic streak alive?

With more than 2,000 agency directors and members of boards and commissions serving as governor appointees, will scores of longtime state employees get the boot?

Will The Evergreen State rename itself The State of Indecision, or Florida, Only Soggier, or Washington: All Love, No Guv?

"A month ago, I was living in Washington," said Seattle's John Carlson, a conservative talk-radio host who ran for governor in 2000. "Two weeks ago, I was living in Florida. Now, I wonder if, by the end of December, I'm going to be in Ukraine."

The hand recount, ordered Monday by Secretary of State Sam Reed, should be completed by Dec. 23. But legal challenges could delay the outcome. On Monday, the state Supreme Court is scheduled to consider a Democratic Party motion to reconsider previously invalidated ballots.

If the deadlock continues into the new year, then Gov. Gary Locke, who chose not to run for a third term, "will serve as long as he is needed," said Sharon Wallace, the governor's communications director.

Meanwhile, lawyers bicker. Internet bloggers chat about the recount endlessly, spewing more hot air than Mount St. Helens. Comedians make light.

Matt Dundas, a Seattle stand-up comic: "Does it bother anyone," he asks clubgoers, "that Dino Rossi is a creationist, yet he was named after a dinosaur?"

A bumper sticker making the Internet rounds replaces NO IRAQ WAR with NO GREG OIRE.

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/front_page/1102856178237980.xml


Election rules face Supreme Court test Monday

OLYMPIAN STAFF, NEWS SERVICES

Election workers will return to their tables Monday to continue the hand recount of votes cast for governor of Washington, but the count that might decide the election could come from the state Supreme Court chambers in Olympia.

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Monday afternoon on the Democratic Party's lawsuit seeking to clarify ballot-counting rules. The suit asks that elections officials in at least four counties be forced to reconsider about 15,000 ballots that were rejected the first time around by canvassing boards.
The Democrats contend some of the ballots might have been rejected improperly.

Both sides realize that in the razor-thin race, the Supreme Court's decision might decide who becomes the next governor of Washington.

"It's a major development," said Mary Lane, campaign spokeswoman for Republican candidate Dino Rossi.
more
http://www.theolympian.com/home/news/20041212/_government/48201.shtml

Rossi-Gregoire recount prompts accuracy debate

``We all know machines make fewer errors than humans -- and they don't need food or water, either, or a break!'' she says. Machine counts became the default system for counting ballots for good reason, she said.

``Do we really need this third count? I think we have to come to the point where we accept the computers' count.''

King County elections director Dean Logan says the hand count is daunting because so many people will be handling the county's 900,000 ballots, applying fallible human judgment.

Political scientists say they haven't solved the debate.

Smolka says either system should be fairly accurate, but that the consensus is ``you would bet on machine over hand recount. The error rate would probably be less. But that's no guarantee. And congressional researchers say every system is capable of doing a good job if used as intended.''

more
http://www.kingcountyjournal.com/sited/story/html/180658

:hi:
Thanks for the kick Carl :kick: but you made me spill my coffee!

[Moderator]

26. seemslikeadream

Per DU copyright rules
please post only four
paragraphs from the
copyrighted news source.

Thank you.


DU Moderator

[eowyn_of_rohan]

5. Good spot--and good Luck,

When we have "Dems" like Theresa LePore (in Florida) counting our votes, you start wondering who and what you can trust. It's like being in a house of mirrors. Wish we were having a recount in my state. I'd enjoy being a part of it.

[Carl Brennan]

7. OK. So I go into the GOP Lounge

where the recount is. Back hidden away from the crowd outside are these guys busily working on computers.

Don't know what it means, but they didn't like strange faces on their turf. Anybody have any ideas?

The general lounge had noone with computers.

[skids]

8. They were probably...

...Signing our online petition online over and over and over with dumb-ass comments.

[Carl Brennan]

14. LOL. I'd like to think so.

[Carl Brennan]

9. Things getting more interesting at the recount.

Sometimes I wonder whether bureacracies are capable of doing what needs to be done.

Today I am watching sorters and nothing much happens for a few hours. Then I am transferred over to watch counters and BLAM! I'm standing there with about five observers watching these guys counting and red flags are going up in my mind immediately. We have this repug counter confering with the dem on the proper tally. These tallies are suppose to be independent. The repug is looking at the dems tally and then copying the numbers on his own card. Then I see the recorder scratching off numbers on her record and entering new ones, which is also a no-no. I call over a couple paid supervisors and they are slow as shit in getting anything done and I watch the counters pack and seal the fucking box.

About this time I'm getting pissed, so I go and repeat my demand to pull that box of ballots as this duo starts counting another box! Then at the end the tally. Other observers whisper to me: "I thought something might be wrong here".

"Well if you thought something was wrong why didn't you flag a "floater"/supervisor: I reply. A look of embarassment by the shy observer.

So now I am watching the counters tallying the second box and the repug is looking at me and getting nervous. The next tally is made and the repug has 86 votes for Gregoire and the dem has 76. Then they start quibbling about who is correct. The repug shrugs and starts recounting the Gregoire ballots then just enters 76, which I am sure he was happy to do. Swell, now we may have dropped Gregoire votes right off the bat.

I say fuck this and go get the King County official and demand that box be recounted. It's a goddamn mess. Other observers are shuffling around unwilling to assert themselves. The King County official says he will look into it and then doesn't get back to me before the third box of ballots are brought up to these guys. My shift was over 45 minutes ago and I'm cussing and fuming. I go to the dem Operations Manager and demand the box be pulled and these two counters be given a break or booted. She says she will look into it.

I've been there a few days, many have been there months, and this is what I see.



If I hadn't come over to that bunch of observers all of this would have just slid on by. :grr:




The previous day I had a dem observer actually reach up and try to pull my arm down when I tried to flag a "floater" because she didn't want to rock the fucking boat. After the floater came by and evaluated my observation they stopped the counters and split them up!

What in the hell is wrong with people??



I'm going back tomorrow and nothing is gonna slide.


If you guys get a chance I highly recommend being an observer or a counter at a recount. You could well save the country from another four years of Bush.

[Brundle_Fly]

10. YOU GO CARL

I am glad you are there, and I hope there is a person like you everywhere that's counting!

[EFerrari]

11. Rock the Boat, Carl! Thank you n/t

[corbett]

12. Truth Is On Your Side

In addition to our desire to see Kerry as the first legitimate President since 2000, we want the TRUTH TO BE TOLD. Keep up the good work. We're behind you!

[MarkusQ]

13. kick

[Lil]

15. sending you good thoughts! What an effort to stay focused with all. . .

. . . that going on. Paper, pencil and non partisan election officers is the way to go. (I am living in Australia now, and that is how it's done here.)

[GetTheRightVote]

16. Yes, I agree with you Lil, we need to use the same method here as we did

back in the late 1800's to early 1900's

Thank again Carl B., keep up the great work you are doing in WA.

[Lil]

17. My daughter is a dual citizen and I went with her to vote and was amazed!

For starters EVERYONE is required to register AND vote or be fined ~$400. That would solve a lot of the problems here, wouldn't it.

There were about 50 cardboard booths so people got their ballots, voted and deposited their votes very quickly. There were about 100 people in line when got there and we were all out in 15 min.

There was a separate space for those who needed any kind of help.

[pbartch]

19. I HOPE YOU CONTACT THE OREGONIAN.....COLUMBIAN

AND ALL THE PAPERS UP NORTHERN WASHINGTON and let the state know what is going on.

These Repuke people should feel ashamed for cheating!!!!!!!!!

[Carl Brennan]

23. If you could help, I'd appreciate it. I am swamped.

[skids]

21. What a bunch of pussies.

Sorry, I know that's an off-color comment, but hearing that the Dem observers are so utterly lame is just pissing me off to no end.

These idiots need to wake the hell up. What is wrong with our people? Get some backbone. You know I saw a few people worrying in the "One Nation Under Fraud" thread whether it was legal to deface U.S. currency. AAAAAAGH!! Maybe the wimps deserve this country and I should go someplace where liberals have guts.

:grr: :grr: :grr:

Carl, thank you and all the other "feisty" men and women for being a *strong* voice for us. It's people like you that may yet save this country.

[bemis12]

18. Rossi gains 70 so far

But I think Gregoire will still win it.

http://vote.wa.gov/general/recount_resultsbycounty.aspx

[Carl Brennan]

20. Alot depends on the percentage that Gregoire gets from King

County from those 561 "revoked" votes that are being counted.

[Carl Brennan]

22. Update 12/15/04

The dem observer I talked to the other day, an ex-County Prosecutor, got a number of boxes recounted due to counter error. Another dem observer I talked to saw a box of ballots coming out of the security cage that had its seal broken. I need to follow up on this. Why am I doing the job of dem supervisors? Numerous sorting errors I observed as sorters rechecked boxes for the proper precinct. Boxes not marked properly by the recorder and supervisor that had to be opened to determine from what district they came from. A garbage bin next to the sorting stacks full of miscellaneous papers--it would be easy for a ballot or a box of them to be chucked in. Tired dem observer/floaters. One dem woman, an observer for the media and liasson?, I talked to hadn't had a but one day off in 6 months. I tried talking to her a little about Ohio and she said she doesn' t think about anything except what is going on in King County. Nice worldview, eh. Others look and acting tired.

I asked twice to talk to someone higher up about the data entry into the computers. The head of the dem program. She said she was going to get back to me in a minute and then never got back with me. Her eyes widened when I told her I was interested in electonic/computer end of the recount process....don't know what that means.She had said that I should talk to her first before talking to the Project Manager, a County official, named Garth. hmmmm.....do we have a pecking order?
I saw her in the lounge after my shift was over talking to an observer.

A supervisor in the security cage tipped over a large number of ballot boxes with a crash with lots of people asking if he was OK. He had informed me after a casual chat as I stood at my observation post dodging carts full of ballot boxes going in and out of the cage that there are observers inspecting the outgoing garbage.

Many of the supervisors were friendly and helpful and knowledgeable. It is the partisan people that I am not sure about. And the observers are not raising their hands enough. The dem paid people are to chummy with the county people . I was stuck in the sorting zone and away from the counting today--don't know what that means. Oddly all of the dem people knew me by name today, hee. Kinda flatterin'.....I guess?


I'm getting the sense that there is alot of scrutiny of the recount process at the lower level, but I keep seeing the image of a slice of Swiss cheese when I think of the electronic end of this process. I understand from multiple sources that a wireless hack into the "stand alones" is easily doable.

In sum, much mischief could be made by any number of people. The hurried pace pisses me off. I talked to a county police officer who said that there is 24 hour security at the facility. I was thinking of going back tonight and snoop around, maybe early tomorrow.

Later in my shift I was stuck with a couple of young white male con observers. Young clean cut men like the Mormon types you see riding bicycles with a coat and tie knocking on doors. Friendly enough, but not asking many questions--normal in other words. I told an older con observer about Clinton Curtis testifying before the House Judiciary Committee and he was very interested. He stated that he just wants the damn vote counted accurately and that the whole operation (here in King County) looked like a "clusterfuck". I shared my experience of the day before with the Repug counter doing a shitty job.Then wryly I said: "Well, in the end his number complied with the dem so that's good enough for me, since dems don't cheat." He said with a smile: "Oh, of course not, guaranteed". This guy seemed like a pretty good fellow, at least he had a sense of humor. It was the young Mormon types that never quite made eye contact that bothered me. I asked them what was going on with the computers in "their" lounge and they didn't reply.


Talked to a savvy as hell software engineer, dem observer, who told me about how to hack a stand alone computer with a wireless computer and a reciever. I had talked to him yesterday. I've got his e-mail and we will be in touch. I want he and I to team up to interview the County officials on the security of the electronic end of this process.

The Press came in and put Shawn the county official under the limelight. A couple of photos of tired looking counters in todays paper. I never saw or heard a question of relevance asked by the Press to anybody. I stood next to the cameras yesterday as they panned the room. We are not aloud to bring cameras into the counting area, but I saw one of the paid dem woman snapping some memento pictures inside the counting area. We are not allowed to have cell phones in the area but I saw a county floor supervisor talking on a cell phone. This was of interest because she was talking on the phone after opening the mismarked ballot box to check the district it came from, then she was pulling ballots out of the boxes and putting them in envelopes. Both the Repug and me flagged a floater on this. I asked the cop about the cell phones and he said no cell phones allowed. I pointed at the supervisor and he said: "Well maybe supervisors can have them". Another lead I have to follow-up on tomorrow. Why have rules if you don't enforce them??

Another observer told me that he was talking to a counter outside of the counting room and she said that the observers scare the shit out of her when she is counting. . I certainly don't want them to love us. One pretty young girl, a repug counter was warming to the presence of observers. Oddly enough a friend of mine who happens to be a progressive activist here in Seattle was her counting partner. He does have a way of converting the enemy. He was really smoozing her and the Mormon observers didn't like it, hee, hee. They started talking to her and flirting and that is in violation of the rules: observers cannot talk to counters. I intervened and told them they could not talk to counters, hee and then sat back bemused by my friends pouring on the charm. The Mormon repugs gave me some ugly looks, hee, hee. Funny as hell. I likes messing with Repugs. Started thinking: maybe if we take their woman away from them.......oops back on target.

I asked a supervisor to move some counters at a table we were too far away from to observe to some empty counting tables closer to our observation post they were very helpful.

The dem observer who got embarrassed yesterday for not raising her hand avoided me like the plague and started when I came up and smiled asking her how she was doing. zzzzzzzzzz. Big Daddy needs lovin'!! You can't stir things up and expect everybody to like you.


More later.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

24. Wow. Good for you, and thank you for this fascinating read.-nt

[seemslikeadream]

25. Thanks for being there Carl

[Lil]

27. thought: some DEMS may be dems becaused they are AFRAID of GOP bullies.

For them, I don't think it has anything to do with actively upholding progressive ideals. They just don't want the bullies in charge!

"The dem observer who got embarrassed yesterday for not raising her hand avoided me like the plague and started when I came up and smiled asking her how she was doing. zzzzzzzzzz. Big Daddy needs lovin'!!"

If you are the Big Daddy that needs lovin' - sending love from Austalia. <g>

[Carl Brennan]

28. Big Daddy is that character in "Father of the Pride"

Now it is a kid's show, but I laughed at the "Big Daddy" lion and his antics. He comes home and says: "Big Daddy needs lovin". The joke is that he is the guy that has to discipline his kids and at the same time wants them to understand he cares about them. Iwas implying I feel like a father.

I should have left that out of the post.

[Lil]

29. Ah -

Well - sending strong affection and appreciation to Carl, anyways.

[Carl Brennan]

30. Thank You. I got this post off early this morning before I zipped

out and I only had that sentence in there as a note. I kinda messed up and it isn't at all clear.

Thanks again. I'm going to be putting up another update later. :hi:

[bemis12]

31. Snohomish Co. comes in big for Gregoire

Rossi increase down to 32, his lead is 76.

King and two other large counties still to report.

[KerryOn]

32. How could anyone be non-patisan?

It seems to me that you are either with Bush or against him. (Sounds like something Bush said.)

Maybe they should have two counters. One dem and one rep.

[Carl Brennan]

35. There are two counters. It is the recorder who is "non-partisan".

The two counters are R and D.

[Lil]

33. How did it go in the trenches, Carl? n/t

[Carl Brennan]

34. Update 12/16/04:

12/16/04:

Please post your questions and feedback here. I want to know I'm communicating this well to you all. Thanks for your help.



Note: There were no computers in the GOP lounge today. I found that curious since they were there for the other days, until I asked a R observer yesterday about them.

The early morning announcements, instructions on the floor by the Project Manager and others are hard to hear in some places. One thing I thought may be useful is a flow chart of the operation for everybody involved to get an idea of the big picture.

Today I was near the data entry station for the entire shift. First I watched the section where the counted boxes come in from the floor, many of them, with the blue label go to the canvassing board. The carbon copy that was filled out by the recorder on the counting floor is then split into white, pink and yellow copies. The white copy goes in a basket? the pink and yellow copies go to the R& D data entry desks. Two observers(D&R) watch each of the two data entry persons. As I watched the boxes coming in from the floor I observed absentee envelopes on top of the boxes being emptied then thrown into a waste crate under the recorders table. But it was hard to see whether they had been emptied. I asked the supervisor to standardize a better procedure if possible, everybody in a hurry. I asked them to rip the empty envelopes so that we could see they were empty. That method was never standardized, some runners just did it randomly. I wouldn' t call that a biggy normally.....but in close election. My R counterpart thought it was a good idea and asked his floater about it. I observed an envelope of ballots on an outgoing stack of of blue labeled (Canvass board boxes) folded over. Concerned this might damage the ballot I flagged a D floater and a supervisor. Not a biggy but something to watch.

The R's where out in droves today since the 573 "revoked" ballots discovered by the county. Almost all were yer average white male Mormon looking types I had four observing me as I observed the floor. Jokingly I said to them: "You guys are observing the observers". They didn't laugh. They sure have alot of manpower when they need it. Wonder if they know who I am, hee. A dem supervisor cautioned me about staying on station and keeping an eye on the incoming boxes and not to appear to be "floating". She said the feds were coming and she didn't want any hassles--too deferring and willing to accept a pecking order. A county higher up, I think he is Asst. Project manager Shawn seemed sorta trying to assert himself. A little deal over my leaving my water bottle as I was moved to another station. Very subtle, but he intervened and said he would get it and not in a friendly tone. It was only twenty feet away from me. He couldn't find it though I pointed right at it so I shrugged and walked over and got it myself, a runner was standing in front of it.

Note: I asked about the boxes coming out of the security cage with broken seals. Both the supervisor and my dem floater told me "that happens sometimes"....a box is handled roughly and the seal breaks, the glue mal-functions...zzzzzzzzzzzz.

The security cage with all the sealed boxes is off limits to observers. So anybody in that cage could do whatever they want. Many temp workers, some with jackets on, walking in and out, milling around in the cage (a 40'X20' area with a chain link fence around it from the floor to the ceiling). Hmmm... a seal broken, unsupervised staff and no observers...., not a good combination of factors.


In the last hour of my shift I was stationed at the data entry post. This is where I wanted to be so I could pick the supervisor of that sections brain on that process. The data entry itself is about as boring and uneventful as it gets. They use a Microsoft "Excel" software on the "stand alone" computer. The data entry "counter" simply copies the info from the carbon copy. Now here is where I thought things could get a little strange. Remember when I observed a recorder from the floor the other day scratching out a number on the carbon copy and entering another one? Well if that got to this level both the D's and R's would enter that number and when things were compared at the end of the day nothing would seem wrong. Hmmmm I would dwell on that awhile. I thought of asking for running a test with a scratched out copy through the data entry process and see if the counter raises their hand to question it......maybe later.

I asked if there is any inspection process to check on hackers? The sup blew that off. I'm going to be asking more about that later.

At the end of the day the D&R recorders compare their entries and any discrepancies are resolved by looking at the carbon copied tally sheet they used to enter. The supervisor said they frequently have discrepancies. The cumulative total is then put on a CD, sealed in a blue labeled CD case and a copy is given to the D's and R's. I think someone told me that the dem copy goes to Logan--head of WA democrats. A third copy is sealed and locked in the cage. I want to work the afternoon 3-6 shift today to see how that works. I asked the supervisor about the end of the process on the last day of counting about how the precincts would be finalized. Repeatedly from him and others I heard that the manual recount is the final number.....OK I asked, but what if that number diverges from the machine recount that was conducted early in November? "Ahhhh, you'll have to take that up with the project manager," who I am not suppose bother until I talk to my own supervisor who does not follow up on my request to discuss this...zzzzzzzzz. Getting info is a game , you want to assert yourself, but not too much. I've been in bureaucracies before. I deliberately waited until the supervisor was in a lull to ask him questions. He was very accomodating.

"Do you know what the percentage discrepancy would be between the manual and machine recount before it was considered significant"? I asked. Looking at the ceiling he said no. I wondered if comparing machine to manual recount is triggered by a "standardized" process.


The record: I was concerned about something coming off of a computer and then put on a CD with no other paper trail. "Are these CD's made into "read only", I asked the supervisor". He didn't know that one either. That is understandable. My D floater, a long time election worker did not know either. He was not sure about the divergence question I had asked the supervisor earlier.

I was sitting there trying to imagine how someone with hacking capability could tweek the precints by just a few numbers after the final tally and make the difference in a close race. Both the D&R would have a copy of the disk, but nothing to compare it too. I need to know what the D's and R's are doing with these numbers at the end. The problem is that somebody who knows for instance that Rossi is only behind by a few votes could tweek the numbers and not a soul would have anything to check the numbers against.....zzzzzzzzzzz.. That is why I think it is essential to have a paper trail of both the cumulative and final tallies to see if any vote numbers changed. My D supervisor laughed: "You are talking about 200 pages printed out" each day. Yea, I guess yer right, it's only about voting.

I keep seeing images of the NFL, remote control, easy adjustable bed for backpain.... and wondering about this societies priorities. That question is really starting to bother me more lately.

Lot's of things to look at. I need to check the exit polls by precinct for Nov. 2nd and compare them to the actual count to see if we have something similar to what happened to Bush and Kerry. If anybody reading this has that data please pass it along.

Then I read this last night at DU. Unfortunately I didn't copy the DU address of the topic and I can't seem to find it with a search today.
2 felons' roles in county elections questioned
By Keith Ervin <mailto:[e-mail]>
Seattle Times staff reporter


Logan, director of the county Records, Elections and Licensing Services Division, said the contract will include language requiring background checks on workers in sensitive positions.

Logan said state tests on King County's computers and manual recounts of close elections give him confidence that there has been no tampering with the software that tabulates election results. Contractors are observed by county employees when they are working with absentee ballots, he said.


I talked to a young black man who worked as a runner. We were on break. He said that he was working another job in the insurance business as well. I asked him how it was going. "It's cool, It's alright". He seemed upbeat. We talked for a few minutes. I thanked him for his time.


Kind of interesting isn't it.

[Lil]

36. "Please post your questions and feedback here."

Agreed

I observed an envelope of ballots on an outgoing stack of of blue labeled (Canvass board boxes) folded over. Concerned this might damage the ballot I flagged a D floater and a supervisor. Not a biggy but something to watch.


Every time I see something like this, I think, "What if it was the Dem. who was ahead." grr

The security cage with all the sealed boxes is off limits to observers. So anybody in that cage could do whatever they want. Many temp workers, some with jackets on, walking in and out, milling around in the cage (a 40'X20' area with a chain link fence around it from the floor to the ceiling). Hmmm... a seal broken, unsupervised staff and no observers...., not a good combination of factors.


Is counter a person or like an OCR program?

The data entry "counter" simply copies the info from the carbon copy.


IMHO - good thought. If it comes down to VERY few votes, this could
be important to pursue.

I thought of asking for running a test with a scratched out copy through the data entry process and see if the counter raises their hand to question it......maybe later.


I wonder if they know ALL the different ways hacking might have occurred. Wish there were simple, descriptive names to ask about.

I asked if there is any inspection process to check on hackers?


Again, IMHO, significant in a race this close would = "any discrepancy."

"Do you know what the percentage discrepancy would be between the manual and machine recount before it was considered significant"? I asked. Looking at the ceiling he said no. I wondered if comparing machine to manual recount is triggered by a "standardized" process.



county employees, no doubt, who now nothing or the intricacies of the fraudulent possibilities.

. . .Contractors are observed by county employees when they are working with absentee ballots, he said.

[Carl Brennan]

37. The "counter" is a data entry person

They re-recounted 400 of the 1000 precincts counted the other day because of a one vote discrepancy.

I'm going to write up an update later today.

[Lil]

38. Thanks for all you are doing. Sending good thoughts. Stay safe.

[weeve]

39. Rossi's pick up votes

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Rossi pick up some votes in E. Washington counties during the recount, for ballots that were found after the fact ?? Why should these be counted, yet not the King County ones... all through no fault of the voters? If the Supreme Court outrageously decides that these valid votes should not be counted , then shouldn't the ones Rossi got after the fact also be thrown out? Is not this decision whether to count these ballots up to each county's election board, as long as the election has not been certified yet? Does anyone also recall reading that Rossi picked up votes about a week ago with newly found ballots ? Sorry, lots of questions ... lots of OUTRAGE!!
A King County (non-absentee) Voter

[GetTheRightVote]

40. I think you are correct, what is good for goose, good for gander

But who could check into it ?? Washington voter anyone ??