NEWSMAKER: HOWARD DEAN

[MelissaB]

NEWSMAKER: HOWARD DEAN



Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean speaks about a report the DNC released about voting irregularities that occurred in last year's presidential election in Ohio, the future of the Democratic Party and his controversial statements about the Republican Party.

...snip

Re-opening old wounds from last year's elections
GWEN IFILL: Your report today found that one-quarter of Ohio voters, more than half of African-Americans, said there were irregularities in their voting process in last year's election. What have you discovered about that and what do you plan to do about it?

HOWARD DEAN: We did not find widespread fraud. What we did find was widespread voter suppression. That means essentially reducing or tactics aimed at reducing the number of voters. African-Americans were the biggest victims of this, but it also was young voters.

Young voters and African-Americans were disproportionately asked for IDs, which is illegal in Ohio. The waiting lines for African-Americans were three times as long as they were for white voters. So we don't know that this would change the outcome of the election, but we do know there was a concentrated effort or at least that was the outcome to reduce African-American votes and to a lesser extent young votes -- the two groups which voted in the highest percentage for John Kerry.

More:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/jan-june05/dean_6-22.html

[Botany]

1. Hey Doc .....

..... i hope i don't come to your office for a broken leg and you treat for
a heart condition (Because more people die of heart attacks)

in 19 counties an unknown African American women got more votes than
John Kerry and their was no fraud in Ohio?

[LightningFlash]

4. No "widespread fraud" found does not mean no fraud.

It means the opposite, actually. It means there was quite a bit of systematic isolated fraud and it sure wasn't done by voters and its a real problem. It also doesn't go to assume that it changed the results of the election (but as we can see by Blackwell & recent developments, it likely did) but instead focuses on the real severe issue of broken elections. Voter disenfranchisement is in many cases almost as severe as electronic fraud. This isn't the whitewash report people were expecting and it is not written perfectly either, but it does go on to carefully address the issue of fixing future elections and not tipetoe around it.

Whoever gets charged for crimes in this facade in the end does not compare to the broken system we will face if this is allowed to continue. So I think its a great firm proof of Howard Dean, that shows everyone he is willing to dig deep and push hard for fair elections for all.

[Botany]

5. I live in Ohio ,,,,

,,,,, and it was widespread

[LightningFlash]

6. If it was widespread....

Then a forensic team needs to be brought in to document it. The DNC isn't capable of forensic analysis. UsCountVotes is.

A forensic analysis means analyzing both precinct data for large democratic counties and republican counties.

If fraud was instigated in more than 5 counties that would constitute widespread, and can be completely revealed in a forensics study.

However, this was a small time operation. It's Blackwell and his friend Mr. Noe, and someone else on the BOE. They simply used the re-write access if you read Fitrakis reports. If you get the hard documents on their criminal access through an FOIA, that would serve as absolute evidence of the perpetrators...The problems are in getting that FOIA access and writing a writ of marandus.

[mod mom]

9. 1. Franklin 2. Lucas 3. Cuyahoga 4. Mahoning 5. Summit

[mod mom]

8. me too, and yes WIDESPREAD!

Look even a report from Blackwell's office states massive problems (which the Dems neglected to include):

http://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/elections/lucas.htm

This report includes the fact that REPUBLICAN VOLUNTEERS were allowed UNSUPERVISED ACCESS to UNSECURED BALLOTS prior to the election, as well as this list:

*failure to maintain ballot security
*Inability to implement and maintain a trackable system for voter ballot reconciliation .
*failure to prepare and develop a plan for the processing of the voluminous amount of voter registration forms received.
*issuance and acceptance of incorrect absentee ballot forms.
*manipulation of the process involving the 3% recount.
*disjointed implementation of the Directive regarding the removal of Nader and Camejo from the ballot .
*failure to properly issue hospital ballots in accordance with statutory requirements.
*failure to maintain the security of poll books during the official canvass
*failure to examine campaign finance reports in a timely manner.
*failure to guard and protect public documents.
*failure to guard and protect public documents ....etc.

FUNNY HOW ALL THE MAJOR PROBLEMS EFFECTED MAJOR DEMOCRATIC VOTE CENTERS LIKE COLUMBUS, CLEVELAND, TOLEDO, YOUNGSTOWN. Hmmmh...

[Blue Shark]

2. For those of us who thought...

...Dr. Dean "gets it"...it is enough to make you cry!

[Carolab]

3. Dean's statement on the report

Governor Dean's Remarks Introducing the Report

Last December the DNC announced a comprehensive investigative study of election administration issues arising in the 2004 Presidential election in Ohio.

The purpose of this study was not to challenge the results of the election. It was to understand and analyze thoroughly the problems that had reportedly prevented many Ohio citizens from being able to vote and to have their votes counted, in order to develop a solid factual basis for advocating further reforms in our election system.

<snip>

Today we are here to announce the results of their investigation. Donna and her team will talk in just a moment about the specifics of the report and the way the study was conducted, but I want to make a couple of key points.

The results show that our election system failed the citizens of Ohio in 2004, and in particular failed African Americans, new registrants, younger voters and voters in places using touch screen machines.

More than a quarter of all Ohio voters reported problems with their voting experience.

Twice as many African American voters as white voters reported experiencing problems at the polls.

Voters experienced incredibly long lines, some waiting as much as 8 hours. And African American voters reported waiting about twice as often.

Nearly one quarter of all Ohio voters reported that their experience in 2004 has made them less confident about the reliability of elections in Ohio. And no wonder.

This is not right. This is not the American way, and it's not good for our democracy when our citizens don't have confidence that their voice is being heard.

Now this study focused on Ohio, but the truth is there was anecdotal evidence from around the country, that raised serious questions about the way elections are being conducted.

<snip>

I'll be studying the report and putting together an action plan that we will present at our next DNC meeting in September, '05. The Democratic Party is committed to ensuring that we move forward from today, ready to do the work required to reform the way elections are conducted, and to ensure that we restore American's confidence in our election system.



link to complete report here: http://www.democrats.org/vri/ohioreport/index.html

[meganmonkey]

7. This is better than I thought - he refers to 'tactics'

and says 'concentrated effort' - meaning INTENTIONAL - at reducing Dem voters - not just 'incompetence' and 'poor planning' crap.

(yeah, I know, it's still not good ENOUGH, but I tend to look for the silver lining ;) )

[bleever]

10. I've been picking through for things to make me feel better about this.

Hoping that that this is a "foot-in-the-door" entry into the whole fraud issue, and that the decision to downplay the idea of changing the outcome was a tactical ploy.

I'll take this as a positive sign that all this might open Pandora's box.


:)

[texpatriot2004]

11. hope you are right Bleever n/t