OHIO -- 2004 ballots not preserved; pres. vote cannot be verified

[theHandpuppet]

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070812/NEWS01/708120449
2004 ballots not preserved
Result of presidential vote cannot be verified

COLUMBUS - Despite a federal judge's order to preserve all ballots from the 2004 presidential election - in which Ohio provided President Bush's margin of victory - boards of elections in 56 of Ohio's 88 counties lost, shredded or dumped nearly 1.6 million ballots and election records.

In 39 letters of explanation sent to newly elected Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, a Democrat, county election officials offered a litany of excuses for the missing and destroyed ballots - including spilled coffee, a flooded storage areaand miscommunication with a county "Green Team" assigned to pick up recyclables. About half the lost ballots were unused, but even those are important for double-checking election results.

In Southwest Ohio, some unused ballots were shredded. Others were lost during a remodeling. Pages that verify punch-card ballot counts and the rotation of candidates' names ended up in Mount Rumpke landfill, according to letters from four elections boards.... MUCH MORE

You just have to read this, folks, including the list of excuses for the missing ballots and the DEMOCRATIC Secretary of State's refusal to investigate, saying that even she had some evidence of a cover-up it wouldn't have changed the outcome!!!!!!!


Also see:
http://dunes.cincinnati.com/data/misc/ballots/

[Judi Lynn]

1. She sounds strangely like Theresa LePore, Palm Beach County, 2000 election,

who designed that wondrous "Butterfly Ballot" which just happened to screw things up royally for Palm Beach Democrats, herself a person who had been a Republican but decided she'd better become a Democrat right before becoming the Election Supervisor.

Sounds like there's far more to her story than meets the eye. If anyone's good at reading faces, here's a google images page on the "Democrat," Jennifer Brunner,:
http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&rls=GGLD%2CGGLD%3A2004-37%2CGGLD%3Aen&q=%22Jennifer+Brunner%22

[terisan]

6. Wonder if LaPore's standard of living has vastly improved since 2000? nt

[Botany]

12. I know Jennifer Brunner and she is not the one @ fault

Jennifer is a damn good person and a solid democrat. She knows 2004 was dirty
but her hands are somewhat tied.

http://www.democracyforamerica.com/img/jennifer%20brunner.bmp

[bedpanartist]

13. exactly how are her hands tied

Inquiring minds want to know.

[Botany]

19. This is just my guess but Brunner knows 2004 was dirty but she

has made the calculation that bringing "it" back up will weaken what
she wants to do as far as making sure our elections in 2008 will be
"fair, open, and 100% verifiable."

Jennifer is a lawyer and was a judge who specialized in election law
and she knows that she is fighting against a huge and well funded
network that has rigged Ohio's vote many times and if she wants to
"kill that beast" she can not make a headlong charge against it but will
have to kill "it" w/ a thousand little cuts.

The media, the state legislature, and the Supreme Court in Ohio are
still very much controlled by republicans and will attack viscously it
they feel threatened. Also the county BOEs are dirty too and she has
to handle them w/ "kid gloves."

[bedpanartist]

20. Handling bullies with kid gloves

only ensures the bullying will continue.

I didn't think there was a true answer other than political postulating.

It always comes down to fear.

[Botany]

22. Write her and tell her your concerns

Sec. of State Jennifer Brunner
180 East Broad Street
Columbus, OH 43215

I too am disapointed that she has come out stronger but I am sure
she has her reasons. Trust me she knows that 2004 was dirty.

Be polite but ask her as a judge would she buy the story that
"evidence" that was in official custody just went missing?

Ask her to come and speak to a group of concerned voters or
to hold a public hearing on the missing ballots.

[bedpanartist]

29. why does it take people writing letters

to get her to do the job she was elected to do?

[mod mom]

18. "Brunner said she has found no evidence that ballots were intentionally destroyed"

This does not pass the smell test. A federal judge ordered that they be saved, that order was ignored so regardless of what Ms Brunner says, this criminal activity should receive a strong penalty.

I'm glad the Enquirer wrote this fair article. I hope people read this as a quilty verdict that the election was stolen and that the criminals had to defy a court order and face the penalties associated with such rather than let the truth be known. I'm disappointed in Brunner's comment.

[Botany]

21. Jenny almost has to say that in public .....

As I am sure you know the corruption is very deep in this state.

[Vinca]

2. The scary part is this could happen again.

Given the current invertebrate status of elected Dems, it's more than likely Republicans will win 2008 by stealing it.

[marmar]

3. The so-called "greatest democracy in the world" has become a pathetic joke....

And BushCo has the gall to criticize elections in the Ukraine and other countries....

[Benhurst]

15. Get with the message, marmar. We're no longer the "greatest democracy in the world."

We are "The World's Only Superpower."

Long live The Leader! To hell with democracy! Bombs away!

[rodeodance]

4. "56 of Ohio's 88" WHOW.

[theHandpuppet]

5. Yeah, and did you check out some of the excuses?

Unbelievable. Our notion of "fair elections" is a joke.

[The Backlash Cometh]

7. This happens when you intentionally place incompetent people in

important positions. George Bush is a shining example.

[theHandpuppet]

8. I wonder if the new Democratic Governor will address this issue?

Gov. Ted Strickland needs to address this issue NOW in order to root out the corruption before the 2008 elections. Has he even spoken out on this? He also needs to call this Sec'y of State on the carpet.

You know that old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"? Well, Governor, this is beyond broken - the fair election process in Ohio is a SHAM and a laughing stock... if anyone is really laughing. If the Repukes can get away with this so blatantly in Florida and Ohio, then believe me folks they can get away wih it anywhere. This was just the trial run.

[partylessinOhio]

10. Never elect a preacher as your governor! Strickland is a huge disappointment.

As a far as I can see he is mostly invisible except for raising my property tax by changing the Homestead Exemption by lowering the dollar amount of the credit.

(It is no surprise that nothing will be done about the ballot fiasco.)

:thumbsdown:

[bedpanartist]

11. I'm starting to lose faith in Strickland

His office has been really quiet on a lot of stuff, especially school funding. We just laid off 300 teachers here in Dayton, lost to the charter school sound of sucking dollars away from our public schools.

[farmbo]

14. Contact Ohio AG Marc Dann at this link...then pass it on...

http://www.ag.state.oh.us/contact/index.asp

Ask Attorney General Dann (respectfully) to initiate prosecutions against the 54 Ohio counties who blatantly broke the law. It's the least we can ask for to preserve our democracy.

(And why not start with Matt Damschroder of Franklin County-- the guy quoted in the article-- who sanitized his county's records and now has the audacity to whine that he wished he still had the records to show the world what lunatics the election fraud attorneys are).

:grr:

[mod mom]

24. done and forwarded:

State Office Tower
ATTN: Marc Dann, Ohio Attorney General
30 E. Broad Street, 17th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215-3428

August 12, 2007

Dear Attorney General Dann,

As a citizen of Ohio, I am appalled at the blatant disrespect for the law shown by many government officials. While of course the Bush administration is an obvious example of this, closer to home is the failure of 54 Ohio counties in preserving the 2004 election ballots that were ordered by a federal judge to be preserved. In a highly contested election in which many question the outcome, this appears to be a cover up of a crime. Did the elected officials contend that it was better to face penalties associated with destruction of ballots after a Federal Judge ordered their preservation, rather than uncover some hidden truth in the future? Of course, due to the destruction we will never know.

As much as I respect Jennifer Brunner, her recent comments indicating there is no evidence that points to this being intentional, is totally besides the point. These county officials defied a court order and should be prosecuted to the fullest part of the law. I urge you to make an example of them to prevent future malfeasance to occur.

I don’t understand how voters are suppose to have confidence in a system that is run like a banana republic. I hope you will help turn around this trend by prosecuting those involved in a way that will deter these actions in the future.


Sincerely,

[mruddy]

9. Which state in 2008?

It was Florida in 2000, Ohio in 2004. This time it would be nice to be proactive. We need to determine which state(s) will be key for the Repukes in 2008 and be prepared. Teams need to be in place in those states on election day: lawyers, poll watchers, cameras... whatever it takes.

[OzarkDem]

16. So Kerry may be Pres?

It can work both ways, right? :shrug:

[helderheid]

17. Can we decertify the election?? PLEASE???

[Rosemary2205]

23. What?? No "My dog ate it"????

Why Americans of any political pursuasion are willing to put up with fraudulent elections is beyond my understanding.

[mod mom]

25. UPDATE @ Cinci Enq blog shows BALLOT MANIPULATION!:

-snip

For example: oval-shaped stickers were inexplicably found on at least 10 ballots in Clermont County, for several several state and local races as well as president and the same-sex marriage ballot issue.



The tiny white stickers would have blocked an optical scanner from counting a vote for the pencil mark that’s visible below. Two of those ballots from Pierce Township were preserved and observed by Enquirer reporters Thursday.


Brian Green, an elections attorney at Brunner’s office, confirmed that the stickered presidential ballot – which negated a vote for Kerry – is perplexing and that the Bush oval above it clearly has a darker, wider pencil mark. None of the other ovals marked on the two-page ballot are as dark or outside the oval to the same extent.


Clermont County elections officials said they no longer use stickers to remake spoiled or mismarked ballots. The county has since purchased newer optical scanners that would not count stickered ballots.

-snip

http://frontier.cincinnati.com/blogs/gov/

EXCELLENT REPORTING FROM ENQUIRER!

[lonestarnot]

26. We know they cheated and they are going to do it again.

[helderheid]

27. Why can't the Dems in power understand this?

[OzarkDem]

30. We have to ask them

over and over until they answer it or pay attention. I'm worried.

[theHandpuppet]

28. Exactly. If all the evidence in Ohio counts for nothing...

... then the PNACers and their minions have been given the signal to rig every election from now on. Do you they are willing to relinquish their power to some inconvenient notion of fair elections in a democracy? After all, to them the Constitution is nothing but "a piece of paper". Perhaps it's time to take out some huge ads on the papers:

WANTED: Patriots sworn to uphold and defend the Consitution of the United States. Backbone required.

[helderheid]

31. Your wanted would make a great bumper sticker

[samsingh]

32. i pretty sure they would show that bush the imbecile lost Ohio

and has stolen the office.

the man is such a criminal.

[DemGa]

33. Damn...and whatever became of Conyers looking into Warren

county lock down? Was ANY explanation ever given?

[DFW]

34. Ohio must be the site of mass animal cruelty

How can a whole state be home to people who never feed their
dogs, so that they are compelled to eat 1.6 million ballots instead?

[robinlynne]

35. This is worse than any of the other things they have done.

This is so god damn serious.