Posted on 01/26/2005 7:52:14 PM PST by NormsRevenge
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Republicans asking a judge to throw out the results of Washington's ultra-close gubernatorial election said Wednesday they have found that 300 ballots were cast illegally by felons and others.
The ballots included people who voted twice, or in the names of people who died before absentee ballots were mailed back, state GOP leaders said.
Those votes, combined with 437 provisional ballots that were illegally fed directly into voting machines, should call Democratic Gov. Christine Gregoire's 129-vote victory over Republican Dino Rossi into question, the GOP said.
"Clearly we have more illegal votes than the margin of victory," state Republican Party Chairman Chris Vance said. "The law is on our side."
Rossi had narrow leads after the first count and a machine recount, but Gregoire won in a hand recount of the 2.9 million ballots cast Nov. 2. Republicans have filed a legal challenge in Chelan County Superior Court; Judge John E. Bridges has scheduled the next hearing for Feb. 4.
Republicans contend that mistakes such as the counting of 737 illegal ballots spoiled the election to the point that the real winner can never be known. They are pushing for a new election.
The state Democratic Party and several of the counties have filed motions to dismiss the case. Democrats say that while the election was close, the Republicans' evidence isn't enough to nullify the election and Gregoire is the legitimate governor.
"The GOP has regularly exaggerated problems in the election," state Democratic Party spokeswoman Kirstin Brost said Wednesday in a news release.
Republicans allege that 240 felons whose voting rights had not been restored cast ballots in the election, and that 16 ballots were from people who had voted twice, either casting two ballots in Washington state or ballots in Washington and another state. Vance said party officials found another 44 people who died before absentee ballots were mailed.
The King County prosecutor has asked the county sheriff to investigate four possible cases of voter fraud, prosecutor's spokesman Dan Donohoe said. Three involve people suspected of voting on behalf of dead relatives, and one is a person who may have voted twice.
You read my mind!
BTTT Pinging the usual suspects ;0)
The Dummies would have apoplexy...in spades. Well, I can dream.
pingaroo!
This article seems to be MISSING a few thousand points. Check it out.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1329454/posts
oops. I screwed up. Nevermind.
Having Gregoire declared the winner is like having a wrestler declared the winner when he loses 2 falls out of 3.
If you have proven fraud and proven illegal votes, how can they possibly not demand a recount or a new vote??
Yep. The GOP always says it but they never do anything about it.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1326595/posts
One more time!
She now has a blank check to destroy Washington. Be afraid, be very afraid.
The GOP should be screaming bloody murder....calling the White House, and saturating the media. Also, protesting in the streets. What a bunch of wusses!!!!
I have mixed feelings about this. I mean, if you're dead and you still vote, it certainly demonstrates a certain degree of determination on your part.
You forgot to tell the readers about the 55,000 votes that were altered by whiteout and blacking out original intent, and determining the voters intents by how they voted for other candidates. WA State law states that original markings on a ballot cannot be obliterated in any fashion, thus these 55,000 ballots should have been deemed illegal because they were illegally altered by vote counters.
Surprised you haven't heard us yelling at your house! We are stirring things up big time, court included.
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