Posted on 05/09/2007 8:29:10 PM PDT by InvisibleChurch
INDIANAPOLIS -- A day after five Marion County precincts failed to open for Tuesday's primary election, the county's clerk said she would welcome efforts to seek a revote in those precincts.
As many as 100 of the county's 917 precincts failed to open as scheduled at 6 a.m. Tuesday, and five precincts -- where about 3,100 people are registered to vote -- never opened Tuesday. White about 150 inspectors -- the people legally required to open polling places -- failed to show for duty as scheduled.
Because people must vote at their own precinct, the people belonging to the five closed precincts couldn't vote Tuesday.
White (pictured) said she feels bad for those would-be voters, but she said Indiana law does not allow her to order a revote on her own. However, she said if they decide to sue in federal court for a revote in the five precincts, and the court orders such a revote, she would comply.
"I would not resist it in any way. I would be anxious to comply with that court order," White, a Democrat, told 6News' Norman Cox.
Secretary of State Todd Rokita, who oversees elections in Indiana, said he also would support people in the five precincts if they want to sue to vote.
"They did have their civil rights deprived. Of course I would support (a lawsuit)," said Rokita, a Republican.
Rokita said his staff is exploring possible remedies, but he said he believes state law doesn't address the closures of precincts. He said the law is aimed more at individuals being denied the right to vote -- not entire precincts.
He said he is not aware of any precinct in Indiana history that failed to open during an election, Tuesday's closures excluded.
Republicans Criticize White
Republicans who accused White of mismanaging the election on Tuesday criticized her again on Wednesday, this time because the county did not begin its official canvass of the votes as scheduled.
About 24 election workers arrived at the county election board's warehouse at 8 a.m. Wednesday to begin the official count, but county election officials didn't arrive until about 10 a.m. Eventually, the workers were sent home because some of the ballots hadn't yet been delivered from the voting places to the warehouse.
The board paid the workers for Wednesday and asked them to return for the canvass at 9 a.m. Thursday, White said.
Jennifer Ping, co-chairman of the county's Republican Party, said White was to blame.
"Ballots weren't even loaded off the trucks yet," Ping said. "This is just yet another example of Ms. White's inability to manage the elections moving forward."
Cox asked White whether paying the workers for Wednesday was a waste of taxpayers' money.
"I can't answer that except to say that as a courtesy to them ... we will be compensating them," White said.
Precincts count votes on the night of an election, and those tallies are reported to the news media. However, the county generally starts an official count of those votes the next day.
So what kind of voting scam were the DemocRats trying to pull this time?
Here is a new voter fraud trick
They should be FINED, not paid!
My first thought and how did they pay them off. What a scam.
Vote Early, Vote Often
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1518679/posts
The first red flag. Why were just these 5 not opened? Duh????? The people who pulled this must think they they just do it and not be accountable. Now where have I heard that?
Which side of the aisle were those 5 precincts going to lean?
When will I begin to hear the word race and incompetence.
A better question would be who’s getting the ghost employee checks....
This mayor and local Dems are INCREDIBLY corrupt, and the local media just looks the other way..............
Since it’s not mentioned, I presume White has a (D) after her name...
bump into the day
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