Free Republic

Bellevue, WA – An internal e-mail adds to the evidence that the King County elections department knew about No Signature On File (NSOF) ballots well before it claimed to have discovered its “mistake.” King County rejected more than 700 ballots because it didn’t have signatures on file to match the signatures on the ballots. On Nov. 3, 2004, an e-mail sent to King County Elections Superintendent Bill Huennekens included a list of NSOF voters. A copy of the e-mail is attached. But in December, when news of the NSOF ballots became public, King County Elections Director Dean Logan, Huennekens’ boss,...

THE MESSENGER Meet the Badass Democrat Washington Can't Afford to Lose by Josh Feit Kirstin Brost agreed to be interviewed on the condition that we do it over drinks at her favorite hangout, the Five Point Cafe--the lumpen prole bar near the northern edge of downtown. The alcohol was having its effect: The salaried Democratic Party official ended up telling me that she still "doesn't know what John Kerry's position on Iraq was" and that Al Sharpton was the best candidate in the Dem field. ("Howard Dean had nothing on Al," Brost, 27, says with a smile.) She also allows...

Reality check on election contest rulings Gregoire & Dems lose most motions; New election still possible Bellevue, WA – Yesterday in Chelan County Superior Court, the Dino Rossi campaign won an overwhelming victory in Rossi’s election contest case. The judge rejected the Democratic Party’s efforts to throw the case out, allowing a trial to move forward, and although he specifically denied the Rossi campaign’s request for a revote, he left the path clear for nullifying the 2004 gubernatorial election. If the election is nullified, there will be a vacancy in the governor’s office and a new election must be held....

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Whoever wins the legal challenge to the governor's election, the citizens of Washington will pay. In fact, they're already paying. The state expects to spend about $200,000 of taxpayer money on private lawyers defending the Secretary of State's office. And every county auditor and prosecutor is spending thousands of taxpayer dollars in staff time to respond to the Republicans' lawsuit challenging the 129-vote victory of Gov. Christine Gregoire. Some say the lawsuit is bleeding resources from other areas of government. Republicans, convinced the election was irredeemably tainted, say the challenge is worth the cost. "We don't...

Feds threatened suit over military ballotsBy David Postman and Ralph ThomasSeattle Times staff reporters   OLYMPIA — Less than a month before the November election, the U.S. Department of Justice threatened to sue Washington state because it was moving too slowly in mailing military ballots overseas. At that point Washington was the only state that hadn't mailed its overseas ballots. Questions about military ballots have come up frequently since the Nov. 2 election ended with a deadlocked governor's race. Democrat Christine Gregoire was certified governor-elect Dec. 30 and is to be sworn in Wednesday. But Republican Dino Rossi has...

Friday, January 7, 2005 · Last updated 2:34 p.m. PT Gregoire: 'Healing to be done' By DAVID AMMONS AP POLITICAL WRITER OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Gov.-elect Christine Gregoire on Friday pledged to tour the state to begin a healing process after an election that deeply divided voters and the political parties. "It's my job to help the state of Washington heal," she told a Capitol news conference called primarily to introduce an initial round of key appointees. She is keeping outgoing Gov. Gary Locke's chief of staff, Tom Fitzsimmons, for at least six months and his budget director, Marty Brown, will...

OK, I'll ask: Should we vote again? By DAVID HORSEY SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL CARTOONIST At a social gathering in early November, I was cornered by a key player in Christine Gregoire's gubernatorial campaign. He wanted me to know that one of my editorial cartoons had thrown the election to Gregoire's opponent, Dino Rossi. Being my friend, he made his accusation with good humor, but he was clearly serious and obviously disappointed in me. Meanwhile, I was getting heat at work from readers offended by cartoons they interpreted as unfair to Rossi. So it goes with my job. I make everyone...

Here is Gov.-elect Christine Gregoire's victory speech, as delivered Thursday in the state Reception Room of the Capitol: Well, an election night without end has concluded. The votes have been counted, the count has been certified and I am honored to stand before you as governor-elect of the great state of Washington. Today could not have happened without the wonderful people who are with me today - the "First Mike" of the state of Washington, my husband Mike, and our two wonderful daughters, Courtney and Michelle, and we're joined by Speaker Frank Chopp today as well. I want to start...