Posted on 12/12/2004 1:25:18 AM PST by JosefK
Keep Legislature out of the governor’s race
THE NEWS TRIBUNE Last updated: December 11th, 2004 02:40 AM (PST)
The latest plan by some state Democrats to capture the governorship is downright embarrassing – and that’s putting it mildly.
In a letter to Secretary of State Sam Reed, Democratic Party lawyer David Burman claimed that under the state constitution, the race between Republican Dino Rossi and Democrat Christine Gregoire could be decided by a vote in the state Legislature, where Democrats control both houses.
That’s because an obscure constitutional provision grants power to lawmakers to decide the outcome of a “contested election.” According to Burman, an election could be considered contested if the challenger, presumably Gregoire, is able show errors in the vote counting that would have reversed the result.
The possibility of having the Legislature finally decide the outcome of this protracted race borders on the bizarre. Politically, it even has some Democratic lawmakers cringing.
State Rep. Dennis Flannigan (D-Tacoma) doesn’t believe “anyone will endorse someone who didn’t win the popular vote.” Flannigan has the right idea. Democrats should think twice about the popular backlash that would follow if they played the Legislature “card.” Gregoire, as well, should make it clear to fellow Democrats that she would oppose any effort to have the Legislature decide the outcome of the race.
Ideally, Gregoire and Rossi should accept the results of a statewide hand count of votes that has already gotten under way. But complicating the matter is a lawsuit filed by the Democratic Party with the state Supreme Court seeking to force some county election officials to also review disqualified ballots.
According to Reed, recounts have historically only applied to votes cast, not disqualified ballots. We hope the lawsuit fails. If it succeeds and Gregoire wins on the strength of previously disqualified ballots, it would invite a legal challenge by Republicans and trigger yet another delay. The state should be spared another round of legal wrangling.
Gregoire claimed Wednesday that she had nothing to do with the lawsuit. That’s a protective move, given the public’s growing impatience with the Democrats’ legal maneuvers. Her next step should be to publicly announce she will accept the result of the hand count.
And so should Rossi. Keep it out of the courts.
You should try it.
LOL
I take naps...
Yeah...sleep is overrated...I figure I can rest when I die
A-MEN.
I'm finishing up my blog post for the early edition...
The new blog post is at http://josef-a-k.blogspot.com/ - "THE NEWS-TRIBUNE RESPONDS..." with my own spin!
I thought they were recounting 7 days a week? I've seen no change at this site since Friday:
http://vote.wa.gov/general/recount.aspx
Are they counting this weekend?
At that point, the courts are presumably on the number that you count only the previously accepted votes for which Rossi had the majority. The Dems claim that you should "count all the votes"--and they then go to the legislature with that argument.
At that point, these dimwit Dems that are seen here will come to understand how it really works and Christine wins. That's the plan.
And so should Rossi. Keep it out of the courts.
I really am growing tired of those in the media who seem to be refusing to educate themselves about this election. They ignore all of the shenanigans that have taken place so far to get Gregoire as close to Rossi as she is, and the continued shenanigans that are taking place to change the result in her favor. If she wins this rerecount, legally, technically, she is the governor. There is no recourse but the courts, and the Republican had better go there if she steals this!
Election rules face Supreme Court test Monday
http://www.theolympian.com/home/news/20041212/_government/48201.shtml
Election workers will return to their tables Monday to continue the hand recount of votes cast for governor of Washington, but the count that might decide the election could come from the state Supreme Court chambers in Olympia.
To watch the proceedings
The Washington Supreme Court will hear oral arguments beginning at 1:30 p.m. Monday at the Temple of Justice in Olympia. Each side will have 30 minutes to make their case. The oral arguments will be covered live via TVW, Channel 23, and by C-SPAN 2.
It just means the SecState's office is shutting down.
Completely defensible on their parts - we respectfully don't need daily updates about the hand count. Just on the process...
Good point. Marummy's Defense Department is alive and well - http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002116909_recountcampaign12m.html .
I was a part of the process in Grays Harbor County, and saw how it worked. When my table (of three persons) finished the count of a precinct, we would submit a sheet of paper that counted the six categories of votes (Gregoire, Rossi, Bennett, write-in, overvote, and undervote), along with the total. By comparing our count to the previous machine count, errors could be detected in the counting of individual stacks of votes. We were instructed to recount a particular stack, and to look at the ballots again. Only after that, was a vote total changed for that precinct. Often, we'd see that the machine undervote total was a vote too high, one of the ballots that the machine didn't read really was a vote for a candidate, in the agreement of all at the table.
Presumably, King County is doing this the same way. There are precincts that have been fully counted, and I'm sure both Rossi and Gregoire have gained votes as a result. Those totals are knowable, and should be reported on an ongoing basis. If heavy Gregoire votes come in AFTER the other counties are through, then it would suggest fraud. The lamestream media needs to be watchful of this.
By the way, that's a nice blog you have there!
Thanks, I just added an update to it - mostly today's KING 5 UpFront WMVs so you don't have to drop Norton I-net Security to watch... and skip the ads, too!
You've done a service to us all. Unfortunately, I expect this all to be decided after I've left for Utah right after Christmas. Otherwise, I'd come up to your area, and buy you a beer to celebrate Governor Rossi!
Thanks. And I don't drink beer - but enjoy your X-mas!
I'm posting an update to my blog NOW - or you can just go to http://www.skagitvalleyherald.com/articles/2004/12/12/news/news04.txt to see what I'll talk about...
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