Posted on 12/16/2004 11:28:21 AM PST by Pharmboy
GASTONIA, N.C. (AP) - Two local elections officials resigned after investigations revealed mishandling of vote tallies in Gaston County, including more than 13,000 votes that weren't discovered until after Election Day. Sandra Page, elections director, and Tony Branch, chairman of the elections board, resigned Wednesday following a closed-door meeting of the board.
The counsel for the state board, Don Wright, had questioned Page for two days about the county's numerous problems on Election Day, including a failure by poll workers to check the number of ballots cast against the number of people recorded as voting.
The county failed to include more than 13,000 votes - nearly one in five of those cast - in its unofficial election results. The tally was later updated, but dozens of ballots cast at curbside by voters who could not walk into a precinct may not have been counted, officials said.
"We have made a few errors and we have been guilty of ignorance, but we are cognizant of what those issues are now," said county elections board member Richard Jordan.
Neither Page nor Branch commented on the board's decision as they left the meeting.
Last month, Page blamed discrepancies between the number of ballots cast and the number of voters on precinct workers who failed to follow instructions. "We're sitting here victims of what happens out there, and we get the blame for it," she said.
Almost 64,000 ballots were cast Nov. 2 in the county, which is west of Charlotte.
AP-ES-12-16-04 1402EST
Help me out here, tarheels...
These two have relatives in King County, WA.
The article says: Last month, Page blamed discrepancies between the number of ballots cast and the number of voters on precinct workers who failed to follow instructions. "We're sitting here victims of what happens out there, and we get the blame for it," she said.
Yup. Dems.
Branch is Dem.
Thanks for the info. Appreciated.
I saw the bio in Charlotte observer online, is anyone needs reference material:)
bump for later tonight
See the ANTI-DNC Web Portal at --->
http://www.noDNC.com
Gaston county is a republican co.
Bush 34,492 69%
Kerry 15,186 31%
Badnarik 174 0%
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