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Rossi given fresh hope as 'mystery voters' grow
Seattle Post-Intelligencer ^ | Tuesday, January 4, 2005 | CHRIS McGANN

Posted on 01/04/2005 12:37:46 AM PST by nickcarraway

GOP calls on counties to explain a discrepancy of nearly 8,500

Thousands of "mystery voters" in the counties of King, Pierce, Snohomish, Clark and Kitsap appear to be Republican Dino Rossi's best prospect for challenging the legitimacy of the closest and most contentious gubernatorial election in the state's history.

The state Republican Party yesterday called on county election officials to explain what the GOP says is a nearly 8,500-vote discrepancy between county vote tallies and the number of people credited with actually voting in the election.

"People ask me what would fraud look like? It would look like this," said state Republican Party Chairman Chris Vance.

County auditors and election officials say Republicans have based their conclusions on there being many more votes than voters on preliminary lists, and they say much of the deviation would be accounted for as voter lists are updated.

But they do not dispute that the numbers don't add up.

And most agree they never will.

"At the end of this, it's never going to match one to one given the volume," said Dean Logan, elections director of King County, which counted about 900,000 votes.

The current number is "larger than I'm comfortable with," Logan said. But based on historical data, he expects the reconciled lists to include 1,000 to 1,500 more votes than voters accounted for even after the lists are reconciled.

Logan said those unaccounted-for votes would likely be from military voters who cast federal write-in ballots and the 76 people in King County who participate in the Address Confidentiality Program.

"I think this is sort of the issue du jour," Logan said. "There has been no evidence of any voter fraud. The differences on the lists are not, in and of themselves, indication that there was."

Vance said that's outrageous.

"You simply can't have more votes counted than you have voters," Vance said. "The counties have to come up with a plausible explanation for this and if they don't this election is invalid on its face."

And Secretary of State Sam Reed again said that this issue could be used to contest the election.

Throughout the process, both parties have scrutinized even the smallest inconsistencies.

Democrat Christine Gregoire became governor-elect when a hand recount of nearly 2.9 million votes put her ahead of Rossi by 129 votes. Rossi had come out 261 votes ahead after the first machine count and 42 votes ahead after the mandatory mechanical recount.

Last week Republicans demanded that King County explain how its tally of votes counted exceeded the number of people listed as voting by 3,539. This week they found similar disparities in other populous counties.

Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey said he thinks that 553 of the 1,005 vote-to-voter discrepancy there will be accounted for when the list of inactive voters -- those who have not participated in recent elections -- is reconciled with those who did in fact turn out in November.

But he has no plans to try to account for 452 extra poll, absentee and provisional votes.

"It would be a huge task," Kimsey said. "You are looking through 121,679 absentee ballots, affidavit envelopes and through poll books where 50,598 voters cast their ballots.

"The controls that are in place in the election process ensure that only registered voters are going to receive a ballot. While I understand the concern that comes from seeing two different numbers, the controls are at the front end."

Republicans contend that serious questions arise when results are certified before the voter lists are reconciled with the number of votes counted.

The counties say they don't because law does not require it.

Reed said that in each election, counties have a statutory requirement to record the names of all voters who cast ballots. He said that reconciling that list with the list of votes cast is an important quality-control measure.

Significant discrepancies could be of grave concern, he said.

"This is an issue that could potentially be used to contest the election," Reed said. "You'd have to make the point to the judge that it actually made a difference."

Carolyn Diepenbrock, Snohomish County elections manager, said the deviation in her lists is 388, not the more than 1,700 as the Republican's contend.

"We believe that the majority of those 388 are poll voters who signed in the poll book but actually voted a provisional ballot," Diepenbrock said.

She said the county would likely be able to update records as early as tomorrow.

King County officials said they would release completed lists Friday.

Pat McCarthy, Pierce County auditor, said she couldn't say how much the two lists deviated but she knows it's by less than the 1,640 Republicans contend.

She said that if the number were that big "it would have been a problem."

Rossi's spokeswoman Mary Lane said there's no excuse for certifying the election before these lists are reconciled. Otherwise, "we can't be certain that the number they certified is valid," Lane said.

"If someone wanted to commit voter fraud, this is one of the ways they could do it. When you have a number this huge, in an election this close, we need to have the answers and the counties need to provide those answers -- and the onus is on them right now."

One high-profile Republican, former Gov. Dan Evans, joined the chorus calling for a new election with an online essay published Friday.

"Democracy may be messy, but its principles are why it still serves us best," Evans wrote for the Web site www.revotewa.com. "If we screw up the implementation, let's go back to the principles. The voters' will is paramount."

He proposed a special election next month. Yesterday, Evans said his appetite for a revote depends heavily on how King County answers questions about the 3,500-vote difference between voter rolls and certified ballots.

"If they can explain that and there are no other significant errors, in spite of the fact of a close election, it's time to say 'OK, we'll accept it,' " Evans said.


TOPICS: Breaking News; Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Front Page News; Government; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; Political Humor/Cartoons; US: Washington
KEYWORDS: democratscheat; dinorossi; election; fraud; gop; gregoire; recount; republicam; revote; rossi; stealingelections; votefraud; washington
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To: nickcarraway
. "There has been no evidence of any voter fraud. The differences on the lists are not, in and of themselves, indication that there was."

Then why bother keeping the lists?

61 posted on 01/04/2005 6:13:37 AM PST by Rodney King (No, we can't all just get along.)
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To: nickcarraway
Hey DUmmies! You guys are the only ones who commit vote fraud, and it looks like this time you(r) chumps got caught. Haha...
62 posted on 01/04/2005 6:15:22 AM PST by demlosers
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To: maica
How can these officials in Washington hold their heads up in public with these huge discrepancies?

When your accept lying and cheating as a way of life, it comes easy for them.

63 posted on 01/04/2005 6:19:50 AM PST by demlosers
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To: Mo1

LOL in alphabetical order...that's sweet!


64 posted on 01/04/2005 6:24:15 AM PST by antivenom (If your not living on the edge, you're taking up too much damn space!!!)
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To: nickcarraway

>>>Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey said he thinks that 553 of the 1,005 vote-to-voter discrepancy there will be accounted for

Usually auditors are employed to verify results. To have an auditor who makes judgements by guessing instead of actually taking the time to verify the results is plain wrong and probably fraudulent.

Unfortunately even a revote would be counted by these same people. We need a clean sweep of all the "officials" who've been involved with this fraudulent activity. Fire them, vote them out. Do whatever it takes to regain the trust of the residents of Washington.

On the eastside of the state, people are furious with the actions of the "elites" on the westside. Even democrats here realize that they've let the tiger out. Their party has gone too far this time.


65 posted on 01/04/2005 6:54:25 AM PST by Spokane
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To: Timeout
It might make sense if she had said there are provisional voters whose ballot was eventually counted but they WERE NOT entered in the poll book. In that case ballots would exceed vote turnout.

But that's not what she said. They DID sign the book...and thus they are included in the vote turnout count. Her explanation seems upside down.

Am I misunderstanding what these people are saying?!

That is the way I read it too. It doesn't seem to explain the fact that there are more actual votes (not just names) than people listed as voting. What she described would seem to have the opposite impact.

This is looking worse and worse for the RATs IMHO. Of course, since they control most everything in WA, it remains to be seen whether or not we can actually do anything about it.

66 posted on 01/04/2005 7:01:51 AM PST by comebacknewt
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To: GretchenM

LOL


67 posted on 01/04/2005 7:07:49 AM PST by ride the whirlwind (The smallest Good Deed is better than the grandest Good Intention.)
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To: nickcarraway

68 posted on 01/04/2005 7:09:55 AM PST by Polybius
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Comment #69 Removed by Moderator

To: Ramius; Scott from the Left Coast; HairOfTheDog
...he expects the reconciled lists to include 1,000 to 1,500 more votes than voters accounted for even after the lists are reconciled.

Would that kind of "accounting error" be acceptable from a private sector company? I didn't think so. These clowns really need to be held accountable to Sarbanes-Oxley standards.

70 posted on 01/04/2005 7:30:33 AM PST by ecurbh (.. .-.. --- ...- . .... .- .. .-. --- ..-. - .... . -.. --- --.)
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Comment #71 Removed by Moderator

To: nickcarraway

Don't let it go Dino~!


72 posted on 01/04/2005 7:47:18 AM PST by zeaal (SPREAD TRUTH!)
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To: DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet

We have to support Rossi, he HAS TO challange the results, it is time to stab the democrat voter fraud machine in the heart. Washington STATE is our stage for doing so.


73 posted on 01/04/2005 7:47:59 AM PST by DixieOklahoma (Alabama - in 2006 vote ROY MOORE governor! - don't let us down!)
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To: nickcarraway

The GOP is getting closer to having enough evidence to contest and move for a new vote.


74 posted on 01/04/2005 7:49:43 AM PST by 1Old Pro
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To: nickcarraway

There's only one good answer to this whole thing: The totally secret ballot has to go. There has to be some way to trace every vote back to the guy who cast it and check up on it.


75 posted on 01/04/2005 7:52:25 AM PST by judywillow
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To: nopardons; Mo1; gov_bean_ counter; Poohbah; Nick Danger; Southack; mhking

If this doesn't make the case for eliminating provisional ballots, REQUIRING photo ID with the voter registration card to vote at the polls, tightening the requirements for absentee ballots, and immediate purging of voting rolls when the government receives notice that a person has died, then I do not know what will.

I also think that voter registration cards should be sent out every two years - and if they are returned to the sender, the name should be purged from the rolls. I think the Justice Department ought to be presented with the evidence gathered. That is prima facia evidence that fraud occured, and people's votes were diluted by it. The Voting Rights Act would be a wonderful tool to use.


76 posted on 01/04/2005 7:57:25 AM PST by hchutch (A pro-artificial turf, pro-designated hitter baseball fan.)
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To: nickcarraway

77 posted on 01/04/2005 7:57:32 AM PST by sionnsar († trad-anglican.faithweb.com † || Iran Azadi || Gregoirovich, NYET!! www.revotewa.com)
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To: NEPA; maica; LibreOuMort

elections judges ping


78 posted on 01/04/2005 7:58:55 AM PST by sionnsar († trad-anglican.faithweb.com † || Iran Azadi || Gregoirovich, NYET!! www.revotewa.com)
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To: sionnsar
Letter in today's King County Journal

County fails `smell' test
2005-01-04
ELECTION

I have volunteered for a number of political campaigns over the past 16 years. Sometimes my candidates win, and often not -- but that's how elections go and if I believe they're fair I live with the result.

But King County's handling of this election, adding ``discovered'' ballots during recounts not once or twice but nine times, permanently remarking ``clarified'' ballots, changing rules mid-process and more, makes it clear that this election was neither clean nor fair.

Whether it is massive incompetence or outright fraud, this makes our government illegitimate.

I can accept a defeat by even one vote -- but only if I believe the counting was done cleanly, fairly and honestly. King County fails that smell test.

This election must be done over.

William W. Wallace
Redmond

79 posted on 01/04/2005 8:01:15 AM PST by sionnsar († trad-anglican.faithweb.com † || Iran Azadi || Gregoirovich, NYET!! www.revotewa.com)
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To: Coop

I can't understand why Vance won't do something to stop this. He represents the GOP, but apparently if the Dems win, Vance's buddies won't go to jail. I live in the state and worked in elections Clark county. It usually votes heavily GOP...strange in this election Clark County along with several others had more votes than voters. Clark county is in the Vancouver area, with lots of population. The fraud in Washington state is totally out of control and the DNC will continue down that road as long as the GOP allows this to happen.


80 posted on 01/04/2005 8:08:12 AM PST by cousair (i)
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