New Error Found in Vote Tally - Oops...never mind [Kiev County, WA]

Seattle times ^ | 1/11/05 | Keith Ervin

[Timeout]

Oops — never mind.

Three days after King County election officials explained most of a controversial discrepancy between the number of ballots cast and voters known to have voted, the gap has grown again.

After whittling the discrepancy from 3,539 votes to 1,217 last week, officials yesterday said they had made a mistake.

The number of votes now unaccounted for is "somewhere around 1,800," county Elections Superintendent Bill Huennekens said yesterday.

It's impossible to come up with a precise number, Huennekens said, because workers are adding and deleting names of registered voters as they update the list in preparation for a Feb. 8 special election.

[GretchenM]

Thanks for the ping.

"Huennekens said the numbers released Friday were wrong because the names of 1,003 voters appeared twice on the voter list. Not all of them voted in the November election. Computer experts are trying to figure out why some names were on the list twice."

I feel so much better now about those certified results. I can hardly wait till the legislature of my state accepts said certification!

"Logan said Sunday that he discovered the date on the fact sheet originally posted by King County was in error. He said numbers on the report, which he produced himself, were inadvertently changed when converted to code for the Web site."

Now there's a new one. How'd that conversion occur? I produce and update web sites with numbers and there's nothing converted about them. I type the date / data and hit Publish. Using HTML code has never altered any numbers I input.

[GretchenM]

Who put the yeast in King County election returns?

[ImphClinton]

Thanks for the post.

If true this should sink King County. They should be forced to count more Absentee Ballots rejected because of the post date. These votes could eaisly reverse the election.

[snugs]

Thanks Gretchen what is the long and short of what is happening at present

[GretchenM]

There is a REVOTE rally being held at the state capitol in Olympia today. Petitions are being presented to the legislature to this effect. I read that 200,000 signatures had been gathered in 12 days.

Possts # 22, 26, and 29 on this thread have info on some current happenings.

I understand that one of the first bills introduced into the legislature after it opened the current session this week was to make it illegal for citizens to petition the legislature to change the laws. I read one person's view that the bill doesn't stand a chance but it's an ugly idea.

In our state, a bill has to pass the house in which it was introduced, then go to the other house and be passed; if there are differences in what each house passes, they have to be reconciled or the bill dies; if it passes in either its original or reconciled form, it goes to the governor for signature; if the governor signs it, it becomes law. If the governor doesn't sign it and lets a certain number of days pass, it becomes law regardless. If the governor vetoes it, the two houses can overturn the veto.

Back to the current fiasco, what I'm seeing in legislative responses to FReeper Emails (including mine) is that a significant chunk of our legislature, dem-controlled, is really not wanting to touch this -- massive responsibility-dodging -- and is wanting to make sure it ends up in a court somewhere.

[JennysCool]

Using HTML code has never altered any numbers I input.

You're just not trying as hard as they are! :-)

[sionnsar]

If you read SoundPolitics.com yesterday morning...you already knew this.

I read it and I knew it. Stefan Sharansky got very well-deserved applause at today's rally.

[sionnsar]

I was on the fence about what to do about this Washington election. I was leaning toward letting it go. THIS cinches it for me. I'm just one person, but this would be it for me. Now I hope Dino pushes it as far as it can be pushed.

Welcome! If this doesn't get nipped here it will repeat all around the country, and we'll be no better than some banana republic.

[sionnsar]

>> "many of the unexplained ballots probably were cast by registered voters who failed to sign in when they went to polling places." <<
How could this possibly be. Every time I have voted, you had to sign in before you were handed a ballot. And this was observed by two or three poll workers.
This doesn't pass the smell test.

My wife is a polls inspector (runs the polling place) -- you are correct, this doesn't pass the smell test.

(She makes very sure things are clean in her stations; the workers don't leave until every single ballot is accounted for.)

[Hank Rearden]

Bulk-permit mailings normally do not get postmarked; there's no evidence of date of mailing except the paperwork on file at the post office.

Once it gets into the military system for forwarding, though, things might be different.

[sionnsar]

Isn't it amazing that the poll-obsessed media have run exactly ZERO statewide polls on this issue?!

I recall KING or KOMO ran a ("a", one) poll. John Carlson noted onhis show that the results of that poll were very, very close to the one commissioned by the Republican party. (ANd gave the numbers.)

That's probably why you haven't seen more.

See^BS has shown us how honest and non-partisan the self-professed mainstream media aren't. (Which is doubly a pity because there are such people in the MSM --even CBS-- and they aren't all conservatives or Republicans. But they also aren't the ones running the show.)

[ThanhPhero]

They just snuck in when nobody was looking.

[sionnsar]

They should be forced to count more Absentee Ballots rejected because of the post date. These votes could eaisly reverse the election.

I repectfully disagree. This one has been so messed up it needs to be tossed out.

Winning is important (very important given the stakes) -- but what is even more important is that the election be conducted fairly, honestly and cleanly.

I would accept a Rossi defeat under such conditions -- very unhappily, but I would accept it because it means our system of elections is working as intended, and there would be hope for the future. (As I have had in his Republican predecessors' defeats -- and I heard two of those I've supported speak at the rally today.)

But a Rossi defeat under the current conditions tells me that we now live under the rule of men and not of laws, and it tells me we are on the perilous and very slippery slope towards a corrupt self-perpetuating government that is not, and intends forever to be not, of, by, or for the people.

[ImphClinton]

But.

Would the rerun be fair?

I seriously doubt it. No doubt more cat's and dog's are being added to the rolls as we speak.

[ride the whirlwind]

Thanks for the most recent pings GretchenM. Sigh

From Sound Politics

[LibreOuMort]

I concur with you, Sionnsar - this one is so screwed up it has to be re-done.

Let's start by wiping the voter rolls clean and re-registering everyone. We can do that right now (one little "oops" in the computer system can fry the whole database) - Easy. Next, we give people one month to get registered, and we take one month to check their eligibility. Next, we require ID and voter reg cards to be presented at the time of voting. Provisional balloting to be done at the County records and elections office only. PERIOD! That takes all the guesswork out of it. Oh, and BTW, have observers from all political parties at each polling place all day long! No observers, no voting.

[4woodenboats]

rally is on TVW right NOW

[Vicki]

They must be using that "new math". You know, 2+2=5