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King County voters in good hands
The Seattle Times ^ | 25 January 2005 | Corky Mattingly

Posted on 01/25/2005 7:41:25 AM PST by Josef1235

Guest columnist King County voters in good hands

By Corky Mattingly Special to The Times

I've been particularly troubled by one recurring comment regarding the gubernatorial recount in King County. It pertains to county Elections Director Dean Logan's professionalism and integrity. There also have been suggestions that Logan's decisions are based on partisan politics and are without justification or regard to Washington state law.

As president of the Washington State Association of County Auditors, I assure you nothing could be further from the truth.

All 39 counties conducted the recount process according to the rules currently in place, which are a combination of existing statutes, administrative code, county canvassing board rules and past practices. All 39 counties, working in cooperation with the secretary of state's office, came to agreement on the basic concept of how the ballots would actually be counted in this hand recount, prior to beginning the recount.

With that in mind, it is important to note that Washington, unlike many other states, actually has in place a recount statute with guidelines as to when, where and how such recounts are to be conducted. Again, these rules were in place prior to the hand recount process.

These processes and rules were implemented by county auditors across the state, both Republicans and Democrats, and by county canvassing boards that are comprised of three identified offices: the auditor, the prosecutor and the chair of the county legislative authority.

The key is that while they may all be elected as either Republicans or Democrats, they are part of the canvassing board by virtue of the office they hold and not the party they represent.

This results in the elections process in Washington being one of the most nonpartisan processes in the whole country. This also results in a very professional elections community.

In King County, while the elections officer is not elected, the current occupant of the office, Logan, is one of the leading elections professionals in Washington state and the country. He is a highly regarded member of the Association of County Auditors in Washington and has over the years taken the lead on important election-reform issues in the state. While with the secretary of state's office as director of elections, he played a critical role in the implementation of the Help America Vote Act in Washington.

Logan has my confidence in the actions he has taken, and is continuing to take, to ensure that the recount process in King County is open and transparent to the public at large. He has not shirked his responsibility.

He openly reported problems in the county's process and has stood firm in his commitment to rectify the problems for the sake of the voting public.

I urge that all concerned be clear about separating questions about the process of the recount from the emotions of the politics of the moment. Legitimate questions about the process can and should be raised, but accusations about the motives of the professionals carrying out this process are unproductive and detrimental to our election process.

The public can have faith in the fact that the King County recount process in the governor's race is in Logan's good hands and is being carried out according to the laws and procedures of the state of Washington.

Corky Mattingly is Yakima County auditor and president of the Washington State Association of County Auditors.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Editorial; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Washington
KEYWORDS: amoral; audit; auditor; cheat; christinegregoire; dean; dino; dinorossi; elections; fraudoire; gregoire; ignorance; ignore; lie; logan; malfeasance; marummy; rossi; spinster; steal; stealingelections; theft; themostcorruptstate; votefraud; wrong
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To: r9etb

It is time to purge all voter rolls in the country. We then have the next two years to re-register. This would solve all problems.

There is no way that anyone can complain with all the new registrations that took place this election.

Is fair to both parties because both parties are affected equally.


21 posted on 01/25/2005 8:20:10 AM PST by EQAndyBuzz (60 votes and the world changes.)
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To: Josef1235
Sure we had some errors; nothing though, out of the ordinary; it is human to error; we did our best; a close election merely amplifies small errors; errors happen in every election; the courts told us we had to release the names of those we didn't have signatures for; we didn't do anything wrong, just a few mistakes; it wasn't partisan; everything was honest; mistakes happen; we are professionals here; with so many votes a few errors are likely; it wasn't our fault; no one should expect an error free election; every vote must count; I take offense at people who say I had some ulterior motives; I was just doing my job; we were just following orders; Sims made me do it; I didn't do anything wrong; blah, blah, blah, blah, blah...

Did I leave anything out?

22 posted on 01/25/2005 8:20:15 AM PST by vox_freedom (Fear no evil)
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To: Josef1235
Nice piece of government double-speak. I don't believe people are questioning the procedures used in the manual recounting of the ballots, they're questioning what happened before and during the recount:

"Enhancing" 55,000 ballots using differing standards,
"Finding" more ballots nine separate times,
Not purging the rolls of the dead and felons as required by law,
Having more votes than voters in some precincts and having more voters than votes in others.

and so on, and so on, and so on..........

23 posted on 01/25/2005 8:20:45 AM PST by SW6906
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To: vox_freedom

Not much. Tell you what - go to http://josef-a-k.blogspot.com/2005/01/gregocrat-doublespeak.html and read three state legislators' versions. Especially Rep. Zack Hudgins (11th District) - must-hear stuff!


24 posted on 01/25/2005 8:21:28 AM PST by Josef1235 (My blog: http://josef-a-k.blogspot.com)
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To: Josef1235

blah, blah, blah...a bureaucratic mouthpiece standing up for fraud from the political party that supports the bureaucracy...


25 posted on 01/25/2005 8:26:15 AM PST by Libertarian444
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To: ErnBatavia
I get so tired about hearing these wacko's in King County actually trying to sound like everything is on the up and up.
I was particularly nauseated listening to Erin Hart on Kiro Radio Saturday night. She is a lunatic of the left and uses her not so prime time radio show to babble incoherently about how the nation is in great danger and people like Barbara Boxer is a champion of the people.
Blah Blah Blah....I was out of cellphone range whilst I was listening in my car but sent Erin a email yesterday asking that she take a break and move to France..
26 posted on 01/25/2005 8:27:01 AM PST by Delmont (Velveeta-taint and all that news)
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To: Josef1235
Image Hosted by ImageShack.us Refuse to be assimilated by the Washington State BORG! (Bureaucratic, Overbearing, Repugnant Government)
27 posted on 01/25/2005 8:36:59 AM PST by Bean Counter
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To: Delmont
I tried Erin once... NEVER AGAIN!

Loons of the left be forearmed: Enough's enough!

The center (as in Dinocrats) and the right (as in Republicans) have united behind Washington State Secretary of Defense Mary "Marummy" Lane!
28 posted on 01/25/2005 8:37:07 AM PST by Josef1235 (My blog: http://josef-a-k.blogspot.com)
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To: Josef1235; Delmont
I don't think I'd try her even once...whew!


29 posted on 01/25/2005 8:43:05 AM PST by ErnBatavia (ErnBatavia, Boxer, Pelosi, Thomas...the ultimate nightmare Menage a Quatro)
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To: Josef1235

That's right, if you don't agree with her she gets very snotty and starts talking like she smokes crack before her show.
She is also very jealous of W's daughters, like they have something to do with anything other than being alive.


30 posted on 01/25/2005 8:44:50 AM PST by Delmont (Velveeta-taint and all that news)
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To: Josef1235
WASHINGTON VOTE FRAUD SONG
31 posted on 01/25/2005 8:45:49 AM PST by doug from upland (THE RED STATES - celebrate a great American tradition)
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To: ErnBatavia

Now picture this, a shrill whiny voice, a bad attitude, a Prom Queen wanabee on crack.


32 posted on 01/25/2005 8:46:00 AM PST by Delmont (Velveeta-taint and all that news)
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To: Delmont

Nice but let's keep focused on the entry itself :-).


33 posted on 01/25/2005 8:59:39 AM PST by Josef1235 (My blog: http://josef-a-k.blogspot.com)
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To: Josef1235
From my viewpoint, the finding and use of felons and dead people that have been found on the voter rolls requires not a recount of the ballots, but a new vote for the Governor of the State of Washington.
There are too many discrepancies in this election. The idea that votes could be found in various places in only King County shows that the Democrats are up to something foul.

I hope that the judiciary will finally call for a re-vote. That appears to be the only fair way out of this mess. They did it in the Ukraine, why not here? Ballot stuffing cannot be tolerated by any Party.
34 posted on 01/25/2005 9:02:09 AM PST by Doc91678 (Doc91678)
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To: Doc91678

"From my viewpoint, the finding and use of felons and dead people that have been found on the voter rolls requires not a recount of the ballots, but a new vote for the Governor of the State of Washington.
There are too many discrepancies in this election. The idea that votes could be found in various places in only King County shows that the Democrats are up to something foul.

I hope that the judiciary will finally call for a re-vote. That appears to be the only fair way out of this mess. They did it in the Ukraine, why not here? Ballot stuffing cannot be tolerated by any Party."

Nice summary of my views. Let me quote Rep. Zack Hudgins (11th District) (Dem):

“There’s certainly some irregularities in the election process. But as long as people are involved, as long as humans make mistakes, as long as people can’t follow the instructions there are always going to be irregularities. So what we need to do in this case is to make sure it goes to the courts and that the courts look at these things. ...” (I left off the end)
http://hdc.leg.wa.gov/members/hudgins/20051210_hudgins_election_reform.mp3

My blog entry at http://josef-a-k.blogspot.com/2005/01/gregocrat-doublespeak.html has all of this kind of crap


35 posted on 01/25/2005 9:05:23 AM PST by Josef1235 (My blog: http://josef-a-k.blogspot.com)
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To: farmfriend


36 posted on 01/25/2005 10:39:57 AM PST by Libertarianize the GOP (Make all taxes truly voluntary)
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To: Josef1235

Clearly, the election fraud extends then to the Washington State Association of County Auditors. How can any auditor not point out that the "found" ballots whose chain of custody is in grave question are more than sufficient to undermine any claim to legitimacy on the part of Gregoir?


37 posted on 01/25/2005 11:01:14 AM PST by thoughtomator (Favorite Dish: Spotted Owl Teriyaki)
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To: thoughtomator

Try one that is biased towards "the system" and crooked.


38 posted on 01/25/2005 11:07:48 AM PST by Josef1235 (My blog: http://josef-a-k.blogspot.com)
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To: r9etb

Corky = woman? Must be a form of holistic lib birth control?


39 posted on 01/25/2005 11:21:04 AM PST by llevrok (Don't blame me, I voted for Pedro!)
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To: llevrok
Corky = woman? Must be a form of holistic lib birth control?

I'm guessing that birth control, holistic or otherwise, may not be a factor here....

40 posted on 01/25/2005 11:24:14 AM PST by r9etb
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