Posted on 05/24/2005 12:21:47 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WENATCHEE, Wash. - The judge hearing a challenge to Washington state's 2004 gubernatorial election agreed Tuesday to let Republicans introduce evidence that Democratic-leaning King County recorded several hundred more votes than it could account for.
Republicans allege errors and possible fraud in the county, which includes Seattle, helped Democrats steal the election for Christine Gregoire, who beat Republican Dino Rossi by 129 votes out of 2.9 million cast.
"The evidence is overwhelming that there was unbelievable neglect in King County and, we believe, outright fraud by high-ranking King County officials," GOP attorney Dale Foreman said Monday.
Democrats had tried to block the GOP evidence, saying Republicans had brought up the issue too late and with no evidence to back up its claims.
Chelan County Superior Court Judge John E. Bridges said Tuesday he didn't believe the GOP claim was new. However, the judge added: "The court is not in a position at this time to determine that these are illegal votes."
Election officials say it's normal for the number of ballots cast in an election to be greater than the number of people credited with voting. Among other reasons, some voters forget to sign in when they cast their ballots, and under federal rules, some military ballots can be cast by voters not registered in the county.
Before Monday's opening arguments, Republicans had largely complained of bungling rather than outright fraud on the part of election officials.
Among the evidence of alleged fraud cited by the GOP is sworn testimony from a King County elections worker who said she and the assistant election superintendent agreed to a report that falsely showed that all absentee ballots had been accounted for.
In his deposition, the superintendent said the county's election superintendent, Bill Huennekens, knew about the flaws in the report before the county canvassing board certified the results.
"He allowed this fraud on the citizens to go forward," Foreman alleged in his opening statement.
Democrats and their lawyers scoffed at the GOP's fraud allegations.
"There is no question who won this election," Democratic attorney Kevin Hamilton said in his opening statement, standing by a poster-sized copy of the certification of Gregoire's election. Instead of fraud, Hamilton said, the GOP is presenting "a loose collection of administrative errors."
Rossi filed the election challenge after winning the first two counts, only to lose a final, hand recount by 129 votes to Gregoire. On Monday, Gregoire's office said she was too busy to follow the trial. Rossi's campaign office said he watched it on television. Neither plans to attend the trial.
___
On the Net:
Video of the trial: http://www.tvw.org
What's the translation?? Are we any closer to a revote or is all this court stuff a worthless waste of time?
Among the evidence of alleged fraud cited by the GOP is sworn testimony from a King County elections worker who said she and the assistant election superintendent agreed to a report that falsely showed that all absentee ballots had been accounted for.
In his deposition, the superintendent said the county's election superintendent, Bill Huennekens, knew about the flaws in the report before the county canvassing board certified the results.
"He allowed this fraud on the citizens to go forward," Foreman alleged in his opening statement.
If Pubs win....it will be appealed......who knows.....it's a crap shoot....but, this makes it a little MORE LIKELY...
fyi
Personally, I don't think the Judge has any choice but to invalidate the election results and call for a new election.
Also, charges need to be brought against a few certain dem operatives that attempted to shanghai the elective process.
Cha-ching
At least there is some hope that this outrage will be corrected.
Rat bastards need to have their heads handed to them for this disgrace.
In WA?
Dont COUNT on it.
IT would be fun that amid all the MoveOn-type whining about vote fraud, the only proven case of it is laid at the doorstep of the Dems in a stinking heap.
I was gonna say something like that, but it's easier to cut and paste.
Give 'em hell Pubbies!
FGS
She's busy all right, busy raising every tax she can, while she can.
Don't hold your breath waiting for 'justice to be done'.
Even if "we the people" win the court case, all it takes is one appeal to the '9th circus'.
One thing for sure, if fraud is proven and Rossi is made Gov. in a revote or by overturning of the election results all that will be heard from the Dems. is a mini-version of what the Bush administration has been getting. The plaintive whine of "stolen election" will go on for years.
I can live with that....LOL
I'm not sure it can be appealed beyond the state Supreme Court, unless there are federal issues involved. It's a state election matter.
Coverage of the trial has a live thread going here.
Somebody needs to go to jail.
I have to agree with you. Even if it gets past the WA courts, you have the 9th Circuit blocking their path.
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