Posted on 11/07/2008 2:47:02 PM PST by Caleb1411
When the polls closed Tuesday evening, Minnesota's Secretary of State's office showed that Norm Coleman had a 725-vote win in his closely contested race against Al Franken. By the next morning, however, Coleman's victory was already shrinking. As various precincts and county auditors have "corrected" their totals, Coleman's lead has dropped to a mere 237 votes. Minnesota Republicans are concerned that the fix may be in.
An example of the kind of thing now going on was reported in today's Minneapolis Star Tribune:
Just as Secretary of State Mark Ritchie was explaining to reporters the recount process in one of the narrowest elections in Minnesota history, an aide rushed in with news: Pine County's Partridge Township had revised its vote total upward -- another 100 votes for Democratic candidate Al Franken, putting him within .011 percentage points of Republican U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman.
The reason for the change? Exhausted county officials had accidentally entered 24 for Franken instead of 124 when the county's final votes were tallied at 5:25 Wednesday morning.
Currently, the Minnesota Secretary of State's office shows the Franken's total in Partridge Township as 129, not 124. Still, the Partridge story is the most coherent explanation we've gotten so far as to why vote totals have repeatedly been adjusted to Franken's advantage.
Optical scan ballots are used nearly everywhere in Minnesota. The system is simple: once the polls close, absentee ballots are run through the machines with Republican and Democratic poll watchers both present. The machines are then locked down. The machine prints a tape that looks like a grocery store printout that summarizes the number of votes cast for each candidate in each race. At the same time, the totals are uploaded electronically, via a secure phone line connected to the box, to the county where the precinct is located; from there, they are reported to the Secretary of State. The tape showing the precinct's vote totals is signed by the precinct's election judge and is required to be publicly displayed.
There is essentially no human input here. There is no room for new ballots to be "discovered," or for counting "errors" to be corrected. The process is electronic. My understanding had been that optical scan voting is in use in every one of Minnesota's several thousand precincts. Based on the Strib's account of what happened in Partridge Township, it appears this may not be the case.
Some very basic questions need to be answered. What are the precincts that have allegedly "corrected" the vote totals they originally reported? On what basis were the alleged corrections made? Did both Republicans and Democrats participate in the alleged corrections? Have the original paper ballots been securely maintained since the polls closed? What assurances are in place to prevent Democrats from fraudulently adding new paper ballots? Do the precincts that have revised their vote totals use the optical scan system that is, as I understand it, nearly universal? If not, why not? If so, what do the ballot machines' tapes show? If the totals now being claimed are inconsistent with the tapes that were signed by the precinct's election judges, on what basis can they be accepted? Why is it that each "correction" seems to favor Franken?
The Coleman campaign has reportedly dispatched volunteers to try to guard the security of ballots in some locations. The danger, of course, is that they could already be too late. Minnesota's Secretary of State, a left-wing activist who was elected in 2006 after MoveOn.org and other nationwide groups targeted the Minnesota Secretary of State race, has yet to certify vote totals. If fraud is to be committed, it most likely has taken place already, or will occur before the recount begins.
UPDATE: Hot off the press, the first apparent evidence of fraud. Last night at around 7:30, a precinct in Mountain Iron, St. Louis County, mysteriously updated its vote total to add 100 new votes--all 100 for Barack Obama and Al Franken.
Mountain Iron uses optical scanning, so the Coleman campaign asked for a copy of the tape documenting the ballots cast on election night. St. Louis County responded by providing a tape that includes the newly-added 100 votes, and is dated November 2--the Sunday before the election. St. Louis County reportedly denies being able to produce the genuine tape from election night, even though Minnesota law, as I understand it, requires that tape to be signed by the election judges and publicly displayed.
Maybe there is some legitimate explanation for these events, but I haven't thought of one yet. More to come.
What is the republican party doing to assist this seat holder against this obvious election theft? Nothing? Seems typical of this gutless party. How the hell is it that every mistake and new found vote aides franken’s total, but not a single vote for Coleman? I mean WTF, what a ****ing farce. Welcome to the end of the United States.
There is truly something smelly about the explanation given by election official in Mountain Iron.
I hope the Coleman campaign (along with the state GOP) raises some holy hell about this.
I was a poll watcher, and we have in Alabama what I assume are the same machines (or very similar).
1) The machines are plugged in 30 minutes to one hour before the polls open.
2) The ballot container is opened and verified to be empty.
3) The ballot counter on front of the machine is verified to read zero.
4) A tape (similar to a cash register tape) is run which shows all vote counts for all seats and all other issues to be zero.
5) The tape is checked and verified. This tape is not to be torn or detached from the machine until the final tabulation at the end of the day.
6) The voting occurs during the day.
7) Voting is closed.
8) The precinct inspector locks the machine and pushes a button which runs the final vote tabulation at the end of the day. It is printed on the same tape that was used to record the zero count earlier in the day before the polls opened. In other words, the beginning zero count, all overvotes and undervotes during the day, as well as the final tally are all shown on the same UNBROKEN tape. This tape is selaed in an envelope and becomes the official record.
9) This official record is also reported in the cartridge - which I assume is a non-volatile memory similar to a flash memory card.
10) Other tapes showing the results are printed out and sent to various officials and posted on the door of the polling place. Our precinct ran a total of 5 additional tapes.
It should be easy for lawyers - if they know the system - to create and trace a good paper trail. For example, it the zero portion of the tape is not attached to the final tally, something is rotten.
This assumes the GOP lawyers are not bullied or steamrolled.
Democrats have a plan on how to cheat. First, they cheated by illegal votes. They didn't have enough so now they have to ask for recounts until they can destroy some more Coleman votes and manufacture Freaken votes.
They know what they're doing and they ALWAYS win the close ones. Note they will be 100% by the time this is done.
A RAT lawyer even tells how they do it. http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=t&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4DKUS_enUS289US289&q=How+Democrats+steal+elections
Republicans need to stop whining and just do what the left wants them to do.
After all, nothing gets republicans to the polls any more. The voter turnout suggests a lot of republicans stayed home and allowed boy wonder to take the helm.
I wonder at what point do conswrvatives and republicans finally get angry and in the faces of leftist’s?
Let’s see whay is going on:
Kindergarden children are being taught HOW to make the choice to become homosexual.
No big deal, no protests. What hear are those who say things like, “we don’t do protests”. Okay I hear you, but they are turning you into slaves, using your tax dollars to fund ACORN and other anti-conservative BS.
Political theory suggests that it is acceptable to reject the legitimacy to rule of any party or other body that cheats on elections.
I've thought that at least we would have one senator that at least admits he is a comedian.;o)
Can Coleman challenge this? Since it is obvious that they are scrounging for votes for Franken, that should be grounds for an investigation. It might be different if both candidates “found” votes but this is blatent!
Unfortunately, if Minnesota is using the Accuvote machines, due to the idiocy of some software engineers who developed the firmware in those machines, it is possible for the tape to show zero counts when the actual counts are non-zero. And its possible for the printout on the tape to not accurately reflect the ballot count at the end of the election either.
The memory cards need to be very carefully examined - and until then preserved under seal as evidence.
BUMP!
In Alabama we use a machne made by Eagle (at least thats the logo on the machine).
But ultimately the protection is in the fact that the votes are marked with a black felt tip pen on a paper ballot. The machine is really only a scanner to simplity the counting process.
This “error” is EASILY fixed.
TAke three optical scanner machines. CHeck that the dates are set correctly and the machine is working properly.
Run all the ballots through each machine. Each machine should read identical vote totals.
Other than Florida 2000 I do not remember a recount that didn’t eventually result in enough democrap votes being massaged to the surface. Sometimes it takes a while, but it happens.
Contract out our elections to third world countries. Their elections are more honest then ours.
Wayne,
Using the ballots we do in Alabama, “errors” are almost nonexistent. If there is any problem, you can re-run all the ballots.
I wish every precinct in America had to use the optical scanners like we have. Just about as close to foolproof as you can get.
It would be some element of government that does anything, right? Do you trust your government?
I thought not.
With only about 1000 votes cast they ought to be able to review the voting record to make sure everyone who voted is at least alive.
What’s really sad is that part of me wants to see him win so Harry Reid is stuck with him for 6 years. I thought Pennsylvania was bad, you guys in Minnesota the the super strength Kool-Aid
What’s really sad is that part of me wants to see him win so Harry Reid is stuck with him for 6 years. I thought Pennsylvania was bad, you guys in Minnesota the the super strength Kool-Aid
And the incredibly lame excuse of “something wrong with the time stamp clock” on the current tape when it was first noticed in late October. Was it reported then?
The whole thing reeks.
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