Travis GOP reports problems at poll ('rats commit ballot fraud in early voting)

Austin American Statesman ^ | Friday, November 1, 2002 | Jonathan Osborne

[GOPcapitalist]

Officials with the Travis County Republican Party say there's something rotten at the early voting polls this year. And they say they've got affidavits to prove it.

Alan Sager, chairman of the party, said that at least twice while demonstrating the new eSlate voting system, election clerks turned the dial so that it stopped on a ballot for a straight-Democratic vote.

"We've had five or eight different people say that Democratic clerks showed them how to run the system and vote straight Democrat," Sager said Thursday.

In one instance, Sager said, two people who wanted to vote for a Republican candidate were instructed during the demonstration to cast the ballot for the straight Democratic ticket and unwittingly did.

According to affidavits, relatives of the two voters were not allowed to assist the pair during the incident at H-E-B at 7th Street and Pleasant Valley Road. Sager said he will give their testimony to the Travis County district attorney today.

Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir, a Democrat, said she had not seen the affidavits but said her office investigates any irregularity reported to them.

"Even if I get a vague rumor over the telephone, we do take it seriously," DeBeauvoir said. "Every time Alan has told me some vague rumor, I send out a notice to all locations."

DeBeauvoir said she's done that at least twice since early voting began.

But she said she was aware of at least one problem Sager referred to Thursday and had taken immediate corrective action.

At the Randall's grocery store in Lakeway, the election judge had failed to set up a demonstration of the eSlate system.

Marc and Beverly McCord went to cast their ballots at the store earlier this week. They say the judge reached into their booth, operated the system for them and turned the dial to a straight Democratic ticket.

After Marc McCord made a mistake, the judge came over and "reached in again and dialed up the straight Democratic ticket again and said, 'Now hit enter,' " McCord said. "He sat there and watched while I dialed up my votes. I found out in comparing with my wife that he had done the same thing for her."

DeBeauvoir said the judge has since been told that's not how things are supposed to operate and he's corrected his procedures.

"We have since talked with that judge and said, 'What were you thinking?' " DeBeauvoir said. "We have since instructed him, 'Do not go in the booth with the voters.' He insists he never told anybody which party to vote."

The irony, DeBeauvoir said, is that the judge happens to be a Republican.

josborne@statesman.com; 445-3621

To report fraud

The U.S. attorney's office and the FBI are asking that any allegations of fraud on Election Day, including voter bribery, voter intimidation and ballot forgery, be reported directly to either agency.

To report a violation, the public can call the FBI 24 hours a day at (210) 225-6741. During business hours, they can contact the U.S. attorney's Austin office at 916-5858.

[mlo]

"After Marc McCord made a mistake, the judge came over and "reached in again and dialed up the straight Democratic ticket again and said, 'Now hit enter,' "

This is the manufacturer's site: http://www.hartintercivic.com/

They have a simple tutorial on how to use the machine. As I suspected, you can't choose an entire party slate. You have to select and hit 'enter' on each race, and you have a chance to review and modify at the end.

[Dog Gone]

That doesn't prove that it hasn't been modified for Texas, which I suspect it has.

Straight party voting has long been hated by Republicans in Texas, until politics shifted in the early 90s. Now, there's no question that it's responsible for the fact that we control the state's judiciary.

[Dog Gone]

And, my suspicion was confirmed. Travis County does indeed offer straight party voting with this machine.

Travis County Sample Ballot

[Proud_texan]

Nah, there are a couple of us.

What I got a kick out of was the sample ballot they used to demo the thing. They used names of celebs and every one of them I recognized was am outspoken flaming liberal.

When I pointed this out to the dullard giving the demo and asked where where the conservatives one of the ladies also watching the demo say 'funny, you don't look like a conservative'.

Only my Texas manners kept me from replying with anything other than I would drag myself over shards of glass to vote for a conservative.

She looked quite shocked, I don't think she'd ever run into one before.

In the People's Republic of Travis diversity is a great thing...as long as it's only cosmetic.

[steveegg]

VERY interesting (please enter that in the "Understatement of the Year"^TM contest). I know there's people out there that have a better memory than me, and not all of those either think like me or would remember not to let that kind of knowledge just sit there never to be acted upon.

You may want to ping the rest of the Wisconsin Anti-Fraud Brigade over to #18.

[computerjunkie]

I voted this week in Tarrant County (TX) and used the eSlate machine. Actually, it's pretty easy to use and it is possible to vote a straight party ticket should you desire to do so. The only trouble I had was figuring out how to get to the Proposition on the ballot. I finally asked for help and a lady helped me figure it out. (She really didn't know either.)

I've seen all the horror stories about fraud at various polling places. I will say that where I vote, I've never seen any evidence of it.

[Blue Screen of Death]

I'm still reeling from the shock of discovering that there are any Republicans in Travis County at all...

I am sure Mr. Travis is not pleased with the county named after him. In fact, I doubt there were many pro-hispanic democrats inside the Alamo.

[backhoe]

Cros link:

-The Vote Fraud Archives--

And just FYI--

-Need Vote Fraud articles, stories, and evidence? Here's a source--

-Vote... and be D@mned! (vanity, but dead serious)--

[tarawa]

I voted at Barton Creek Square with no trouble......

[Alissa]

You are so wrong. My registration card was stamped "Republican" during a primary when I asked for the Republican ballot. I have the same card this election with the "Republican" stamped on it.

[concerned about politics]

The irony, DeBeauvoir said, is that the judge happens to be a Republican.

They're shifting blame here, aren't they? How would they know that good enough to print it as fact? Democrat divination again?
I wonder how many votes they managed to steal before they were caught.

[GOPcapitalist]

They stamp your card IF you vote in the primary (the reason they do it is to provide proof you voted in case you want to attend the precinct convention, and also as a safeguard so you don't switch to the other party in the runoff, which is illegal). But in Texas, there is no official partisan registration on the voter registration form - you can vote in any party primary you want to as long as its the only one. The only record is what primary you last voted in after the fact, plus that little stamp on your card.

[weegee]

One of Algore's biggest Florida corporate supporters was a "Republican" and a "Freeper". Of course he said on his website that no candidate had ever matched his posistions on all of the issues as Algore had. He joined up to FR to defend Algore during the 2000 "recount".

Just because one votes in the Republican primary does not make one a conservative or a "republican". And just because one posts on FR doesn't indicate allegiance either.

[weegee]

A FReeper has reported similar activity in Houston. Look for an increase in DemoRat "straight ticket" voting.

[mathluv]

To me, electronic balloting is entirely too open to the chances for hacking/fraud. I want a paper ballot that can be looked at after the fact if need be.

[concerned about politics]

NAACP is getting out the felon vote in Fl. They say it's not their job to stop the ballots if they're invalid. If they're not caught, they're a legal vote.
Fl. has caught 11 so far, but a new report says 16 more yesterday. I'm sure there's lots more. Some will probably get through.

[weegee]

...one of the ladies also watching the demo say 'funny, you don't look like a conservative'.

An appropriate response to her would have been:

"Funny, you don't look prejudiced..."

[deport]

You can't select straight party vote in CA?

Here's the Q&A from the Travis County Election Clerk.

Q: Can you vote a straight party ticket and then make an exception on one or more races?

Yes. Straight Party is an option, however, the voter may then go to any individual contest and change the mark from the one entered when they selected "straight party" to any other candidate of their choice.

[mathluv]

Is that legal? I would have told them to let me have some privacy. This seems to be intimidation to me!

[mlo]

You can't select straight party vote in CA?

Nope. Guess I learned something new about Texas.