Thune Response to Close Vote

KSFY ^ | 11-7-2002

[unspun]

News

Thune Response to Close Vote

After hours of meeting with his campaign staff, Congressman Thune addressed his supporters about the narrow margin of defeat during his race for the U.S. Senate.

Thune: "After a long night and a long morning, the preliminary results of last night's election show Senator Tim Johnson with a 528 vote advantage. The next step in the process is the official canvass of the election results. A canvass is done after each election, and the results will be released as soon as that process is finished. Essentially, the canvass is our election system's process for checking everyone's math."

"If there is a change in the numbers or evidence of irregularities after the official election canvass, I will look at pursuing the next step in the process, which is a formal recount."

"However, I do not wish to put the people of South Dakota through this process unless it is absolutely necessary. Therefore, if there is no change in the vote totals or any irregularities after the official canvass, we will pursue no further action and the results will stand."

"I called Senator Johnson this morning to congratulate him on today's results. I'd like to thank my supporters and all those who've worked so hard on my behalf over the course of the last year. No one would be happier than I to see those numbers change as the process continues. However, if the numbers stand, I am prepared to accept the outcome and know that my supporters and all those who have stood with me during this process will accept the outcome as well."

[unspun]

FREEP

Please write to the Thune Campaign and urge them to demand a full recount and investigation.

email: info@johnthune.com

Web site contact form: http://www.johnthune.com/Contact.asp

telephone: 605-339-4838

[unspun]

My own email to Thune campaign...

From: Arlen Williams
Subject: Urge you to stand up for your voters
Date: Thu, 7 Nov 2002 02:43:23 -0600
To: info@johnthune.com

Dear Rep. Thune and senatorial campaign:

Considering the examples of voter fraud, marking ballots, burned absentee ballots, etc. in South Dakota, I urge you
to demand a full recount and investigation.

With all due respect, this is not about you. This is not about your sense of humility.

This is about justice. It is also about critical policies for our nation and the political power required to enact them.

Please honor those who have legitimately voted for you, by standing up for your election.

Regards,
Arlen Williams
http://www.unspun.info

[unspun]

Also, links to Federal Election Commission and DOJ:
http://www.fec.gov/
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/voting/misc/contact.htm

[Aracelis]

Excellent e-mail! And thanks for Rep. Thune's contact information.

[Robert_Paulson2]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/784111/posts?page=29#29

very important to read and review stats researched on this thread and post!!!

highlights:
"Check Dewey, Shannon and Zeibach counties!"

County -- total pop. -- under-18 -- 18 or over -- Registered -- %Registered

Dewey -- 5972 -- 2323 -- 3649 -- 4129 -- 1.13
Shannon -- 12478 -- 5647 -- 6831 -- 6990 ||1.02
Ziebach -- 2522 -- 1023 -- 1499 -- 1606 -- 1.07


"posted on 11/06/2002 9:09 PM PST by nothingnew"
The numbers of voters EXCEED the number of citizens over eighteen. something is indeed rotten.

[AmericaUnited]

This could be rotten and I hope so, but a lot of people did not like the "invasive" nature of the 2000 census and avoided it, so this might not be so sinister.

[Lion Den Dan]

bump

[JameRetief]

It sounds to me like Thune is just being gracious in the eyes of the public while still allowing him to keep his options open. I think it will be obvious that there are irregularities, giving him the opportunity to challenge the results with credibility.

Still, it doesn't hurt to send him encouragement to keep up the fight.

[KQQL]

IS this allowed ( legally )?

Officials: Ballots only altered to make them readable
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS



SIOUX FALLS - It is not uncommon for election workers to make duplicate ballots if the original cannot be read by machines, said elections supervisor and Secretary of State-elect Chris Nelson.

His comments came amid reports that election workers in Shannon County darkened marks on ballots because voters wrote too lightly in Tuesday's election.
http://www.aberdeennews.com/mld/aberdeennews/4459206.htm

[KQQL]

and:

EXTRA HOUR OF VOTING>>>WHAT GIVES>>>>>>>

Voters flock to polls, some get extra hour
JOE KAFKA
Associated Press Writerhttp://www.aberdeennews.com/mld/aberdeennews/4459209.htm

[Gracey]

On the other hand, there are usually twice as many people on the voter roles as are eligible to vote. The dead are not taken off, people who move are not removed, people sometimes have two voter cards, for weird reasons, etc., etc.

[Mia T]

Q ERTY7

FIGURATIVE DROOL

election day

BUMP!

clinton-McAuliffe-DNC SYSTEMATICALLY CORRUPTING ALL ASPECTS OF ELECTORAL PROCESS

 

WHILE UNDERMINING HOMELAND SECURITY

 

WE MUST STOP IT NOW!

 

 

 

 

[billclintonwillrotinhell]

That was a great statement by Thune because it sets him up
so nicely if corruption or irregularities are discovered.
He can say that he was ready to graciously concede if it
was a clean election. This is unlike algore, who immediately
went on the warpath in sore-loser mode.

Thune is pretty young and is a very viable candidate for
future elections. He doesn't want to say or do anything to
put that in jeopardy. Still, he MUST NOT give up this race
until he's convinced that he lost it fair and square.

We saw what happened to John Ashcroft two years ago when
he graciously conceded defeat to the dead guy and his
ambitiously grieving wife. Ashcroft walked away from
numerous potential legal challenges only to be grilled
over an open fire months later during confirmation
hearings to be Attorney General. In the end, even the
widow voted against Ashcroft, despite having formally
introduced him at the hearings.

Thune should simply let the FACTS dictate his course of
action in these next days, weeks or months.

[Reb Raider]

How can separating ballots that were cast late being kept separate until an appeal could be ruled on tell you how a certain person voted as stated by judge (aka legislator when dems are loosing an election). That is ludicrous and if the ruling held after being contested, the ballots would be mixed in with all the others and how in the heck does that tell us how a certain individual voted since their name isn't on the dumb ballot? This is such an obvious ploy to stack the deck and I am so sick of them getting by with it.

[KSCITYBOY]

Even though he is in the right he doesn't wish to act like Gore in any way whatsoever. Accept the count and let the Justice department and the FBI expand their investigation.

[#3Fan]

This is a tough call. We don't want every election going to court, but we don't want obvious vote fraud to go unpunished. For Thune personally, he could be seen as a sore loser if he pursues this and we fail to prove vote fraud. He could prove vote fraud after things settle, put the perps in jail, and then use it in a run against Daschle. Then again this is only one sparsely populated state and it isn't like the whole country will be put through turmoil by an election deciding fraud investigation. Not sure what's best for the country, for SD, and for Thune.

[Dante3]

Please urge him not to give up. If one gives in easily it will encourage the opponents to go further the next time.

[Brices Crossroads]

"It will encourage.."

You are exactly right. Failing to challenge the widow Carnahan's seating in 2000, the fraudulent Louisiana election in 1996 and a host of others has encouraged things like the Lautenberg switch and this SD fraud that is going to cost us. The Pubs think they have got 51 votes, so what does it matter. But,5 or 6 are RINOs who won't vote for conservative SC justices. And if you have 2 deaths or retirements or defections (net) the Senate, after this great victory, flips to the Democrats. I heard Chaffee on TV warning the Republicans not to go too far with hard policies like making the tax cut permanent. Bush needs every vote. He can't afford to split the difference on a Senate seat.

[OrioleFan]

This is unlike algore, who immediately went on the warpath in sore-loser mode.

And Gore actually went on the warpath before the polls closed, because someone tipped him off that they had screwed up and wired the ballots wrong. An hour before polls closed, the Gore campaign had a PR firm in Texarkana calling people in FloriDUH telling them their votes weren't counted. Go figure...

[Truth29]

Thanks for posting the contact information for the Thune campaign. I posted the email link on two different threads yesterday and didn't get much response. I hope your more prominent posting gets better results.

It is critically important for Thune to receive many emails and letters urging him to fight election fraud IMHO. Every reader of this thread should write Thune and explain how important his decision is and how the issue is larger than his individual race. The GOP victory is slim and another six year Senate seat in Republican hands may well hold the balance of power in the future.

Additionally, the democrats must not be encouraged to continue their corrupt ways. Stealing elections is second nature to some of them and it must be stopped.

Write Thune today!