Statement by Alabama GOVERNOR-ELECT BOB RILEY (my title - Pound Sand Seigelman!)

Montgomery Advertiser Online ^ | 8 Nov 2002 | Bob Riley

[jwalsh07]

OK, I'm convinced.

Drag the sob out screaming about chads, Florida and Baldwin County.

[jpthomas]

The election officials have explained what happened in a press conference. A simple tabulation error -- a formula error in a spreadsheet that printed out the vote totals. Unfortunately, they discovered the discrepancy after the totals from the spreadsheet had been provided to the state election office as their preliminary (uncertified) election numbers. After noting the obvious error, they went back precinct by precinct to verify and correct the totals that were ultimately certified and sent to the state election office.

Siegelman is simply refusing to accept the truth. He wants to turn this into a Florida 2000-in-miniature. It isn't going to work.

[commish]

OMG - ROFLMAO!!!

[Wait4Truth]

I'm surprised that AL Republicans are not more up-in-arms about this. I'll never forget the nationwide protests against Sore/Loserman in 2000. Here in Milwaukee, we protested in support of George W. Bush - in quite large numbers. Siegleman is clearly pulling a Gore, with the blessings of the clintons and terry mcauliffe, I'm sure.

[Mark]

So it's follow the rule of law? How quaint.

[jwalsh07]

Looks pretty nice down there. How is the golf in February or March?

[Wait4Truth]

Thank you both for the further explanations. This is really a disgusting development. I'm praying for Governor-elect Riley. GET OUT OF RILEY'S HOUSE, SIEGLEMAN!!!

[blam]

"AHhh Gulf Shores --- Gonna be down there Nov 30. My wife and my brothers wife are going to shop themselves silly at Riviera Center. Brother and I will be going golfing and then to Hooters to watch football."

I have relatives who come all the way from Amarillo, Texas to do the same thing. It's hard to beat.

[commish]

ABsolutely wonderful. Daytime highs are usually in the 50's in Feb and Mar, with one or two days a week on average around 60-65.

Also we have the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail - over 500 holes of PGA Quality golf open to the public. If you play LINKS you can see three of these wonderful courses. All of which are ranked in the top 100 Public facilities in America. And you can play for around $40 per round plus cart.

Capitol Hill here in Montgomery just hosted the Buy.com Tour Championship, and Grand National in Auburn annually hosts the LPGA Tour Championship.

These courses are all run by the Retirement Systems of Alabama - Yes a quality facility actually run by a State Government Agency. Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail

[plain talk]

Chief Justice Roy Moore has been under constant attack for his ONE TON display of the 10 commandments! Me thinks he will follow Alabama law to the tee. Not one to make up laws from the bench.

[Positive]

Spectacularly well done!

[jpthomas]

Here's an update regarding the Alabama Attorney General's ruling: Alabama attorney general deals blow to governor's recount hopes

PHILLIP RAWLS, Associated Press Writer Friday, November 8, 2002

(11-08) 15:43 PST MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- Democratic Gov. Don Siegelman's call for a statewide recount suffered a blow Friday when the Republican attorney general said sealed ballots can't be opened just because the governor trails his GOP challenger.

"You can't break the seal based on not liking the count," Attorney General Bill Pryor said in an opinion awaited by elections officials across Alabama.

In response, Siegelman campaign spokesman Rip Andrews said: "The bottom line is it's a Republican conspiracy at its worst."

It wasn't immediately clear whether the governor would go to court to try to force a recount or take the issue before the Legislature, which doesn't convene until January.

According to unofficial returns from Tuesday's election, Siegelman lost to GOP Rep. Bob Riley by 3,195 votes out of 1.3 million cast statewide.

All 67 counties began certifying their vote totals Friday and any changes were not expected to change the overall outcome. Riley has proceeded as if he is governor-elect, even appointing a transition team chairman.

Siegelman demanded a recount Thursday. He pointed in particular to Baldwin County, where elections officials reduced his tally by about 7,000 votes late Tuesday -- enough to give Riley the victory.

The county blamed a glitch in its computer system for the revision, but the first-term governor said the switch was made after poll workers left for the night.

Alabama law does not provide for an automatic recount in tight races, but voters can ask for one, county by county, if they put up a bond to pay for it. Democratic supporters began filing recount petitions across the state Friday, with Siegelman's campaign or the Democratic Party offering to pay for the bonds if necessary.

However, elections officials were advised by Secretary of State Jim Bennett to wait for Pryor's opinion in part to "avoid the situation that arose in Florida." Alabama has never had a statewide recount and some of its election laws date to the 1800s.

Pryor said the governor's petitions aren't sufficient to unseal the ballots and other election records. He said Siegelman could get the ballots opened under only two scenarios:

* He files an election contest with the Legislature and shows that illegal ballots were counted or legal ballots weren't counted and they would change the results. The new Legislature would consider an election contest in January.

* He gets a judge to order a recount in a county after finding that a voting machine or precinct did not make a report on election night.

"It is a crime to break a seal without following these procedures," Pryor said. The crime is a misdemeanor.

Siegelman's attorney, Joe Espy, disagreed with Pryor's interpretation and said a recount is needed to settle the issue in voters' minds.

"Whatever happened, happened. Let's just count the votes," he said.

In Baldwin County, Republican District Attorney David Whetstone said the ballots would remain sealed, based on Pryor's advice.

"As of right now, no one is going to recount the votes in Baldwin County," he said.

[blam]

" Here in Milwaukee, we protested in support of George W. Bush - in quite large numbers."

I attended two of those in Mobile and one in Pensacola.

Alabama FReepers are in the planning stage....we'll deal with SingleTerm Don!!

[jwalsh07]

Thanks a lot commish. I live in the Ct snowbelt and come Feb or March, I get antsy and need a golf fix. This year I just may check out Alabama's Gulf Coast.

[THE Aardvark]

Can Somebody give the citation from the Code of Alabama that applies to this mess?

[mtnwmn]

A recount gives Siegelman free rein to steal the election. Riley and the Republicans would be fools to let him get hold of those ballots. Until you work the polls you cannot understand how easy it would be for an election to be stolen....a close election.

[Paul Atreides]

If W had turned into a doormat and let Forrest Stump steal the presidency, I wonder if some of these Republicans would be bold enough to challenge the Clinton Party's tactics. Although I would like to think that they would have the intestinal fortitude on their own, but I bet W's smackdown of Stump helped embolden them.

[Enterprise]

If the law was followed in prior elections, why should it be different now?

[cksharks]

What is it about you and commish? Are you left wing new england liberals. The law says there has to be one of three reasons to unseal the votes. NOT ONE NONE NADA of these reasons have been met. We ablolutely went crazy on this site when Gore and the LOut broke the law to do what they wanted. But I have a different attitude about demmocommies screw them. I dont care if they like me or not.I know three of the subjects in this issue. I built the last addition to the Baldwin County ct house.

[John Lenin]

Another victory in the R collumn !