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King and Pierce County prosecutors filed felony charges today against seven people who allegedly committed the biggest voter-registration fraud in state history. The defendants, who were paid employees and supervisors of ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, concocted the scheme as an easy way to get paid, not as an attempt to influence the outcome of elections, King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg said. "This was an act of vandalism upon the voter rolls of King County," Satterberg said. In addition to filing criminal charges, Satterberg said state and local officials had signed a five-year agreement with...

WENATCHEE, Wash. - The political fate of Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire hangs in the balance this weekend while a small-town judge decides whether her paper-thin victory was valid. During two weeks of trial, Republicans argued election errors, illegal votes and fraud stole the election from GOP candidate Dino Rossi. Democrats countered that the errors were innocent mistakes and said Republicans lacked enough evidence to justify tossing a governor out of office. Chelan County Superior Court Judge John Bridges will announce his decision Monday. The stakes could not be higher for Gregoire, who has pursued her agenda in the Capitol as...

Live discussion of the hearings in Chelan County on Dems motions to dismiss the Rossi con test of the governors election. King5.com is streaming live!

Washington state Republicans yesterday filed a lawsuit calling for a revote in the tight 2004 gubernatorial contest that saw Democrat Christine Gregoire top Republican Dino Rossi after two recounts by 129 votes.     "Most Washingtonians don't believe this has been a valid election," said Mr. Rossi, who filed the Election Contest Petition along with the state Republican Party in Chelan County Superior Court. [snip]Republicans pointed to what they described as widespread voting irregularities in King County, a Democratic stronghold, that included votes cast by dead people and convicted felons, illegal provisional ballots, and thousands more votes than registered voters.     "We've...

Friday, January 7, 2005 · Last updated 2:34 p.m. PT Gregoire: 'Healing to be done' By DAVID AMMONS AP POLITICAL WRITER OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Gov.-elect Christine Gregoire on Friday pledged to tour the state to begin a healing process after an election that deeply divided voters and the political parties. "It's my job to help the state of Washington heal," she told a Capitol news conference called primarily to introduce an initial round of key appointees. She is keeping outgoing Gov. Gary Locke's chief of staff, Tom Fitzsimmons, for at least six months and his budget director, Marty Brown, will...