http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/...94683912880.xml

Lawyers to challenge election in Ohio
Saturday, November 20, 2004
Julie Carr Smyth
Plain Dealer Bureau
Columbus- A trio of activist lawyers armed with mysteriously wrong exit polls and hundreds of voter horror stories announced plans Friday to contest Ohio's presidential election as soon as the vote is official.

Their challenge could lead to widespread reconsideration of dozens of alleged election irregularities around the state - from reported computerized voting glitches to provisional-ballot mishaps to unusual incidents involving voter rolls, poll workers and machine technicians.

But it is unclear whether the complaint will ever get that far.

Columbus attorney Cliff Arnebeck, a national officer in the Alliance for Democracy, could not predict exactly when members of the coalition will be ready or able to file their request.

And, after they do, the Ohio Supreme Court would have to rule in their favor.

To qualify to reopen consideration of the election, Arnebeck said, the group needs find only 25 aggrieved electors and evidence of irregularities, both of which he and his associates have collected in abundance at hearings around the state, he said.

Another hearing is scheduled in Cleveland today.

Arnebeck said the national boards of the NAACP, Alliance for Democracy and Common Cause are reviewing requests to sign on to the litigation, which is not affiliated with either political party.

Carlo LoParo, a spokesman for the secretary of state's office, said many glitches brought to light on Internet blogs and in the alternative press will be corrected in the state's official canvass of the election.

That process, which turns unofficial election results into official ones, is still under way.

LoParo said the canvass includes precinct-level auditing of results, poll book reviews, provisional-ballot verification and an actual recount of all ballots cast on Election Day. Official results historically have varied from final totals only enough to affect the outcomes of very close local races, nothing of the scale of a national race.

Susan Truitt, co-founder of Citizens' Alliance for Secure Elections and one of the participating lawyers, said Ohioans need to know their vote was properly counted.

"Our intent is to examine this election, and to prevail, so that we will have a democracy in this country," she said. "So that we will not have our voices shut down."

WOOOHOOOO! This is great news!

"...many glitches brought to light on Internet blogs and in the alternative press will be corrected in the state's official canvass of the election...."

Those pesky bloggers!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

Good morning, neighbor.

Great News!

I still don't understand why this wouldn't affect the National Election. If Kerry wins Ohio that would affect the National Election. Do they still figure Bush would win Ohio? Florida seems to be in the same spot as Ohio. Seems like no one will come out and say there may be a Kerry win for Ohio.

I am thinking that could the repugs resist such a GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY to also steal LOCAL ELECTIONS!

don't think so...case in point, the NH Dem who has now won due to the re-examination of the vote!

I am certain that the second someone contests the Ohio results you will see a flurry of lawyers for the repub side descending upon the Buckeye State en masse to contest the contesting.

Then it will simply be, "let the games begin" and "my lawyer can beat up your lawyer."

An overturning of the election results would be heaven, but at this point I'd settle for it casting a deep shadow on the "mandate" thing and new election laws that have enough teeth to actually protect everyone's right to vote without harrassment, intimidation, and a fear that their vote will end up in some cyberspace junkyard or worse, for the opposition.

I think somebody will find useful contact data for Julie Carr Smyth (at the end of that article):

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

jsmyth@plaind.com, 1-800-228-8272

Why?

Simple. Because the highest authority is Congress, not the states, not the members of the Electoral College.

I think it is too late, at this point, for Congress to do anything, but make sure that Bush is back in office on January 20th.

Lawsuits at this point could simply be drawn out for the next month or two which throws the whole thing into doubt, and into Congress' laps.

LETS PESTER THEM ALL AND FIGHT FOR EVERY VOTE!!!!!!


This is ALL of our democracy


Together we can do this, and drive the slimeballs OUT TO JAIL!!!!!

[quote=rox63,Nov 20 2004, 09:10 AM]
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/...94683912880.xml

Lawyers to challenge election in Ohio
Saturday, November 20, 2004
Julie Carr Smyth
Plain Dealer Bureau
Columbus- A trio of activist lawyers armed with mysteriously wrong exit polls and hundreds of voter horror stories announced plans Friday to contest Ohio's presidential election as soon as the vote is official. ...

And, after they do, the Ohio Supreme Court would have to rule in their favor.



And... that is the problem. Ohio voters, with more millions of dollars than ever before, were just convinced to put in three new very partisan Republican Supreme Court Justices into Ohio, probably because the other judges didn't have the advertising dollars. The judges were supposedly going to protect doctors from the high costs of malpractice suits by implementing tort reform. (Because doctors won't go after insurance company reform; now that might hurt their investments). If there is the least bit of delay in the ruling on fair election practices, it will be in the hands of those new judges in Ohio, paid for by very conservative elements.

This was one of my beefs in this past election: people needed to hear about state and local candidates too, because often policies are built on them. If you have justices who do not care about fair election practices, then there won't be fair elections. When canvassing neighborhoods, it is important to give out more than just a list of names to vote for. (DNC leaflets had little info.)

There has never been this level of election fraud and corruption before! Let those responsible for stealing America's democracy be found out and punished "with extreme prejudice!!!!"