UPDATE: SOLID Proof of Vote Suppression in OH
by markusd

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/11/20/83032/632

Sat Nov 20th, 2004 at 08:30:32 CDT

UPDATE:

I'm updating this diary and it's title because I just saw some related news that is absolutely amazing - it provides rock-solid, definitive PROOF OF WIDESPREAD VOTING SUPPRESSION BY OHIO OFFICIALS. It may not be illegal, but it sure as hell should be!

Check out the charts at the link below to the Free Press - they prove that in Franklin County Ohio (population is greater than 1 million, by the way)

the lowlives who run elections in Ohio were allocating one machine for every 250 registered voters in the most heavily pro-Bush precincts

while they were allocating one machine for every 350 registered voters in the most heavily pro-Kerry districts.

That's how you get seven hour lines and lots of people who are trying to vote for Kerry but are unable (after all, people do have jobs and other responsibilities) to wait long enough to do so.



It is very, very possible that this technique alone cost us more votes than we lost Ohio by.

Why is this legal? Why is this not front page headlines in Ohio, if nowhere else? Why are the DNC and the Kerry camp not shouting about this from the rooftops?

My blood is absolutely boiling over this. What do you all think?

Franklin County, Ohio voting machine assignments by Free Press staff

http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/19/2004/900

ORIGINAL POST FOLLOWS:

Interesting that this AP story is only being covered in ONE little web site - Ohio News Now.  Without a lot of hope that the results in Ohio will be overturned via this lawsuit (I'm still holding out a little hope for the provisionals and spoiled ballots being enough) this is still important, because we absolutely need the evidence of voter suppression via inadequate machines in minority neighborhoods and so forth to be brought forth - and this lawsuit seems a path to that happening.

The second item is also interesting - looks like local officials are being bombarded with requests for information and documentation by our folks who are investigating all this.  I wonder if that is making Karl Rove just a teensy bit nervous?  the story

Lawyers Plan To Challenge Election Results

http://www.onnnews.com/Global/story.asp?S=...59&nav=LQlCTMEA

Lawyers who have been documenting voting may problems in Ohio say they'll challenge the results of the presidential election as soon as the vote is official.

The lawyers say documented cases of long lines, a shortage of machines and a pattern of problems in predominantly black neighborhoods are enough evidence to bring such a challenge.

The lawyers, who will represent voters who cast ballots November Second, will use a state law that allows them to file a request to challenge the election with the Ohio Supreme Court. The law allows the challenge to be heard by the chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court.

In the case of Ohio, that's Justice Thomas Moyer, a Columbus Republican. The official vote will not be certified until early next month.

Requests strain election boards, county budgets

Groups checking election results are asking county elections boards for all kinds of documents, everything from provisional ballot totals to voter signature poll books.

Elections officials say such requests from political and advocacy groups, media outlets and other organizations are straining their staffs and budgets as they try to finish the official ballot count for the presidential election.

Ross County elections director Nancy Bell says she's never experienced anything like this in her 19 years at the elections board.

Bev Harris is founder of Black Box Voting, a Seattle-based nonprofit consumer protection organization. She says her group has filed records requests for every Ohio county to check the accuracy of the the final vote report sent to the secretary of state.