More news articles from the local Ohio newspapers!

Greene County elections board scrutinized
Office containing ballots found unlocked overnight

By Mehul Srivastava

Dayton Daily News

XENIA | Election observers examining Greene County voter records were told Friday the records were to be sealed after Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell ordered county boards of election to consider all election-related records as falling within a "canvassing period."

This period usually lasts about 10 days after the election, but was being extended because an official recount is under way in the state, according to Blackwell spokesman Carlo LoParo.

LoParo said the records are to be treated with the "utmost care" until the recount is over.

The two election observers say they later found the Greene County Board of Elections office unlocked Saturday morning, fueling their suspicions they weren't allowed to examine records that might have been tampered with.

"It is shocking that they would first deny us access, and then leave the records unlocked overnight," said Joan Quinn, a retired lawyer from Sacramento, Calif., an election observer acting on behalf of the Green Party, which asked for a recount of the Ohio presidential vote.

Election board officials returned Saturday afternoon to lock up the building after they were told of the security lapse.

They said that while the building had been left unlocked by mistake, voter records are kept in a separate locked room, and had not been tampered with.

"The records are safe, the ballots are still locked and we can have our computers checked to see if they have been tampered with," said Llyn McCoy, deputy director of the Greene County Board of Elections.

But Quinn and her colleagues say that when they entered the unlocked building, voting machines and voter records had been left in the open.

Quinn said that she and her fellow observer were looking into the low turnout recorded in minority precincts, especially precincts 354, 224, and 355, which recorded voter turnouts in the 50 percent range, while the average for Greene County was 74 percent. While examining those records, she said, they were informed of the "lockdown" order.

"I haven't heard anything about it," said Fred Hall III, president of the Greene County elections board.

Contact Mehul Srivastava at (937) 225-2432. Staff writer Jim Bebbington contributed to this report.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/1212greene.html

Recount Begins, Protest Continues

Monday, December 13, 2004
The recounting begins!

Hundreds of volunteers sat in church halls and fire stations, coffee houses and living rooms yesterday (Sunday, 12/12) to learn how to participate in the recount as Cobb/LaMarche witnesses. Many were struck for the first time about how difficult a meaningful recount of DRE (Direct Electronic Recording) machines with no paper trails would be.

Others were concerned about reports of County Boards of Elections (BOEs) having already determined which precincts would be hand counted, since Section 3515 of the Ohio Revised Code very specifically states that "The board must randomly select whole precincts whose total equals at least 3% of the total vote, and must manually count." Note that the dictionary definition of "random" is " lacking any definite plan or order or purpose."

Eight counties start their recounts today: Clinton County at 7:00 am, Lake County at 9:00 am, Medina County at 9:00 am, Ottowa Count at 9:30 am, Wood County at 9:30 am, Jefferson County at 10:00 am, Holmes County at 1:00 pm, Fayette County at 3:00 pm. We are still looking for donations to pay for recount expenses, such as renting halls for training and printing up volunteer manuals, so please give what you can.
Protests Across the Country

Protests took place over the weekend across

the country. Today, protesters will gather outside the Ohio State Capitol from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm to demonstrate their outrage that Ohio's electors will cast their votes on the day the recount finally begins.

To see a list of protest activities taking place in your state, check with your local Green Party organization, or these sites: www.51capitalmarch.com, www.denvervoice.org, or www.Nov3.US.

David Cobb will address the crowd at the Ohio State Capitol today around 12:15 pm with a message he released as a public statement yesterday: "It is absolutely outrageous and irresponsible for the Ohio and New Mexico presidential electors to cast their Electoral College votes on December 13th when the outcome of recounts are still unknown."

"Just as in Florida in 2000, we have to question the integrity of our voting system and those partisan officials who are in charge of it. With allegations of voter intimidation and suppression looming, an impending Congressional investigation, and recounts just beginning, the presidential electors will cast their votes under a cloud of suspicion."
Hearings Being Held

Today also brings lots of activity to Columbus, Ohio. Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones along with Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Reps. Maxine Waters and Ted Strickland, and the Rev. Jesse Jackson will hold a forum addressing Voting Irregularities in Ohio. This will take place at Columbus City Hall, Columbus City Council Chambers, 90 West Broad Street, Columbus. Note that Republicans refused to let this Congressional delegation use the State Capitol for this important hearing.
How the Recount Will Proceed

Some questions have been raised as to how long the recount will last. The key issue is whether ANY discrepancy is found in vote totals during the initial manual recount. The other big issue is whether county election officials already have determined which ballots they want to recount, thus removing the element of "randomness" from the recount. Here's what Section 3515 of the Ohio Revised Code says about the recount process:

· The board must randomly select whole precincts whose total equals at least 3% of the total vote, and must manually count.

· If the tabulator count does not match the hand count, and after rechecking the manual count the results are still not equal, all ballots must be hand counted. If the results of the tabulator count and the hand counted ballots are equal, the remainder of the ballots may be processed through the tabulator (for optical scan and punchcards).

Tomorrow, December 14th is the big day for DRE (Direct Recording Electronic) voting machines, with Franklin County (515, 472 votes) and Mahoning County (131, 938 votes) as well as Pickaway and Ross Counties starting recounts of ....what exactly? DREs have no voter-verified paper trail. David Cobb will be there to help witness the recount of the DRE machines in Franklin County. For more information on DRE voting machines, see the Frequently Asked Questions page of the VerifiedVoting.org website.
Keeping It All In Perspective

As we reach this turning point moment for our democracy, we must remind ourselves that we must never repeat the momentous blunder of 2000, and allow the recount to be stopped, only to be told by the press months later that if all the valid, machine-rejected votes were counted, the man occupying the White House lost the election (SOURCES: 1 ; 2; 3).

In his opening statement at the Congressional Forum on Wednesday, Rep. Conyers asked us all to take action in support of his efforts to investigate the 2004 election irregularities in Ohio by contacting: (1) Secretary of State Blackwell, and (2) James Sensenbrenner, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Please respond to Rep. Conyer's request for a strong showing of support by concerned voters. With all three branches of government under one-party rule, only a strong message from America's voters will get results.

Please send comments and information about your events to us at greenrecount@yahoo.com. Thanks, as always, for your support. We couldn't do it without our 6,000+ donors and 3,000+ volunteers! more updates



· Tell the media you support the recount!

· Funds still needed for observers in 88 Ohio counties
How money raised so far is being spent



http://www.votecobb.org/

December 13, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact
Green Presidential Candidate Says New Mexico Recount Must Begin Now

Columbus, OH — Green Party presidential candidate David Cobb today said that the New Mexico recount of the presidential vote must begin immediately. Attorneys representing the Cobb campaign went to court on Friday in an effort to force New Mexico state officials to comply with state law and start the recount.

"Justice delayed is justice denied. I call upon New Mexico's elected officials to comply with the spirit and letter of New Mexico law and start the recount immediately," said Cobb.

The Cobb campaign is demanding recounts of the presidential vote in Ohio and New Mexico. Several Ohio counties are expected to begin the recount on Monday; others will begin on different days throughout the week. The New Mexico state canvassing board is meeting Tuesday to discuss the recount.

Monday is the day when presidential electors will meet in all 50 state capitals and cast their votes.

"It is absolutely outrageous and irresponsible for the New Mexico presidential electors to cast their votes when the recount hasn't even begun. A recount is an essential check and balance of the election process and the election isn't over until the recount is done. The recount must be completed to ensure the integrity of the voting process. With very serious concerns yet to be resolved about electronic voting machines, under-votes and provisional ballots, the presidential electors will cast their votes under a cloud of suspicion," said Cobb.

Cobb-LaMarche New Mexico Recount Coordinator Rick Lass will be available for interviews at the New Mexico state Capitol on Monday at noon.

For more information about the Cobb-LaMarche campaign and its recount efforts in Ohio and New Mexico, see www.votecobb.org, or contact Rick Lass, NM Coordinator at 505.920.0540. Information about the New Mexico Green Party can be found at http://www.nmia.com/~nmgp.

http://www.votecobb.org/press/2004/dec/pr2004-12-13.php

so no one can go in and "fix" them too.