San Diego to ban write-in votes after write-in candidate wins

After Donna Frye stunned San Diego with a win in the mayoral race achieved by 165,000 write-in votes (you heard me), San Diego is now trying to ban write-in candidates.

There are some who just don't want the voice of the people to be heard.

Frye is not the mayor of San Diego, not because she didn't receive enough votes, but because San Diego officials disqualified just enough of her votes to eliminate her on a technicality. Some voters wrote her name in, but did not ALSO fill in the optical scan bubble.

San Diego officials decided to county the iffy votes for other candidates -- those that the optical scan machines rejected because the oval was marked with a dot, a check mark, or some other symbol -- but rejected the Donna Frye votes containing a clear write-in but lacking a blacked in oval also.

Black Box Voting has scheduled San Diego County for a more comprehensive audit, after wrestling with the county attorney to obtain the public records request from Nov. 2.

Any citizen of San Diego County is urged to voice outrage at the new effort to ban write-in candidates. In fact, all citizens in the USA should voice outrage over this.

It's very tough to rig a voting machine (at least, one with paper ballots) to flip a write in vote.

Of course, San Diego, which originally bought Diebold touch-screens but the system was decertified by the state, therefore used optical scans in Nov 2004, is also now planning to get the touch-screens.

Anything to avoid hearing the voice of the people.

I can't believe they are trying to get rid of write-in voting! That is totally undemocratic.

only outlaws will have their names on the ballot!

is with write-in votes,

well ... you see what happens.

Write-ins are one of the last bastions of protection against a rigged system. Now we're losing even that option.

Has this been voted on by the City Council or Board of Supervisors? Or is it coming up for a vote, and if so, when? I'm Media Chair for DFA San Diego and also co-Chair media for VOTERR. We would definitely want to hold a press conference or stage a rally if this is true, but I need some details.

Thanks.