Home > Ohio Recount a Sham, Public Protests Needed
Ohio Recount a Sham, Public Protests Needed
by Open-Publishing - Thursday 30 December 20044 comments
Columbus, OH - A day after the conclusion of the flawed recount of Ohio’s presidential vote, Green Party presidential candidate David Cobb called on Congress to challenge the legitimacy of Ohio’s Electoral College delegation.
"The recount of Ohio’s presidential vote was conducted in clear violation of both the spirit and the letter of the law. We can have no faith in the results when both the initial election and the recount were conducted in a haphazard and clearly illegitimate manner. Ohio’s presidential electors are tainted by unresolved allegations of voter suppression and the lack of a meaningful recount. Congress must reject and challenge their votes," said Cobb.
One of the most significant problems with the recount was that few of Ohio’s 88 counties randomly selected sample precincts for the recount as required by Ohio law.
"The lack of random sampling calls into question the legitimacy of the recount. A few counties did the recount properly and selected the precincts at random. The vast majority of them, however, chose the precincts in advance without the official observers witnessing or participating in the selection. That’s like showing up at a poker game with strangers and finding that you’ve already been dealt your hand," said Blair Bobier, Cobb-LaMarche Media Director.
Other problems with the recount included a lack of security for the ballots and voting machines-including allegations of interference with voting machines by representatives of the Diebold and Triad corporations - and the refusal of some counties to do a full hand recount when required by law to do so.
Detailed reports from observers outlining a wide range of irregularities with the recount are available at http://www.votecobb.org/recount/ohio_reports/index.php.
"We have done our utmost to protect the integrity of our right to vote in court and through the recount process, yet a cloud of suspicion still hangs over the election results. We cannot sit back and allow our rights to be violated. It is time for Congress to defend the right to vote and the right to have all votes counted, and time for the people to engage in loud and peaceful protests," said Cobb.
Cobb will be speaking at rallies in Columbus, Ohio and Washington, DC on January 3 and 6, respectively. The Columbus rally is at 1 p.m. at the Capitol Theater, 77 S. High Street, and is sponsored by the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Rainbow/PUSH, the Cobb-LaMarche campaign and many other organizations.
The events in Washington will be held on January 6, the day of the expected challenge to the presidential electors, and will begin with a rally at Lafayette Park, across from the White House, at 10 a.m., followed by a march to Upper Senate Park on Capitol Hill.
"We urge everyone to contact their Senators and congressional representatives and ask them to reject Ohio’s Electoral College votes," said Blair Bobier.
Contact information for members of Congress can be found at http://vote-smart.org.
Forum posts
31 December 2004, 20:41
Yup something is wrong. Here’s an idea..costly(actually would cost a single tax dollar for each citizen) but in the name of democracy a possible solution to at least get an idea on voter choice. For all polling stations simply have honest appointed by whom I’m not sure but honest anyways people(this can be interesting) that poll the voter one after another as they leave the polling station and to see how it fairs with the final results..pretty simple?Already exist? If this body of pollers had the proper clout they could become quite legit as to at least prove to some extent voter fraud against voter intention. Also here’s another. Why not phone people at home and simply poll a neighborhood not for final tallies but just to get an idea for comparison.Is this already happening? All I can say is that a crime has occured against the american people and thought I’d share this idea.
31 December 2004, 20:43
Bush wasn’t elected, he was defaulted.
3 January 2005, 02:54
For your information we call our ballot a "Secret Ballot"...not like in the old USSR. Requiring a person to reveal how he or she voted is silly and illegal. And besides, a person wouldn’t have to tell the truth anyway(and probably wouldn’t). I know I have "mislead" an exit poll on occasion just for the fun of it.
1 January 2005, 00:20
maybe the police brutality at miami ftaa (11/03) protest, the mass arrests at the RNC and the young gal shot and killed at Boston Red Sox street party were by design- to scare people away from getting out in the streets. it doesn’t have to be an ugly battle, we can win it with flowers... lots of them.
more flyers here
http://bellaciao.org/en/article.php3?id_article=4896