Kerry ’Betrayed’ Voters By Giving Up Too Quick, Jackson Says

Kerry ’Betrayed’ Voters By Giving Up Too Quick, Jackson Says
By Tracy L. Scott, BET.com Staff Writer

Posted December 6, 2004 -Sen. John Kerry “betrayed the trust of voters” when he conceded to President Bush before all the votes were counted in Ohio, the Rev. Jesse Jackson said Sunday in calling for a “full and thorough investigation” into election results in the state.

“We have a moral obligation and a legal obligation to see that every vote counts and whether Kerry gets the most votes or not, we must break a precedent of fraudulent elections,” Jackson said in an interview with Independent Media.

More than a month after Election Day, there is still uncertainty surrounding which candidate won the popular vote. Jackson blames inconsistent election laws for the confusion that has delayed the results.

“In the spring of the year, a provisional ballot, you could vote any place in the country. By September, by November, Secretary of State had shifted it to you only vote in the precinct, and with some precincts changing, it created big frustrations. So 155,000 ballots haven’t still been counted,” he said.

Jackson suggests a constitutional amendment that secures citizens’ right to vote. “We need the constitutional right to vote for President federally protected. We do not have the constitutional right to vote for president. We only have the state’s right to vote,” Jackson said, noting that state laws vary and federal laws would create more uniformity in the voting process nationwide.

Several advocacy groups and politicians, including candidates from the Green and Libertarian parties who are raising money to finance the effort, want the Ohio ballots to be recounted.