JB: I can't disagree with anything you've said here, Bob. Our system is definitely broken. But of course, it's much more complicated than it might seem. States don't make it easy to recount, do they? And recounts in the past have been less than kosher. It's important for our readers to have realistic expectations going into this.
BF: We have a essentially a Jim Crow "state's rights" voting scheme which gives tremendous power to 50 different state governments to control the voting process. For example, I would personally have loved to see a recount this year in North Carolina, Ohio and Florida as well. However, the various state laws and costs made it virtually impossible.
When Ohio was recounted in 2004, there were numerous irregularities in the recount itself. In Hocking County, a private technician showed up without an appointment prior to the recount and swapped out a hard drive from the central tabulator. He also offered the assistance director of the Board of Elections what she termed a "cheat sheet" with numbers on it he said that would match the official vote totals.
In Cuyahoga County (Cleveland) they illegally pre-counted the required 3% of the vote for the recount to make sure it matched, and then selected it non-randomly. The law required that it must be a random 3% recount. The election officials were later convicted for this.
So, the expectation going forward is that it will be better this time because we will be aware of the tricks from 2004, but it still will be a battle. I'm hoping that computer forensic experts are used this time to make sure there are print-outs from the DRE machines, particularly in Pennsylvania, and that the central tabulators are checked as well as the portable drives coming in from the precinct machines.
I expect the greatest outpouring of election integrity volunteers in US history to flood these states to ensure an accurate recount in the fight for democracy regardless of the final outcome.
JB: I hope you'll let us know when you know just how volunteers can participate. It's an enticing opportunity. But I'd like to talk more about the process itself. You mentioned the importance of bringing computer forensic experts into the recount. Who decides the rules? I'm assuming the challenger does not have the upper hand here but I may be wrong.
Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
5
4
3
