Is Rerecount Really a Word?

What do you do when the you get no additional votes in the first recount?

If you're Green Party candidate David Cobb or Libertarian Party candidate Michael Badnarik, you request another.

Two third-party presidential candidates asked a federal court Thursday to force a second recount of the Ohio vote, alleging county election boards altered votes and didn't follow proper procedures in the recount that ended this week...

The two candidates, who received less than 0.3 percent of the Ohio vote, paid $113,600 for a statewide recount after the vote was certified earlier this month by the secretary of state. They have said they don't expect to change the election results, but want to make sure that every vote is proply counted.

Seems to me like there's a couple other places where the next $1.5M would be better spent. Come on folks, can't we keep things in perspective?

The Other Poll: Jerry Springer Leads in Gubernatorial Poll

Jesse Jackson gets interviewed in Newsweek online, but just as credible as any of the information he mentions are the results of this unscientific poll from The Other Paper, a free entertainment weekly distributed throughout the Columbus area.

Poll results were tallied from ballots readers faxed in from the previous week. Hey, at least they solved the problems with the long lines.

After making the important determination that only 19% of the respondents think it's OK to strike up a conversation with the person in the stall next to you while in a public restroom, it goes on to reveal these here-to-fore unanswered questions about political leanings of us Columbus natives.

Which did you get more emotionally caught up in this year?

The presidential election: 79%
The Michigan game: 21%

Gasp! That's almost sacrilege in this football crazy city.

Is it rude to ask your acquaintances how they voted?

Yes: 53%
No: 47%

But is it rude to ask how long they stood in line? No, in fact in a couple years we'll be talking about how we walked uphill in the snow and stood in line for two days to cast our vote.

Who's more trustworthy?

Ohio State professor Roger Blackwell: 68%
Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell: 32%

Who's Roger Blackwell? Don't know. And neither did anyone else who answered this question.

Which of these two candidates would get your vote in the 2006 governor's race?

Democrat Jerry Springer: 75%
Republican Larry Householder: 25%

You heard it here first. And don't let that little word unscientific get in the way. Jackson never would.

Ohio Supreme Court: Challengers' Documents "woefully inadequate"

In a stinging rebuke to a lawsuit challenging the outcome of the Ohio election, Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Moyer rejected a request for a speedy hearing and refused to order Ohio election officials to preserve "evidence" from the recount.

As reported by the Akron Beacon Journal/AP:

The voters and their attorneys filed poorly documented affidavits that contain hearsay, don't indicate who the people making statements are and don't explain what their statements have to do with the election, Moyer said.

The challengers have provided "nothing suggesting that Ohio election officials are engaging, or will engage, in illegal conduct," said Moyer, who called their documents "woefully inadequate."

Hearsay and unnamed sources. Key ingredients for any conspiracy.

Excuse Who?

Warning, this is going to be a rant on one of my pet peeves.

OK, here it is. It's a big one. OK, maybe not. But it still irks me.

Since when did it become OK for someone to bump into you and say "excuse you" instead of "excuse me?"

This is a trend I've noticed sporadically over the last several years. Primarily with younger kids. And it has always bothered me. It doesn't seem too much to ask someone to say excuse me.

In fact, I think I'd rather be ignored than to have someone tell me "excuse you". It sounds a lot like "watch it bud" or even "get the f* out of the way" to me. Even if I'm in your way, "excuse me" is just a polite way to let me know.

Anyway, the latest example came this weekend when I was in the local Kroger picking up some last minute items for Christmas dinner. Twice when I was walking down the aisles a high school kid jumped in front of me with a quick "excuse you" to grab what they needed. I quietly decried the demise of the current generation and noted how I would never have done such a thing 20 years ago. Boy I can't wait until I get old and have an excuse to be a crusty old man!

And then came the kicker. As I waited in line at the registers, a 40-ish housewife in the line next to me came up, reached over my cart with a quick "excuse you", grabbed the latest National Enquirer, and proceeded to read about Britney's latest marraige problems as I looked at her in stunned silence.

"Merry Christmas," said the teenage cashier smiling broadly, "Did you find everything alright today?"

Ah, my faith in mankind was restored once again.

Recount Reaction

It hasn't taken long for the reaction from the Ohio recount to hit the blogosphere as a search of Technorati demonstrates.

From Blogs for Bush:

And how does the AP headline this story? "Ohio Recount Ends, Shows Vote Closer" The 285 vote pickup represents a whopping .24% of Bush's final margin of victory...that's less than one quarter of one percent.

From The Original Musings:

The Ohio recount is now complete. The votes have been counted, and Kerry picked up nearly 300 more votes. That means Bush still won by a six-figure margin. How many more recounts do we have to have before the whiners shut up and accept the fact that Bush won?

From Bookwork Room:

After all the hoo-ha, it turns out that there was only a 300 vote difference after the Ohio recount (that Kerry said he wouldn't support before he changed his mind and supported) -- and the news is that President Bush still won by a wide margin

From Michael the ArchAngel:

Come on democrats in Ohio, learn your lesson from Washington State, force another recount. If that one doesn't work, then ask for another recount. You 'find' some more votes, in the trash can, behind the desk, or where ever, and you add those in

From Reality Hammer:

This expensive, unnecessary recount will certainly benefit Republicans in coming elections as taxpaying voters remember which parties candidates had little concern for taxpayer money, even to the point of admitting that the recount was a useless waste of taxpayer money.

From California Patriot:

We won’t allow Mickey Mouse and his friend to be disenfranchised! So yea, George Bush is still the president, the earth is still spinning, and Jesse Jackson still finds ways to maneuver himself into anyone’s backyard. All in all, not really news.

This is the first time a search of 'ohio recount' found something other than baseless accusations and Jesse Jackson quotes in weeks.

Hoffheimer Backpedals

Earlier this week I noted the following quote from Daniel Hoffheimer, counsel to John Kerry's Ohio campaign

This [the Ohio recount] has fundamentally shocked people's sense of whether any election can be accurately counted," said Daniel Hoffheimer, counsel to John Kerry's Ohio campaign.

and called on Kerry to publicly state that nothing was found to call the outcome of the election into question.

Keith Olbermann reported yesterday that Hoffheimer "changed his tone"

I would caution the media not to read more into what the Kerry-Edwards campaign has said," Mr. Hoffheimer advised us by e-mail, "than what you hear in the plain meaning of our comments. There are many conspiracy theorists opining these days. There are many allegations of fraud. But this presidential election is over. The Bush-Cheney ticket has won. The Kerry-Edwards campaign has found no conspiracy and no fraud in Ohio, though there have been many irregularities that cry out to be fixed for future elections. Senator Kerry and we in Ohio intend to fix them. When all of the problems in Ohio are added together, however bad they are, they do not add up to a victory for Kerry-Edwards. Senator Kerry's fully-informed and extremely careful assessment the day after the election and before he conceded remains accurate today, notwithstanding all the details we have since learned."

Now it's time for Kerry himself to make the same unambiguous statement.

UPDATE: Here is a video of a segment on Olbermann's show yesterday covering the topic.

Kerry Loses Again - But By Only 118,457 Votes This Time

It's over. The Ohio recount, not the whining that is.

ABC News is now reporting that the final tally shaved 318 votes from Bush's margin of victory. With the cost of the recount estimated at $1.5M, that comes to over $4,500 per vote. What a great way to spend taxpayer money.

Witnesses who watched workers count ballots by hand and machine said the effort provided assurance that boards were accurately counting ballots.

Of course that doesn't satisfy the like of Jesse Jackson and Bill Moss, the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit filed with the Ohio Supreme Court contesting the outcome.

The completion of the recount will not bring an end to questions surrounding the vote in Ohio.

A group of voters citing fraud have challenged the election results with the Ohio Supreme Court. The voters, supported by the Rev. Jesse Jackson, have cited irregularities including long lines, a shortage of voting machines in minority precincts and problems with computer equipment.

Now it's time for John Kerry to publicly state his confidence in the results and end this nonsense.

So Who Is Bill Moss?

I don't know how I missed it before today, but I just learned that Columbus's own Bill Moss and his wife are the lead plaintiffs in the suit filed challenging the Ohio election results.

I'm sure many of you outside Ohio are interested in learning more about Mr. Moss.

Mr. Moss was a "colorful" 5-term member of the Columbus School Board before he lost in the 2003 election. Of course he lost because Columbus Democrats and Republicans worked together to endorse a team of 4 candidates (2 Republicans, 2 Democrats) designed specifically to get him off the board. Who says we Ohioans can't work together for a common cause?

To get a better picture of some of Mr. Moss's exploits, take a look at these blurbs pulled from the archives of the Columbus Dispatch using the search term "bill moss school board".

From Aug 4, 1999

He has boycotted special meetings -- even shunned a retreat designed to smooth over disagreements among the Columbus Board of Education members -- but now board member Bill Moss' absences are hitting him in the wallet.

Moss protested at a board meeting last night that his $260 monthly board check was withheld by interim Treasurer Jerry Buccilla's office.

From Dec 16, 1999

Bill Moss came out of the race for Columbus Board of Education a winner -- and apparently so did his car.

Moss charged his campaign $2,740 for what appears to be a thorough overhaul of his 1979 Buick LeSabre, according to campaign disclosures on file with the Franklin County Board of Elections.

From Dec 22, 1999

The topic of docked pay proved disruptive, yet familiar, to board President Mary Jo Kilroy, whose eight-year tenure ended with the expected well-wishes, presents and a plaque, as well as a shouting match with board member Bill Moss.

From July 18, 2001

As the Columbus Board of Education signed its new superintendent to a four-year contract last night, camouflage-clad Bill Moss continued the commando-type political assault that has kept him entrenched in the familiar role of lone dissenter.

From Feb 7, 2003

Disrupting a public meeting likely will get a person tossed out of the room. But what happens when that troublemaker is one of the elected officials?

Columbus Board of Education member Bill Moss effectively shut down a school board meeting on Tuesday by pounding a shoe on the table and shouting for about 25 minutes.

From Feb 9, 2003

Columbus' version of the mad shoe-bomber -- the mad shoe-banger -- struck Tuesday.

Bill Moss' technique varied -- one hand, both hands. But give the senior member of the Columbus Board of Education credit for strong arms and good lungs.

From Oct 13, 2003

Attacking a political newcomer with racially charged comments, Columbus Board of Education member Bill Moss said Terry Boyd is "the great black hope'' and a tool of the white "plantation owners.''

"They've got to come out and find a black man who could be used as a tool,'' Moss said in an interview. "Whenever the establishment -- the plantation bosses -- want to get rid of Bill Moss, they always get together.''

From Oct. 22, 2003

Bill Moss doesn't apologize for being Bill Moss.

Whether he's thoughtfully asking Superintendent Gene Harris about the qualifications of district math teachers or pounding a shoe on the board table while chanting "Look at the criminals!'' Moss says he always has the interests of taxpayers in mind.

From Nov 5, 2003

Thanks to the determined leadership of Board President Stephanie Hightower, Terry Boyd defeated Bill Moss, whose outrageous sideshows over the years have done major damage to the district's credibility and contributed to flight from the system by the very types of families the district needs to retain

From May 4, 2004:

Though the court ordered him several times to pay nearly $12,000 to a retiring teacher, former Columbus Board of Education member Bill Moss said yesterday that he should not have to pay.

Moss said time he spent in a Franklin County jail cell for contempt of court in 1993 should be enough to pay a civil judgment against him by now-retired Judge Tommy L. Thompson in 1990.

I'm sure there are more, but this gives you an idea of the man behind the lawsuit.

"Stop the Nonsense" Gets Another Newspaper Endorsement

For those keeping track, another Ohio newspaper has now lost it's patience with the "hard-headed individuals that still want to count votes". This time it's the News-Herald, a regional paper in northeast Ohio.

It is time for Jackson to stop talking about vote-stealing, time for the Green and Libertarian parties to understand that their combined three-tenths of one percent of the vote is a fly speck and not deserving of a recount, and time for MoveOn to move on.

The election is over. If you really care about the process, do yourselves a favor - start getting ready for the next one.

I'm still looking for a mainstream Ohio newspaper supporting a continued investigation. I will report it as soon as I find one, or one is pointed out to me.

Meanwhile, another recount witness reports a pleasant, professional experience.

In the end [Gloria] Hershey, a native of Morrow County, felt pride that the recount showed an honest count of the ballots. She is confident the recount proves that every vote counted in Morrow County.

"The count reflected the will of the people," Hershey concluded. "People demanded a recount and this shows the system works. It's something everyone should care about."

It's All Just to Fix the Election...

So what does an Ohio election official do once they have completed their recount? OK, almost completed. We're still waiting for the official announcement that it's complete.

Fulfill hundreds of Open Records requests of course.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer gave some examples in this article.

Everybody wants a piece of Cuyahoga County's presidential election.

High school students and college professors. Civil rights lawyers and self-appointed election activists. Politicians and Average Joes. Reporters from community newspapers to the Los Angeles Times.

Since Nov. 2, hundreds of requests to review, copy, inspect and even manipulate records related to the election have flooded the board's offices. Many of the requests are testing Ohio's open records law, the patience of elections officials and the will of the people submitting them.

Some, coming from high schools students for a class project, sound interesting. But others aren't so knowledgeable.

But some requests are off-target, such as those seeking information about electronic voting machines; Cuyahoga County uses paper-ballot machines.

Thanks for doing your homework before making that request!

And thank God others come from trustworthy liberal organizations, because if they came from the right, I'd have to suspect vote tampering...

Working on behalf of the progressive political group Alliance for Democracy, [Harvey] Wasserman mailed his request to the state's 88 election boards. It includes an unusual appeal: permission to hook up his computer to the boards' computers and copy records.

According to the PD, Cuyahoga county officials have named Vicki Lovegren, a mathematics professor at Case Western Reserve University, "among the most persistent - and exhausting - voter advocates."

Lovegren's detailed requests and addendums forced elections officials to use a computer spreadsheet to track her requests.

This included holding a special evening training session for her - after she refused to believe that the vote tabulation machines couldn't produce the detailed reports she wanted. If you think that she would be grateful for this, well, you'd be wrong...

Lovegren's frequent e-mails and calls suggest that she's suspicious of election officials.

"If I don't get these items tomorrow, I have to conclude that the board is hiding something," she wrote in one e-mail.

But of course, it's all in the interest of improving the process.

"We are not here to overturn an election," Said Steve Hertzberg, project manager of Votewatch. "We want to find out where the flaws are so we can fix these things."

But Steve, of all of the states and all of the counties, why would you pick one that already has plans in place to replace their current voting technology (punch cards) - instead of somewhere else where they would actually benefit from your observations.

Oh wait a second - I get it. When you used the term "fix", you meant it in the same way that the King County election officials in Washington did when they "fixed" their election too. It's all so clear now.

How is this Good for America?

I'm certainly not sanctioning a policy where we bury our head in the sand. Ohio's election process is not perfect. No process involving millions of fallible human beings is going to be.

But it certainly isn't the mess the New York Times is presenting in this piece picked up by newspapers across the country.

From seven-hour lines that drove voters away, to malfunctioning machines, to poorly trained poll workers who directed people to the wrong polling places, to uneven policies about the use of provisional ballots, Ohio has become this year's poster state for every ailment in America's electoral process.

Please! I have yet to find any reputable Ohio-based newspaper that has even alleged any major problems, much less proven any. Sure, they all call for process improvements, but let's keep things in perspective. They were minor and didn't impact the outcome of the election.

Of course that's not the impression you get when you listen to John Kerry's counsel.

"This has fundamentally shocked people's sense of whether any election can be accurately counted," said Daniel Hoffheimer, counsel to John Kerry's Ohio campaign.

Shame on John Kerry. Once again he is trying to have it both ways. He allows comments like this to hit the mainstream media while trying to give the impression that he is above the fray.

To be spreading around this type of sound-bite nonsense is irresponsible. Losing the public's trust in our election system will do far more harm in the long run than anything that happened in Ohio.

Granted, these are Kerry's representatives that are making these comments, not Kerry himself. Kerry will have an opportunity to put this nonsense to rest when the recount is completed.

When that happens, he should come out and clearly state that although there were minor issues in Ohio, there is nothing that calls the outcome into question. To do anything else would be irresponsible.

UPDATE: It looks like I'm not the only one who has noticed Kerry heading toward another flip-flop...
Little Green Footballs and Riding Sun also weighed in on the matter. And so did Rob Bernard.

UPDATE 2: Keith Olbermann is now reporting that Hoffheimer has "changed his tone."

Maybe Mickey Should Have Requested a Recount

For the day after Christmas, I wanted a lighthearted article to keep that Christmas glow going for a couple more days. This article by M.J. Willow of the Columbus Free Press, in which she describes her experience as a witness for the Franklin county recount, gives insight into the whole recount process, but it was the write-in ballots that caught my attention.

Electronic voting machines (DRE's to you and me now) are equipped with a button that opens a little window where a voter can write anything they choose. Believe me, they do. Some choose not to write anything, others, I was told, go with the time tested obscenities. These are non-valid votes but must be noted. Working from an abstract generated by the machines' report that the little window opened, the officials have forms, red ones, that are filled out at the captain of each polling place. If the abstract says the window in Precinct X opened, then the red form should have info about that vote.

Mickey Mouse, Martin Sheen and Lewis Fahrakhan tied with 2 non-valid votes. Jessie the Body Ventura received 2 votes proving there are still hardcore WWF fans out there. Butch Davis won 2 votes so if you know him, let him know. There's always next time, Butch. A couple of people wanted a Clinton back in the White House but only one bothered to specify Bill. I'm stunned Mickey Mouse got one more vote than Kermit the Frog! C'mon people! It ain't easy being green but he doesn't give up! Just like David Cobb who, by my very UNofficial count received 20 write-in votes as a valid write-in candidate. Ralph Nader captured the hearts of 96 faithfuls. (Again, my numbers here are very UNofficial.)

I don't know, but it seems to me that anyone who voted for Fahrakhan ought to have their votes counted twice just for being able to spell it correctly.

Uh oh. Better not give anyone any ideas.

"And the angel said unto them...

Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:10

May the peace and joy of the season bless you and your loved ones during this holiday season.

Additional posts will continue on the 26th.

A Christmas Present for You - Try Firefox

It's not often that I can give a Christmas present to every person who visits this blog, but here's something for the majority of you.

In reviewing my visitor statistics yesterday, I noticed that approximately two-thirds of you are still using Internet Explorer. I just wanted to take the time to recommend that you try the free download of Mozilla's Firefox Browser. You will be glad you did.

I also want to send a special thanks out to several sites that have linked to me as I started this blog. Your comments and feedback and been very much appreciated. It's been great to see my traffic grow thanks to your kind words and referrals.

Although listed on my blogroll, here are some sites that have been especially kind to the newbie. If you haven't already, you should check them out.

Artitumus
Daisy Cuttter
Eaglespeak
PoliBlog
The Blog of Earl
The World According to Nick

Jackson: Kerry Conceded Much Too Quickly

Can one of you other states please take Jesse Jackson for a while...

Claiming Ohio's 2004 election results were more troubling than Florida's four years ago, the Rev. Jesse Jackson on Thursday said Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry called it quits too soon.

"Kerry conceded much too quickly, before the facts were in," Jackson said in a conference call with reporters to discuss an ongoing challenge to Ohio's election results.

Somewhere along the line, I must have missed when the word "facts" got redefined into "unproven allegations".

Since then, a Jackson-led group claims to have uncovered a wide range of voting irregularities in the Buckeye State, including tabulations that contradicted early exit polls pointing to a Kerry victory, voting machine errors, absentee ballot counting errors, and inaccurate directions given to voters trying to get to polling places.

These are the same baseless charges that have circulating for the last month. The most amazing thing to me is how Jackson can hold a press conference, have the story - and I do mean story - hit the wire services and get picked up nationally by dozens of news outlets across the country.

This recount is turning into a study of media manipulation.

GMAC Bowl: Bowling Green 52, Memphis 35

Bowling Green State University won their second consecutive bowl game yesterday, beating Memphis 52-35.

This marks quite a turnaround in the football program from when I went to school there. In comparison, they won two games the entire season my junior year. Urban Meyer and now Gregg Brandon have done a remarkable job in turning the program around.

Keep your eye on sophomore QB Omar Jacobs over the next couple of years. He joined QB's Ben Roethlisberger and Byron Leftwich as the MAC's only 4,000+ yard passers. In a league gaining a reputation for the quality of it's QB's, that's pretty good company to be in.

In related news, former BG quarterback Josh Harris has now joined the Cleveland Browns.

And with that, I'll stop my Browns comments before I start, lest this post digress and I lose my Christmas cheer.

More Kerry Votes Found?

With the Washington governor race now showing Democrat Christine Gregoire leading by 10 votes, King county election officials have announced that they have now miraculously found 120,000 votes for Kerry that Ohio election officials apparently misplaced.

OK, maybe it hasn't come to that, but with the first Ohio recount is all but complete, the Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting the Kerry campaign is ready for round 2:

John Kerry's presidential campaign criticized the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections Wednesday night for its handling of the presidential recount and said some parts of that recount should be conducted again.

This, coming from a campaign that conceded and didn't even request the initial recount. All we need is an "I was actually against the recount before I was for it" quote and this election will come full circle.

On a positive note, the same PD article makes it clear that no additional recount will occur.

Ohio Digs Out

After a day and night of snow, sleet, and freezing rain that knock out electricity - or cable and Internet access in my case - for over 300,000 homes, Ohio is starting to dig out before the next wave hits.

Dayton got a hit with over a foot of snow as these pictures show, while here in Columbus we had a heavy snowfall yesterday, which turned into freezing rain during the night and snow again this morning.

After spending 2 1/2 hours trying to clear the snow-slush-snow combo off the driveway, I think I would have opted for the 16 inches of snow.

Maybe this will teach my mother-in-law who came up from Florida to watch what she wishes for when she hopes for a white Christmas.

Ohio Voter Exclusive: Kerry Mathematically Eliminated in Ohio

As Power Line reminds Jim Garaghty of Kerry Spot that the election is over, Ohio Voter can now confirm that John Kerry has been mathematically eliminated from winning Ohio. The Akron Beacon Journal is now reporting that 86 of 88 counties have completed their recount:

With recount results reported in 86 of 88 counties Tuesday, President Bush picked up 438 votes and Sen. John Kerry got an extra 680, narrowing Bush's 119,000-vote lead by 242 votes, according to an Associated Press survey of the counties. Both sides agreed last month that the recount wouldn't change the outcome.

While not being able to identify the specific two counties remaining, an exhaustive search of newspaper and web reports has allowed me to determine that all large and medium-sized counties (Trumbull was the last) have completed their recount.

With this analysis, I can state that even if every registered voter in the two remaining counties voted for John Kerry, he would still lose.

Expect the final two counties to report in tomorrow to make it official.

Merry Christmas everyone.

------

References:
http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/
http://www.votecobb.org/recount/ohio_reports/index.php
http://languagedoc.mydd.com/story/2004/12/17/144935/12
http://www.electionohio.com/trumbull/Current_Election.htm
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
http://www.xeniagazette.com/main.asp?
http://www.channelcincinnati.com/news/4007758/detail.html
http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives
http://www.co.clark.oh.us/boe/recount2004.txt
http://www.tdn-net.com/main.asp?
http://64.233.161.104/search?

Ohio Recount Update: 12 Counties Remaining

The Akron Beacon Journal notes that another handful of counties have completed their recount.

With 76 of Ohio's 88 counties reporting final recounts to The Associated Press as of Monday, including the large urban counties of Cuyahoga, Hamilton and Franklin, Bush had gained 425 votes and Kerry has gained 570 votes.

Kerry has netted an additional 145 votes across the 76 counties that have completed their recount effort.

It should only be a couple more days before Kerry is mathematically eliminated - meaning the number of registered voters in the remaining counties is less than Bush's margin of victory.