My original writing [please note nowhere in the text did I say "thousands."
Message 14952972
Your question in resonse to the above is as follows:
>>>Yes, your outlandish allegations about thousands of dems being disenfranchised in the Seminole issue. What's your source, and exactly how many were disenfranchised?<<<
Some excerpts from my source:
>>>Gerald F. Richman, an attorney for the Democratic voter who brought the Seminole County case, said Friday night he has confirmed that Republican representatives corrected 2,132 absentee ballot forms. Once they were corrected, the ballots were sent to the voters, 1,936 of whom sent back actual votes. An estimated 95% of them voted for Bush, Richman said.<<<
>>>More than 550 Democrats who received different postcards also sent in flawed absentee ballot applications in Seminole County. The application forms were missing at least one of the pieces of information required by state law before an actual ballot could be sent to the voter, such as the last four digits of the voter's Social Security number or the voter identification number.
"[The Democrats' ballot forms] were missing one of the magic pieces of information too. But they were never rescued," said Kent Spriggs, a Tallahassee attorney who is representing the Democratic voter challenging the presidential election in Seminole County.<<<
Full text for excerpts above:
DECISION 2000 / AMERICA WAITS Suit Alleges Vote Fraud in Martin County, Fla.
Courts: Democrat challenges actions of Republican officials who fixed incorrect
absentee ballot requests.
SCOTT GOLD
12/02/2000
Los Angeles Times
Home Edition
Page A-20
Copyright 2000 / The Times Mirror Company
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Incensed that Republican officials in eastern Florida allowed GOP
operatives to take flawed absentee ballot forms home and correct them, a Democratic voter
filed yet another lawsuit Friday, this one seeking to toss out 6,000 votes cast for Texas Gov.
George W. Bush.
The lawsuit alleges that Martin County Supervisor of Elections Peggy S. Robbins gave
"Republican Party personnel unfettered and unsupervised access" to the application forms. The
documents, though they had already been declared invalid, were fixed so likely Republican
voters could cast absentee ballots.
Democrats did not receive the same opportunity to correct absentee request forms with
mistakes on them. Florida law says that only a voter, an immediate family member or a guardian
can fill out an absentee ballot application.
Democrats contend that the arrangement between Robbins, an elected Republican, and GOP
representatives constitutes election fraud.
Republicans concede the forms were corrected but said the actions do not constitute election
fraud--the only standard under which votes can be thrown out.
"There are no allegations in the complaint that the ballots were fraudulently cast or fraudulently
counted," said Ron Labasky, a Tallahassee attorney representing Martin County election
officials.
Because it is impossible to filter the disputed ballots from the rest of the pile, Democrats have
asked Circuit Judge Terry Lewis in Tallahassee to throw out all 9,773 absentee ballots cast in
Martin County, a conservative area north of West Palm Beach.
Nearly 6,300 of those votes were cast for the GOP's Bush, while 3,479 were cast for his
Democratic rival, Vice President Al Gore. If the suit is successful--and a Democratic attorney
acknowledged Friday that it is an "uphill fight"--the move would mean a net gain of 2,815 votes
for Gore, more than enough to make up Bush's slim lead in Florida.
The suit is similar to one filed in Seminole County. There, the supervisor of elections, an elected
Republican, admitted that she allowed two GOP representatives to use a back room of her
office to correct flawed absentee ballot applications.
Gerald F. Richman, an attorney for the Democratic voter who brought the Seminole County
case, said Friday night he has confirmed that Republican representatives corrected 2,132
absentee ballot forms. Once they were corrected, the ballots were sent to the voters, 1,936 of
whom sent back actual votes. An estimated 95% of them voted for Bush, Richman said.
"The whole thing smells," he said.
Weeks before the Nov. 7 election, both parties sent thousands of postcards to Florida voters
likely to back their candidate. The cards were supposed to require only the voter's signature
before an absentee ballot would be sent to their home. But a contractor hired by the GOP
botched the cards and printed the voter's birthday in a spot reserved for voter identification
numbers.
That made the cards invalid, by state law. Republicans realized their mistake in both counties
and were allowed to correct it so the absentee votes would be counted.
More than 550 Democrats who received different postcards also sent in flawed absentee
ballot applications in Seminole County. The application forms were missing at least one of the
pieces of information required by state law before an actual ballot could be sent to the voter,
such as the last four digits of the voter's Social Security number or the voter identification
number.
"[The Democrats' ballot forms] were missing one of the magic pieces of information too. But
they were never rescued," said Kent Spriggs, a Tallahassee attorney who is representing the
Democratic voter challenging the presidential election in Seminole County.
Democrats point out that altering an absentee ballot application is a third-degree felony in
Florida.
"When a public official allows partisans to remove public records from her office, alter them
and resubmit them, I believe that is fraud," said Ed Stafman, the Tallahassee attorney
representing the Martin County voter who filed the lawsuit.
For additional information:
199.44.225.2 |
