Sharkansky is po'd too! I called the King Co Election office myself before 4:30 today....( Buck's assistant: 206-296-1540)
told the poor receptionist how upset I am that we are in the dark ages re counting the votes of Tuesday. And just to think these people are insisting that all ballots be done by mail within a year or so....
They must think we are in the Dark Ages here.....UNBLOODYBelievable that they haven't finished counting votes yet, and most probably won't until next week....!!!
I also left a message on Ron Sim's Assistant's (LuAnn) voice mail: 206-296-4040...
PS: Here's the King Co Website....todays totals to be posted by 7PM tonight.... Barf! or is is Ralph because we should be PC? Sharkansky is po'd too! I called King Co Election office before 4:30 today....( Buck's assistant: 206-296-1540)
told the poor receptionist how upset I am that we are in the dark ages re counting the votes of Tuesday. And just to think these people are insisting that all ballots be done by mail within a year or so....
They must think we are in the Dark Ages here.....UNBLOODYBelievable that they haven't finished counting votes yet, and most probably won't until next week....!!!
I also left a message on Ron Sim's Assistant's (LuAnn) voice mail: 206-296-4040...
PS: Here's the King Co Website ( metrokc.gov ) ....todays totals to be posted by 7PM tonight.... Barf! or is is Ralph because we should be PC?
September 21, 2006
"That's crap"
SoundPolitics: soundpolitics.com
As noted below, Ron Sims and Interim Elections Director Jim Buck ("Jimron") have been telling outrageous tall tales to cover up the IT problems that are slowing down this week's tabulation.
I should have realized earlier that Tuesday night's story was absurdly self-contradictory (I paraphrase): "We're counting more slowly than before in order to be more accurate but we're also counting faster than in the 2004 primary when we only counted 70,299 ballots in 24 hours vs. 45,521 in 12 hours this year".
It's not only self-contradictory, it's also not truthful. I asked someone who worked on the 2004 primary if they counted ballots for 24 hours straight and the exact response was "that's crap". They said that only a handful of management types worked overnight and they only counted about 3,000 ballots. The real work hours were not significantly different from this year's.
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at September 21, 2006 12:52 PM | Email
Comments
1. Doesn't anyone else here think it odd that a _handfull of management types_ stayed overnight counting ballots in the 2004 election ? My memory isn't very good, but the supposed 3000 ballots that were counted - couldn't these be the source of some of the mysterious ballots ?
I think any sort of counting or handling of ballots should be open to public scrutiny. When public viewers aren't there, they should lock the room where the ballots are kept and not allow ANYONE to enter.
Posted by: TomJ on September 21, 2006 12:56 PM
2. Somebody please tell me Sims and "his KCE management types" are not being allowed to count ballots overnight without any oversight this time around.
Posted by: joer on September 21, 2006 01:13 PM
3. "i voted for it before i voted against it"
"i didn't inhale"
"i did not have (ballot enhancement)with that woman"
libs--Dems--gotta love them!
Posted by: jimmie-howya-doin on September 21, 2006 01:32 PM
4. Wow, Jim Street's got a lot of ground to make up in the 43rd, so I guess that explains the "slow counting" from Sims. One could understand the extreme measures to assure a Dem governor in 2004, but Ron should just let Jim Street go so he can save some face.
But no doubt, Ron will ride this one in to the ground. You can't make this stuff up.
Posted by: Jeff B. on September 21, 2006 01:35 PM
5. ANNOUNCEMENT:
Tonight only fill in the bubble party at the County building.
Rub elbow with:
Chris
Ron
Greg
and others.
Fill in some little circles and talk policy.
Let's make sure the "right" people win!
Posted by: JCM on September 21, 2006 01:35 PM
6. "I asked someone who worked on the 2004 primary if they counted ballots for 24 hours straight and the exact response was "that's crap". They said that only a handful of management types worked overnight and they only counted about 3,000 ballots. The real work hours were not significantly different from this year's."
I always give credence to a " someone who worked on the election...."
Come on, Stefan, Who is buying this? You have been railing for what seems like years about this issue. It has been to court, reviewed to death and the uproar is coming from one, single voice. YOU! This is indicative of the lack of concern for your concerns that the voting public has.
I know that you believe fervently in your politics. This is a blue state. No matter how much you wish it wasn't. It is not a red state being kept blue by election manipulation.
Give it a rest.
If want to change things, get out and campaign for your candidates, Knock on doors. Talk them up on your blog. It seems like your blog always has a negative bent. People are tired of negative politics, see Bush's rating and the $2Million flushed down the toilet by the BIAW.
Posted by: frogtalk4u on September 21, 2006 01:57 PM
7. frog at 6:
"negative bent"--unlike the 'positive' moveon.org
"blue" state--caused by burdensome WA taxes & micromanaging laws constantly squeezing the taxpayer's private parts.
"no election manipulation"--can't see much from a lilly pad. "king of all you see," like Yertle the Turtle.
"lack of concern"--maybe--if the voters chose to be apathetic asses, it's their right. but others don't have to like it nor appreciate being dragged with them down the crapper with the "care-nots."
"give it a rest"--usually a favorite phrase of ostriches.
Posted by: jimmie-howya-doin on September 21, 2006 02:19 PM
8. "We're counting faster AND slower. We're counting MORE ballots AND fewer in the same amount of time. I voted FOR the $85 million before I voted against it!"
Posted by: Oh boy on September 21, 2006 02:42 PM
9. Looks like they're doing the old KC Shuffle. Anyone seen the movie Lucky Number Slevin? Bruce Willis talks about the Kansas City Shuffle, a move where you make everyone look one way and then move in the other. I think we can rename it the King County Shuffle!
Posted by: katomar on September 21, 2006 02:43 PM
10. It is disturbing that someone can be as blind as the Seattle MSM is to the lack of integrity in KC elections.
Must anyone right of center that lives in a 'blue' state just knuckle under to the system? There are many thousands that have no confidence that their vote will not be cancelled by an elections division psychic 'devining voter intent'. And it's not your vote, frogtalk4u, being cancelled.
Those in power within the blue stain from Thurston to Snohomish on a red canvas of Washington that assures blue statewide control. Why else does most everyone east of the Cascades want to secede?
Just because the Times/PI/KINGKOMOKIRO cabal don't want to investigate and report malfeasance doesn't mean that it doesn't happen. Stefan - please do not give it a rest; you are our only source of this information.
Posted by: GOPolitics on September 21, 2006 02:44 PM
11. GOPolitics-
FYI- it's not a blue stain, it's a blue skid mark, as in, the lib elite treating the fine hardworking honest folks of this state like soiled underpants.
Posted by: Jeffro on September 21, 2006 03:02 PM
12. Again, I have to ask, with counties like Island and Lewis going even slower than King...
Is there any reason to believe that this IT break-down is limited to King County? Personally, I do not see one. Limiting this to a "blue stain of King County" problem may be easy considering how populated KC is, but can anyone honestly say they think that King County is the only county without its act together?
Posted by: Alcon Nighthawk on September 21, 2006 03:30 PM
13. Frog,
You know what, I would not argue that Stefan is a bit...well, obsessive about this voting stuff and probably goes a little far in his pronouncements at times. But it is also true that he does a LOT of work that no one else is and while I might not draw the same conclusions he does, he raises a LOT of very important questions about a fundamental freedom. Questions that King County just cannot or will not answer.
You assert that it is down to one voice. And you might be right, but thank goodness for that one voice! How sad to think that it may just be one voice. Stefan reports FACTS and NUMBERS and the terms of the LEGAL CODE you dont get anyplace else.
You assert that "This is indicative of the lack of concern for your concerns that the voting public has." and here again, you are probably right. And the fact that this is true is both a very sad and a very scary commentary on us (including me) the "voting public". That is exactly what Ron Sims seems to count on. Just think of the outcry from the "voting public" if the voting on "American Idol" were so badly mismanaged......
Posted by: Jason on September 21, 2006 03:58 PM
14. Jason--correct. I hated politics as a younger person. It was boring--run--i thought--by fat, corrupt guys i had nothing in common with. Perhaps true--
but--later in life (after accumulating things the government can take or tax) i realized these people literally micromanage a huge part of your life and have police power to take anything of yours.
Right wing nut? nope--just read the Federalist Papers for the same observations. When you delegate power to someone, make damn sure you WATCH them. My example--tossing car keys to a teen with no restrictions.
Stefan--(may his name be blessed)--is just doing the old-fashioned (hard & tedious) gum-shoe detective work that newspapers or persistent citizens once did. Now, we all have excuses not to "watch the pot on the stove." Papers are lazy. Politicans know you are busy, too & play on that.
Posted by: jimmie-howya-doin on September 21, 2006 04:28 PM
15. "that's crap"
The new moto for MLKco Records, Elections & Licensing Services Division.
Now's the time to rally! Demand outside elections oversight!! Bring in Kim Jong-iL, Hugo Chavez, and Jimmy Carter to monitor the elctions in MLKco!!! If there's any problem getting in touch with these three Baghdad Jim knows how to contact them!!!!
Posted by: Tyler Durden on September 21, 2006 04:39 PM |
