All right, I am being sarcastic, but consider some recent history. Nearly all of the problems in Florida during the 2000 election occurred in counties with Democratic election boards, counties with long histories of mismanagement and fraud.
And now we have still another mess in King County. I don't think the discovery of 561 improperly rejected votes in King County is evidence of fraud, but I do think it is final proof of incompetence. King County has one-third of the population of Washington state, and in election after election, most of the screw-ups.
It is time for King County executive Ron Sims to replace King County Elections Director Dean Logan with some one who is willing to clean house at the elections office and end these bi-annual King County embarrassments. And Sims should take a cue from the voters of Washington state, who, for many years, have preferred to trust Republicans with the state's ballots.
(Cross posted at Jim Miller on Politics.)
More: King County found still more votes, as Al noted below in the comments.
Bill Huennekens, King County's superintendent of elections, said last night that election workers had recently found 22 ballots in the pockets of voting machines already put in storage. The county's voting machines have pockets on the side where voters can place absentee or provisional ballots.
And that was after they changed their count on the improperly rejected ballots from 561 to 573.
Let me restate my main point to help get the discussion back on topic: The mistakes made in King County in this election are proof of incompetence. The series of errors demonstrates a need for new personnel and new policies.
What should King County be able to do? To begin with, the elections office should be able to keep an accurate count of ballots received. This is not a difficult task; all sorts of financial institutions do similar things every day. There's much more, but that's where I would start. I am sure many of you have more suggestions as to what we can reasonably expect from the office.
Reform may not be easy. I suspect some of the offenders are protected by civil service rules. But it is necessary if the citizens of this county and of Washington state are to have any confidence in our elections.
Posted by Jim Miller at December 14, 2004 11:53 AM | Email ThisWithout all that built in slop in the system, the Democrats might actually have to get more votes in order to win. Perish the thought!
Posted by: Kevin S on December 14, 2004 11:57 AMGray's Harbor County found a big bunch of votes on the machine recount. It looks like Kitsap County found over a hundred votes on the manual recount.
In King County, 500 votes is nothing.
But, as usual, the Republicans want to criticize King County because it's big and powerful. Funny how most of the economic powerhouses of America are strongly Democratic, while all the hicks in Yakima stomp their feet and complain about business climate, and then keep alleging all Democrats are stupid and incompetent. You would think Republican counties would want to emulate King County.
I'm a Democrat because I believe in competence, economic development, and progress, something the backwoods red county folks will never get.
So, make a big deal over losing 500 votes. You need something to make you feel like you matter.
Posted by: Christine G on December 14, 2004 12:40 PMWe'll just have to give Christine her Kelly LeBrock moment (Don't hate me because I'm beautiful.) It's got to be tough depending upon King County to deliver.
This is the third election in a row that the Elections office screwed up. If it shows anything, it shows this should be an elected position, not a patronage appointment by Sims.
It is my recollection that Gray's Harbor found new ballots on the machine recount.
The 561 in question were absentee votes where the voter's name was not in the computer database. They have 900,000 ballots. You really want to suggest that an employee omitting 500 names from a computer database is gross incompetence that should force the resignation of the man at the top?
THAT is intellectually dishonest.
Posted by: Christine G on December 14, 2004 01:52 PMIf we're going to dig deep to count every vote, then be prepared for the reality of various mistakes, especially for the 900,000 voters in King County. Of course, whether Logan will accept responsibility or sluff it off on the anonymouse overworked staffer is yet to be seen.
I won't be holding my breath.
Posted by: Mike on December 14, 2004 02:13 PMWhy not dig deep to make sure that all absentee and provisional votes are indeed acurate, legal votes?
Not verifying the the election was conducted with accurate legal votes will disenfranchise the millions of honest voters who took the time to vote properly and honestly.
The Democratic mantra was "count every vote," now it is "count every legal vote," but where's the hunt to find out if there are any felons, non-citizens, dead, mentally incapacitated, or simply fraudulent ballots?
Since the election is so close that it is a "tie" in Gregoire's words, where's the deeply committed search to make sure all votes are legal?
Hully gee, I had no idear us Brownsiders wuz so ignurrant! I'm from Klickitat County, which makes Yakima look downright metropolitan. I know that food doesn't come from Safeway, spotted owls don't pay taxes, and Washington doesn't end at Snoqualmie Pass. What else do I need to know to be able to hold my head up among the Coastie sophisticates? How to order a latte? Shoot gangstas from my car?
Don't need lessons from Seattle in how to fill out a ballot; that's for damn sure.
Posted by: Joel on December 14, 2004 03:26 PMHow do you know that there ISN'T an effort to exclude non-citizens and dead people? The reason these 561 votes were excluded before is precisely because King County keeps lists of such things.
Posted by: Christine G on December 14, 2004 03:32 PMThat's exactly the sort of lesson you need. Can't teach a pig to sing, though.
Posted by: Christine G on December 14, 2004 03:35 PMWas every provisional/ absentee from a college student checked against the student's home state precinct to make sure they did not vote twice?
Was every voter checked for citizenship?
With an election this close, don't we owe it to the great state of WA to put a little more scrutiny into the process to make sure that every legal vote was counted?
Posted by: Jeff B. on December 14, 2004 03:43 PMEvil isn't about right/wrong. It's about democrat/republican.
This is all good, but predictable, theater.
Posted by: tom on December 14, 2004 03:46 PMI don't understand your comment about economic opportunity entirely--I assure you that eastern WA carries its weight in terms of its agricultural production--but the idea of agricultural productivity is an unknown to west siders who probably think the Pike Place Market vendors grow their products on small, environmentally friendly garden plot. Also for the record,in Eastern Washington we dont count Bellevue residents as eastsiders like they are in Seattle :)
Posted by: RogerA on December 14, 2004 03:49 PMDon't you like baseball?
Posted by: Christine G on December 14, 2004 04:01 PMLocke's arrogant attitude of "government knows best", invalidating a democractic vote, ignoring those "eastern hick counties" and the 1.8 billion deficit he leaves behind are just some reasons why many Dem's voted for Rossi.
Posted by: Mike on December 14, 2004 04:19 PMAs for farming being government subsidized--it is indeed, but it is actually the agricultural sector in eastern washington that is permitting many of our hispanic immigrants to rise in the economic ladder--you might wish to study how the Hispanic community rises inter-generationally--of course, there are those nanny jobs in Bellevue, Medina, and Kirkland :)
Posted by: RogerA on December 14, 2004 04:31 PMThere's now 577 'found' ballots.
Posted by: Al on December 14, 2004 05:28 PMlike constant crime, rape, drug and alcohol abuse, like hidden prositution, like wrecked families and lives in general...
smart people know where to live and that is almost always, away from the big cities and out in the burbs and rural America.....
Democrat party consists on nothing more than the worse of the whiners and crybabies of the country...they get their paycheck feeding off the tit of the hard working country bumpkins and their ilk....
Posted by: lee on December 14, 2004 06:25 PMMy parents live there, and my uncle lives in Moses Lake. I visit often.
I know exactly of what I speak.
However, those who think that Seattle is a hotbed of "hidden prostitution" are pretty damn ignorant.
I'm sure you've heard that divorce rates are much higher in red states. I'm sure that goes for red counties as well. Accordingly the comment about "wrecked families" is absurd.
Posted by: Christine G on December 14, 2004 07:06 PMI personally can't stand going to Seattle. I hate driving through. I hate trying to find parking. I rarely go into the 'big' city if I can avoid it. I don't even like Tacoma. Driving over the pass, on the other hand, is pure pleasure. As is visiting cities throughout the Eastside of the state.
To each his/her own, but the country life is definitely for me...as soon as I can telecommute!
Posted by: megs on December 14, 2004 08:02 PMI didn't miss any facts. I don't disagree that someone needs to raise cattle. I just don't think they should be the ones calling the shots in the global economy. If you guys knew anything about the state of the world economy, you would realize that environmental regulation is much less of a problem for your economies than international competition.
The single dominant economy is the one that provides most of the taxes that support your farm subsidies. We give far more than we get - we give value, we receive scorn and ignorance. Sorry if I offend.
Posted by: Christine G on December 14, 2004 09:32 PMI want to copy your posts and repost them all over the conservative forums. You are classic.
No offense, hon!
Posted by: Julie on December 14, 2004 10:14 PMI didn't say that we don't need farmers. I didn't say we shouldn't subsidize farmers. I said that farmers shouldn't be the ones calling the shots in the global economy. I could list all the reasons why, but it should be pretty obvious.
Posted by: Christine G on December 15, 2004 11:21 AMCopy my posts where you like. Instead of talking about matters of consequence, you will talk about something the leader of the communist party said at the University of Oregon, or the theory of some radical animal rights activist, or some anonymous poster on the internet such as myself, who expresses herself in a manner that is not altogether polite. If you can hate me for a superior attitude, and hate some insignificant person on the radical left, and extrapolate these random comments and generate a discussion about how these radical views and snotty attitudes are the true hidden face of the Democratic party, you have a lot of fun, and never have to consider your views, because you're spending all you time making up a mythical villian (really, I rate better than Disney!).
your arrogant and elitist postings have just emboldened us.....
keep it up.....it helps us to enlarge our voting base....
who knows....this criminal election could lead to having one more Republican Senator from Washington and a Republican state legislature...
nothing fires people up more than people like you....
Posted by: lee on December 15, 2004 01:46 PMThe problem is when partisans speak for nonpartisans, they are always wrong.
Nothing fires me up more than "people like you" - whatever that is. Nothing fires you up more than "people like me" - whatever that means.
We cancel each other out. Talking about a "criminal" election brands you as a nut to a truly nonpartisan voter.
Plus, you say how "emboldened" you are by me. Really? Partisans are always emboldened. Just because their blood pressure raises a notch means nothing. Sorry to break it to you.
Posted by: Christine G on December 15, 2004 01:52 PMYou are very obviously partisan, so I think that by your same logic I should assume that all that you say about nonpartisans is wrong.
Posted by: Jaqson on December 15, 2004 03:00 PMBravo. You catch on fast.
Posted by: Christine G on December 15, 2004 03:04 PMTwo points that bear mentioning. First, as I understand it, the statistics that show a higher rate of divore in red states are skewed by the fact that there are more marriages in red states. Cohabitation is less popular in the Bible Belt, as are gay relationships, which currently can't be solemnized.
Second, if you think that farmers shouldn't be calling the shots, consider what would happen if they went on strike for a year or so. You'd be offering all sorts of concessions then.
Posted by: Joel on December 15, 2004 05:58 PMThe red state high divorce thing has been extensively debated. The most interesting stats is that conservative Christians have higher divorce rates than atheists, Catholics, or any other group.
If garbagemen went on strike for a year, we'd be in a world of hurt. I guess garbagemen should call the shots on Washington's decisions in the global economy.
Posted by: Christine G on December 15, 2004 06:53 PMFarming on the other hand is quite different. When this country was founded, more than 50% of its populace were farmers (not garbagemen). Since that time, technology has surpassed the growth of need (for food) and it's closer to 1-2%. Farmers have become highly specialized workers that live in logistically unfeasable areas for most other occupations. The amount of technology needed to be learned and acquired, not to mention the sheer logistics of moving so many people into rural areas is a rather unsurmountable task. If all the farmers in the US suddenly went on strike, we'd have a much bigger problem than with garbage.
Sorry to say this but your example is rather flawed. I do however agree with the heart of what you are trying to say. I don't believe different groups deserve "extra importance" based on lifestyle and/or occupation. I also feel that no group should be disregarded.
P.S. Garbage men should and do have say in Washington. It's called voting.
Posted by: Jaqson on December 15, 2004 08:42 PMWithout farmers, you couldn't generate enough garbage to matter. :)
And Jaqson, your point is well taken. Of course, a lot of the people who grow our food can't vote anyway.
Posted by: Joel on December 16, 2004 07:25 AM