King County Elections sent me a formal response to my public disclosure request late Monday afternoon.
Some of the documents I requested will be available today. But the county says it will continue to conceal the most important information, the binder with the precinct reconciliation reports until March 31. The delay is unjustifiable. The Public Disclsoure Act specifies certain reasons that may be used to justify delay in satisfying a disclosure request, but none of these reasons apply here. The information has already been assembled (it's in the BINDER!) and they know where it is located. As one friend who has experience complying with public records requests puts it:
You know, the "we are responding to a significant number of requests" just doesn't fly -- nearly every public information request is asking for variations of the exact same thing! If every request was for completely different information from different elections and different years, then I might have more sympathy.King County is perpetrating a cover-up and their stalling for time. Perhaps they're modifying the documents, which should have been completed back in November. Perhaps they're hoping to deflate public interest and that the political climate will evolve to their advantage. Either way, the delay is unacceptable. Given the county's track record of evasion, stonewalling and disinformation, I'm skeptical that the binder will even be available on March 31. It should and can be made available sooner, but it will take a certain amount of public pressure. If you live in King County, call your County Councilmember and call Ron Sims' office to demand the immediate release of these documents. The reconciliation documents don't belong to Ron Sims and Dean Logan. They belong to the people of King County even if the Mandarins need a sharp kick in the pants to remind them of that fact.They could easily make the responsive documents available and take reservations for viewing.
And NONE of the documents related to the reconciliation of the election is exempt from disclosure
I'll post more on the public records response later.
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at March 08, 2005 12:12 AM | Email ThisI have read their letter and they state the request was not made until 2/22/2005.
They list all of the documents that they have sent you and expected dates they will send you the other documents.
Looks like they have provided you with alot and now you are going to have to pay a few dollars to obtain some CDs.
If the material would have been requested a few months ago you would have had it by now.
The public disclosure act has pretty tight deadlines. If they break them, you can sue them.
Why not walk down and look at the binder today if its so important?
Posted by: Erik on March 8, 2005 01:37 AMOops. I see that you did apparently look for the binder.
My mistake.
Posted by: Erik on March 8, 2005 01:43 AMI did notice that they didn't tell you when you would get the 1st list.
If you need a volunteer to sit in their conference room and look at absentee envelopes for the postmarks I could probaby do that. I am retired and don't work. I am switching from the Dish Satellite to DirectTV on the 10th, this thursday. I would have to drive from Lacey.
Hopefully, you have others who will do the same.
"Hmmmm.
I have read their letter and they state the request was not made until 2/22/2005.
They list all of the documents that they have sent you and expected dates they will send you the other documents.
Looks like they have provided you with alot and now you are going to have to pay a few dollars to obtain some CDs.
If the material would have been requested a few months ago you would have had it by now."
If you look back and follow the threads, I believe that this is an additional public records request since the unveiling of "The Big Binder". Stephan, and many others, filed official public records requests for all documents related to election reconciliation months ago and none of them have ever been provided with or made aware of the existence of "The Big Binder". This is just another stall tactic to claim that the request was just made.
Posted by: Calvin A on March 8, 2005 06:23 AM"Oh Sharkansky, has such teeth Dean,
And he shows them pearly white
Just a jackknife has ol' Sharkansky
He keeps diggin' for stuff that's out of sight"
Gregoire is notorious for failing to provide information, experts and failing to have show up at court cases (they were too busy) for this to be a surprise.
The game is "delay, delay, delay" and comes right from the Clinton playbook. She is gambling the bank that we will "forget" and lose interest.
Those phony motions by Gregoire in Chelan is another prime example.
Keep the pressure on. Remember what Bob Woodward and Bernstein found out- "it ain't the crime, it is the coverup".
Posted by: swatter on March 8, 2005 07:20 AMThis is proof that liberals will believe anything....
Posted by: Cliff on March 8, 2005 09:17 AMHasn't more than enough evidence of fraud and coverup been presented to get the Federals involved?
We can't trust our officials, and there is a very real chance that they are using this stall time to manipulate the results. It's time to bust down the door and search the premises so to speak.
Have you persued this ave Stefan?
Posted by: lee egg on March 8, 2005 10:32 AMI read the King County response to your info request, and it appears to me that in many if not all cases they leaned over backwards to accommodate your requests, offering to provide you with a conference room etc. I can only imagine how much staff time was devoted to identifying some of the documents you requested. The $.15 per page copying charge was also very reasonable. I can tell you if this was a discovery request in a lawsuit, you would have probably received numerous objections, and none of this information would have been provided. Just take a look at the GOP and DEM objections to the interrogatories directed at them.
You also mischaracterize when they said the Reconciliation Binder would be available, they said it would be available NO LATER THAN MARCH 31 and that it was used by the prosectors office in connection with a lawsuit. Maybe the prosecutors office is taking too long but you've got to live with that.
BTW why don't you call up the GOP attorney's and find out whether they've already copied this stuff. Maybe the would provide you with that matierial. It would save you some time. I'd be curious to know whether they've sought the binder yet.
Posted by: chew2 on March 8, 2005 11:25 AMI don't recommend wasting time at the HorsesAss.org. I ocassionally comment there when the discussion borders on the inane. Wait, that's every post, but I digress.
It's just not worth the time. Goldy et. al. are pro government, pro taxation, pro activist judge, pro all mail in elections, etc.
These people are simply against the principles that founded this country. Trying to change their opinion is simple beating one's head against the wall.
Posted by: Jeff B. on March 8, 2005 11:34 AMJust a thought...
Ray
Posted by: Ray on March 8, 2005 12:17 PMHave a Great Day!
Posted by: sgmmac on March 8, 2005 01:52 PMHe was really glad to hear that we supported him in his efforts to get a new election, and he told me that he honestly believes that the election will be overturned no later than May/June, and he wholeheartedly expects to see a new election sometime this year, probably in November.
I know we all keep saying/hoping this, but it really helps to hear it from someone so close to the real McCoy, so I thought that I'd pass it on to my friends here at S.P.
Cid in Dupont
Sorry for the long absence, but work has turned rather busy lately. Hopefully will be able to contribute more often now.
Posted by: CidinDupont on March 8, 2005 02:21 PMFor what? For waiting 10 days? Will it be even greater when it becomes 11? or is that just part of your comment template and you forgot to delete it before posting?
Posted by: Daniel K on March 8, 2005 06:00 PMThanks Erik, like Patty Murray, you are an inspiration. Your democrat buddies would give you an A for showing up but an F for admitting that a Republican was right.
I was booted from DFW Democracy for Washington for much the same reason. Nothing personal JCH, but Horsesass is a fool’s paradise and DFW is much the same. Liberal “progressives” are shameless because they are clueless, nasty-spirited because they are wrong and vituperative because they are losing. In the liberal vernacular, things like capitalism, liberty, freedom, and rugged individualism and many others are only hollow conservative catch-words. They see us in their own image and believe that we are as shallow as they are.
To liberals capitalism is a teat, liberty and freedom nominal to equality, and social justice and patriotism has given way to partisanship (as though democrats would know how to survive). They are "Dependency-Central" looking for a place to happen. Words are only connotative silly putty in an ever-escalating application of blurred meaning. Their arguments are all either circular or personal, and when you show these for what they are, they take their marbles and run. At best, visiting these liberal websites can be somewhat like going to the zoo (only the elephants are smarter).
STILL, I PREFER FIGHTING ON THE ENEMIES GROUND.
The dysfunction-Liberalism
The reason—they are wrong.
The fun—they don’t know it.
The real fun—because of the foregoing, they will continue to lose.
For amusement and an education about the lengths they will go to delude themselves, visit DFW at http://www.democracyforwashington.com/ and marvel at the cogent arguments of geniuses like Chad Lupkes (burro), Ray Minchew(three-toed sloth), and Tom Kertes (baboon), to name a few.
NOTE: DFW members use the word proud to describe themselves. I.e. proud to be a "Progressive", proud Dean supporter etc. How come it’s never “proud to be liberal?”
Suggested samplings for mirth at the aptly named “Echo Chamber”:
Don't Take Away Our Health Care, http://www.democracyforwashington.com/civicspace-0.5/?q=node/view/340
News on the Draft Issue, http://www.democracyforwashington.com/civicspace-0.5/?q=node/view/324
MAYBE CHANCE A REJOINDER AND WATCH THE SILLINESS FLOW.
We do live in a crazy world full of whacked people. Contribute to the National Republican Party, the NRA, the Rossi Campaign and the Washington State Republican Party, and instead of wasting time on Democrat robots, send comments to national Republicans to stand firm.
Stephan,
Thanks for the efforts, the meeting place and my contribution is on the way.