April 06, 2005
Balterdash

The ball is now in the Seattle Times court to issue an editorial page retraction to yesterday's unisgned editorial which incorrectly reported that

State election officials are not aware of a single documented instance where a non-citizen voted in the governor's race.
[scroll down or click here for my earlier post where I list my conversations with state and county election officials about two documented cases of non-citizens who voted in November.]

I spoke yesterday with the Times' Joni Balter, who wrote the editorial. She defended the column on the grounds that the one state official she spoke with, Elections Director Nick Handy, was not aware of any documented cases of non-citizen voting at the time she spoke with him. Later yesterday I e-mailed Balter, Times editorial page editor James Vesely and Nick Handy. I including in my e-mail both a list of the state and county election officials with whom I discussed these cases, as well as King County's own documentation of non-citizen voting [large PDF] [magnify the pages in Acrobat for readability]. Nick Handy thanked me for the information and promised to confirm with King County and revise his future public statements accordingly. Will the Seattle Times issue a revision? Balter seemed pretty stubborn about sticking to her story, but I hope she'll do the right thing.

Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at April 06, 2005 12:43 PM | Email This
Comments
1. If the Times says there is a Santa Clause then it must be true.

I also notice they stopped publishing letters from conservatives.

Posted by: Andy_ on April 6, 2005 12:51 PM
2. Ahhh, the MSM. So fair! So honest! "State election officials are not aware of a single documented instance where a non-citizen voted in the governor's race." No statement to say that it comes from a SINGLE source, even though it says "officialS"

Posted by: Fred on April 6, 2005 12:59 PM
3. Here's a dollar that says there will be no retraction.

Semantics could well come into play. She didn't say "non-citizens of Washington." Surely these folks are citizens somewhere else...

Besides, our fine upstanding state's leading newspaper can't retract an editorial. Think of the shame...the heartbreak...the scar upon the fine, fine MSM of WA...ad infinitum

Posted by: SnoCo voter on April 6, 2005 01:05 PM
4. The Seattle Times is part of the apparatchik, the pravda of the pacific.

Posted by: VCRW on April 6, 2005 01:22 PM
5. Don't hold your breath.

Posted by: Amused by liberals on April 6, 2005 01:22 PM
6. Most likely not to happen. As I have pointed out the Times as well as Pee Eye and News Buffoon had to know about Brame et al, Frugal Gourmet, Jannovitch, and an unending list of others that were being talked about for years around here before they finally saw the light of day in any of the local msm. They are a wholly ownes subsidiery of the Democrat Machine, those with 'connections to the local Pols and Unions. An absolute disgrace, if you ask me.

Posted by: JDH on April 6, 2005 01:42 PM
7. a retraction would require some backbone...I agree with Amused.

Posted by: dkpcowboy on April 6, 2005 01:45 PM
8. nice work.

but last i checked hell aint froze over. and there will not be a retraction til it does.

Posted by: ralph on April 6, 2005 02:07 PM
9. These editorials are not to be challenged.
They are to be spoon fed to the people of Western Washington. If it is not in the paper it did not happen.
Know this, the entire election scandle did not happen according to the PI and Times.There was no reason for concern,it should have all blown over.

Stephen, you have done a real service to your community. A tree fell in the forest and only you heard it.
Thank you.

Posted by: Brad on April 6, 2005 02:41 PM
10. I'm not expecting a retraction of any kind. But if they did, it would be hidden in tiny print and not include enough context to make any sense to anyone unless they had read the original editorial. And people wonder why thinking conservative folks like us are so critical of the MSM.

Posted by: Gary on April 6, 2005 02:59 PM
11. Gary, thinking people don't wonder.

Posted by: dkpcowboy on April 6, 2005 03:13 PM
12. This is simply not true. As I've written before, I learned of two documented cases of non-citizens who voted in November directly from King County election records nearly a month ago. Since then I've personally discussed these cases with several state and county election officials.
Stephan still reaching for rabbits in a hat....this is an even less significant number then the rest of the Baloney you spew hear. I can understand why a reporter, might not want to include the .000000023 Percent of Non Resident voters in her colomn....
You know what amazes me the most here is the stuff that you think Looks like Fraud. can as easily be attributed to mistakes, but because there are many little things you are sure they add up to fraud. looks like a duck....
Why not do a little post on Tom Delay, his little stuff is actually documented fraud and it keeps adding up and up...why else would he reorganize the ethics commitee? Show a little bit of that SOUND politics, instead of beating this dead horse forever. and go after some real fraud R or D instead of your wishful thinking.
Get the GOP Party back

Posted by: danw on April 6, 2005 04:01 PM
13. I would not count on Joni Balter to do the right thing. She has an agenda, and it does not include doing the right thing.

Posted by: J.A. on April 6, 2005 04:10 PM
14. danw

You must have the hots for Tom Delay, you sure like to talk about him a lot.

But to clarify, Mr. Sharkansky calls his blog "sound politics" not "Texas politics" or "U.S. Congressional politics." If you want posts about Tom Delay, then start your own blog. You can post what you want, there.

Here, we're talking about the state of Washington.

Is that clear to you?

Posted by: MIMike on April 6, 2005 04:11 PM
15. danw - Fraud is actually a criminal offense, Tom Delay has not been convicted of anything. Stop "beating that dead horse".

As far as the percentage, if a reporters is going to use an absolute in their story "not aware of a single", then one should be able to expect that it is accurate. It is not accurate, so what else of this reporter's stories are not accurate? It would have had a better effect if it said "Only two cases, or .000000023%, of the vote were by foreigners". The trouble with that is that it starts to give some validity to the issues brought up and makes their dem friends look either less than honest or ignorant of the goings on in their department.

Posted by: Fred on April 6, 2005 04:12 PM
16. Now Fred, Ms Balter writes opinion pieces for her paper. If it's her opinion that "State election officials are not aware of a single documented instance where a non-citizen voted in the governor's race," then she is entitled to voice it. No fact checking is required on anything printed on the Seattle Times editorial page. I believe that fact checking is actually contrary to company policy.

Posted by: MIMike on April 6, 2005 04:36 PM
17. danw,

Since you haven't figured it out, "Sound Politics" is a double-entendre. The one meaning of "Sound" is much like "Solid". The other meaning is "Puget Sound."

Get it now? Texas politicians are not included - nor are Massachusetts billionaires who committed war crimes in Viet Nam. Stefan has never discussed either to my knowledge. Nor should you in this forum.

Posted by: Larry on April 6, 2005 04:53 PM
18. Oh I get it..."sound" politics like in Puget Sound..not "sound politics" like in solid responsible journalism. I'll make sure I make note next time I hear about Chelan County, Spokane Schools to correct you on it or just assume that it is baloney (not sound). What's that you say? those events have effect on us here in the Sound? (I love that) Well guess what? What happens in the Other DC has a bigger effect on us than who the Gov. is.
Do you think maybe we can play in the Big game, my problem here is the same as I have elsewhere with my Foxies, is that it is all about ME and not America or the world for that matter?

PS Tom DELAY is a Crook, and you all better distance yourselves from that Gerrymandering, Money Laundering, Blackmailing low life.

Posted by: danw on April 6, 2005 05:14 PM
19. danw - what happens in the other Washington (i'm not aware of an "other DC" you mentioned) certainly does have an impact on us. No one is disputing that. What we are saying is that that impact is well covered on the Internet and other media channels. Hence this site is focused on the Puget Sound region. King County, which botched the governor's race is within the Puget Sound region, therefore it (and the Chelan county court reviewing the election process) is relevant to Sound Politics.

Now, if you'd like to continue whining about Tom Delay, please check out the links on the right side of the page. There are several links to conservative national political blogs where you can have as big of a tantrum as you like. Please spare us and reserve your comments on this site to what is RELEVANT.

Posted by: relax on April 6, 2005 05:51 PM
20. If they can find out what cars they drive, what education they have, if they have ever had dealings with Gregoire, why can't they just find out who they voted for?

Posted by: K. Sekula on April 6, 2005 06:43 PM
21. danw,

If you want to play in a BIG game, then get a ball and start your own game. Make your own blog. Stop trying to make this one conform to your beliefs, and recognize it for what it is.

Oh, I forgot - you tried to change a candidate who committed war crimes and married into a billion dollars into a war hero for the common man. I guess you're not really good at recognizing things for what they are.

But that attempt didn't work, and this one won't be successful either. So please start your own blog and leave us to discuss issues of Sound Politics.

Posted by: Larry on April 6, 2005 07:15 PM
22. And regarding ST letters to the editor...anyone notice 90% of the time the last 'letter' is a zinger from a liberal towards the GOP.

Dual editor strategy; leave the liberal point fresh in the mind and taunt the GOP to send in hot letters.

Oh, the games they play.

Posted by: MB on April 6, 2005 07:39 PM
23. I still have not received a response to the email I sent yesterday to the editorial board. Joni Balter will NEVER retract. She will lose face and she has to keep her face away from the facts.

NUFF SAID.

Pudster

Posted by: Puddybud on April 6, 2005 08:28 PM
24. Here's a coincidence: Right now I have some open issues with a piece her husband, Timothy Egan, wrote for the New York Times. Don't know when I'll hear from Daniel Okrent, or whether I will, but he is supposed to be thinking about it.

I draw no general conclusions from this, though I have seen pieces by Egan that I thought were not balanced and sometimes deceptive. (One presented a Bullit (Heir to King 5, et cetera, as I recall) as an ordinary citizen of Leavenworth.)

Posted by: Jim Miller on April 6, 2005 10:09 PM
25. Here is my email to the Seattle Slimes:

Subject: Once again you all blew it
Date: Tue, 5 Apr 2005 10:28:36 AM EST

Editorial Email Reader:

There are already officially documented cases where two Asian people illegally voted in the govenors race. They asked to have their names withdrawn from the official voter rolls. Where are your "wonderfully investigate reporters" on this election fiasco? Covering up for Gregoire? But of course you would say!!!

As many of us can see, your Democratic, Liberal bent even shows in the Seattle Times Editorial Page. Apparently you chose to bury your head in the sand, or in a Ron Sim's orifice, because your editorial proved to many of us that you'd rather confuse the public rather than state know facts and truths. If you all had done your job like the Milwaukee newspaper reporting on election problems, no one would have to start a personal investigation. Then to call it racist is beyond the pale, just because someone wants proof of citizenship? Every time I travel overseas I have to prove citizenship. But who cares about that except disgruntled, violated Washington State American Citizens, but then you are the Seattle Times Editorial Board.

No answer yet!!!!!

Pudster

Posted by: Puddybud on April 6, 2005 10:51 PM
26. Suggestion to ANY SEATTLE JOURNALIST OR EDITORIALIST IN PRINT OR TELEVISION MSM: There's a Pulitzer out there for some honest, hard working journalist (is that an oxymoron?). Most of the heavy lifting has been done by Mr. Shark. All you have to do is set aside your leftist bias', use your contacts on the left to find the person(s) who committed the KingCo Election FRAUD (before the Feds do), get them to finger the Democrat Party Official who ordered it, and go get your award. Maybe then the Times and PI will be useful for somthing other than wrapping Salmon.

Posted by: Scott on April 7, 2005 10:18 AM
27. Am I the only one who remembers Joni Balter from her days on the great radio station KZAM (92.5 now some "mixed music" POS station)?

She was, IMHO, a good radio personality in the mid-70's. No politics, just good music.

She no doubt feels she's found the right venue for her creative skills with the local MSM. Agenda driven now. Sad, really.

Ciao for now

Posted by: KyGuy on April 7, 2005 12:57 PM
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