Sound Politics: "Group seeking recount of levy results"

February 24, 2006

"Group seeking recount of levy results"

A Snohomish County citizens group is seeking a recount in the razor-close Marysville school levy vote.

I would look at not only the ballots, but also the quality of Auditor "Sideshow Bob" Terwilliger's canvassing work product. Does every vote have a voter and vice versa? How many double votes and otherwise ineligible votes were counted? How many eligible votes did not get counted? There are some interesting public records requests to be made, if anybody wants to contact me for details.

Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at February 24, 2006 11:18 AM | Email This

Comments

1. I'm going to find the contact #s for this group and give them $25...

I hope we can all pitch in here and make a stand for clean elections (and fair electioneering, unlike at Bethel School District). If this levy fell, this would turn the balance towards accountablilty and clear a road for THIS heroine at the Evergreen Freedom Foundation and her Marines!!!

Posted by: A Watchdog on February 24, 2006 11:29 AM

2. EVERY recount is a prime opportunity for accountability of Election Officials and finding more flaws & incompetence.
Sideshow Bob is a real piece of work.
He went out of his way to defend Logan and try to get ALL the other Auditors to BLINDLY support Logan with that letter Sideshow drafted....remember?

Watch Logan and the other KLOWNS reciprocate for Sideshow Bob!!!

Posted by: Mr. Cynical on February 24, 2006 11:45 AM

3. I'm surprised that the Marysville levys didn't qualify for an automatic recount. The margin of victory was easily under 2000 votes and .5%. Regardless of the 60% requirement, I think an automatic recount is justified when the margin of victory is 8 or 24 votes.

How soon they forget....

"Snohomish County Auditor Bob Terwilliger said recounts have not reversed the outcome of any election in his memory."

Posted by: SouthernRoots on February 24, 2006 11:45 AM

4. If my memory serves me there was mention during the vote curfuffel that there is nepotism going on here. Bob is related to Deanron. Perhaps the brother of Dean's wife who is also a state employee. Stephan can you refresh my recall?

Posted by: Carla on February 24, 2006 12:09 PM

5. I think you are confusing Sideshow Bob Terwilliger with Winnie Flores-Logan, the Deputy Auditor for Kitsap County who is Dean Logan's wife.

Terwilliger is not actually related by blood or marriage to Dean Logan (or Ron Sims, for that matter), although he might as well be.

He is very quick to hop up and defend all of Logan's failures.

As for the automatic recount question, there are only automatic recounts called for under state law for candidate races. Measures have no automatic recount requirement. The vote could be one vote apart, and a measure still does not qualify for an automatic recount paid for by the taxpayers.

I, too, thought Terwilliger's quote about not remembering a recount that has changed the outcome of an election as very funny, and very odd.

The Auditor of one of the largest counties cannot recall the 2004 Governor's race? Yikes. Talk about short-term memory...

Posted by: Insider on February 24, 2006 12:40 PM

6. Posted by: Insider on February 24, 2006 12:40 PM

I think we need that kind of protection of auto-recounts, if you ask me.

Typical - you let Democrats run things for too long, the predisposition is towards higher and higher taxes.

Posted by: A Watchdog on February 24, 2006 02:00 PM

7. Ron Young of Marysville is the man out front on this one.

This was one where it was behind severely, but during absentees it came back and passed.

And here we have politics. Marysville needs a new high school of sorts, but this whole issue has been driven by an overweight out of touch union strawboss. The Marysville teachers are grossly overpaid if you compare that district to others. Many, many things bad with that district.

And it can start with that union.

Posted by: swatter on February 24, 2006 02:00 PM

8. "Snohomish County Auditor Bob Terwilliger said recounts have not reversed the outcome of any election in his memory."

I say Sideshow Bob is right! It was not a "RECOUNT" that reversed that election!

Posted by: right wing wacko on February 24, 2006 03:24 PM

9. Remember, the goal is to fail the school levy here. All efforts should be taken to ensure this fails. There is NO way this should be allowed to stand.

Posted by: Hmmmm on February 24, 2006 06:07 PM

10. Hmmmm - the goal is to be sure that no "errors" have tarnished the outcome. My property taxes have increased over 27% in the last six years. This is primarily due to valuations, but also due to levy approvals - which I voted for.

I would hate to see increased taxation based on a flimsy 24 (or 8) vote margin when we know that our system can not effectively and honestly handle results that close. A recount on a tax increase is just a double check against the inaccuracy of our system.

Posted by: SouthernRoots on February 24, 2006 06:18 PM

11. This school levy race should be recounted now; if not by the auditor themselves, by "no" voters in the election... even if it cost them. When races are this close auditors admit there could be a problem

Posted by: Charlie Crabtree on February 25, 2006 08:43 PM

12. And the beat goes on.

Posted by: SNuffy on February 27, 2006 08:31 AM