It's been 16 days since Council Clerk Anne Noris transmitted the I-25 signature petitions to the Elections Office for verification. If the Elections Office had opted to use statistical sampling to verify the signatures, as allowed by state and county law, both I-25 and I-24 would have been qualified by now. (Instead, they've chosen to spend an estimated $50,000 extra to do a full check in order to delay qualification by several weeks. I sent the following questions today to Elections spokeswoman Bobbie Egan:
Why is REALS examining all petition signatures (up to 105% of the qualification threshhold) when the county code permits the use of statistical sampling?I'll post answers if and when I receive them. Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at July 25, 2007 03:56 PM | Email ThisHow many employees are assigned to checking the signatures and what's the productivity rate (e.g. how many signatures have they been examining per day)?
What's the estimated date to finish the signature checking for I-24 and for I-25?
Good luck on her actually responding.
Posted by: Ken on July 25, 2007 03:54 PMHere is the game: they minutely review all the signatures and if there is a hairline difference in the signatures, they will disqualify. They will even disqualify if they believe handwriting is different. (I know, I know, that didn't stop the Democrat voters in the '04 election from being counted) (yes, yes I know that the people signed their voter cards the same way last time but were accepted, but this time it won't)
The next step will be to nullify the signature gathering at the 13th hour and give you too little time to challenge their calls. They will be challengable and you couldn't win (assuming the same standards were used in the '04 election) because more weight is given to the counters in the event of a lawsuit and they make the rules up as they go.
You don't then have time to appeal and they win.
Corrupt is as corrupt gets.
Posted by: swatter on July 25, 2007 03:54 PMI'm a supporter of I-25, and also wonder why they aren't statistical sampling, but I do have to note that signature checking on petitions and absentee ballots are not the same process at all.
And, importantly, petition checking is a much, much slower process than absentee/VBM ballot checking, which is why most large petitions in the past were statistically sampled first, and only checked 100% if they failed the sample.
On absentee/VBM ballots, the voter is clearly identified, and the look-up of the voter is organized by the batches of ballots being processed, and partially automated. When the signatures check out, the process is very fast.
On petitions, the signature checker has to first decipher the signer's handwriting to determine the name of the voter (some people have great handwriting, and others are clearly medical doctors). Then, they must look up the voter in the registration database and determine which voter of the several with the same name it is by matching the address.
In a county the size of King, many voters have exactly the same, or nearly the same name, so finding the correct voter is a much more demanding process than it might appear. Then, once the correct voter is located the signature must, of course, be compared.
The metrics of the two processes cannot be compared against each other at all for evaluating productivity - they are apples and oranges.
Posted by: I-25 Supporter on July 25, 2007 07:00 PMOr do they summarily dismiss the signature without any means of challenge?
Posted by: daveo on July 25, 2007 07:18 PMWe should all send a Dog Bone with I25 penned on it to the King County elections department.
Posted by: GS on July 25, 2007 07:35 PMBetter yet, lets send Emails to every council person, simms, and KCRE protesting the blatent disregard to the voters of this county.
Are you all up to this???
Ron, since you are reading this, are you going to ignore the voters AGAIN?
Posted by: chris on July 25, 2007 09:38 PMI have to make a decision and be accountable for it.
If I try to be clever and trash I25 by individual, glacial and anal signature verification, it may ignite a firestorm with the public, not only in King County, but statewide.
I lose, Dems lose, big time.
If I deal with I25 timely, professionally, ethically and correctly, it is on the ballot.
I lose Dems lose, big time "
Well, Ronnie boy, it is time to defecate, or remove yourself from your throne.
Stefan, you diabolical, plotting, evil man........
Posted by: Hank on July 26, 2007 06:02 AMKCKR King County Karl Rove.....
Posted by: Hank on July 26, 2007 06:05 AMWith an elected guy in there, won't that give Sims a buffer? "He's not my guy. You chose him," Ron could say to the voters. And for once, he'd be right. :)
Posted by: AD on July 26, 2007 10:01 PM