Thursday, November 30, 2006

Status Quo

There is no change in the vote spread.

The county commissioners, sitting as the board of elections (2 Republicans, 1 Democrat), just considered arguments on whether to count 12 provisional and absentee ballots, which were cast by Democrat and independent voters.

The board rejected each one. Many were 2-1 decisions, reports Inquirer diva Nancy Petersen.

So, the plan is this: Do a preliminary certification Friday. Open the five-day window to allow requests for a recount. And let the party continue!

3 comments:

Jim said...

Let us remember then, that at every stage in this process, Democrats have been on the side of having every vote count, while Republicans have weighed in against one voter after another. The Republican County Commissioners have now shown that they cannot function on the Board of Elections without voting their partisan agenda.

We will happily take on this task of removing them from office when their posts come up for election next year.

Party on!

Unknown said...

Legal votes, Jim. We need to count every single legal vote. Not votes of people who never registered, not votes of people who don't live in Chester County.

The law is the law. You have to follow the law, especially when we are talking about something as important as voting.

Enjoy your party at Carrabbas. I hear good things about the Mozzarella Marinara.

Jim said...

"The law is the law. You have to follow the law, especially when we are talking about something as important as voting."

Yes, and it was important to one gentleman who did all he could to vote, who was a legally registered voter and who had his provisional vote negated by two Republican Commissioners because he neglected to include his birthday on the form. He even took a day off work to testify about this only to have the Election Board deny his right to vote.

How about the woman who neglected to include her middle initial?

Or the person who had his vote negated because an election official - not the voter - forgot to sign the provisional ballot envelope?

These were each seen as legal votes by Voter Services and by at least one of the Commissioners. They may yet be ruled to be legal by a real court. And you can believe we will be taking this to such a court.

Even though Barbara McIlvaine Smith has won this election, our system has lost if we deny what any sensible person can see are real votes by honest and, yes, registered voters.

I believe we will be able to prove in court the Republican Commissioners did not follow the law in these cases, but rather their own narrow partisan interests.

By the way, the party was fun.