Why Are We Back In Iraq?

I'm going to try to take a look at election anomalies and accusations of fraud in all fifty states for Election 2004 (if anyone has any news or links...leave a comment or e-mail me...).

According to Election Protection 2004, "a collaboration involving more than 100 national, state, and local public interest groups," numerous incidents occurred in Arizona on election day which may be considered acts of voter suppression. Pima County: "Democratic voters received calls throughout Monday evening, providing incorrect information about the precinct location. Voters have had to be transported en masse in order to correct the problem." Phoenix: "A bomb scare at a school resulted in an immediate evacuation, followed by the relocation of the polling place to a church two blocks away. Election Officials appreciated the help of the Election Protection volunteers in redirecting voters to the new polling place." Maricopa County: "An Election Protection volunteer in Maricopa County reports that one polling site in an area with a large Hispanic population is closed." Tuscon: "The hotline received a phone call from a Poll Monitor in Tuscon, Arizona, who reports that she just discovered that Spanish ballots have not been available at Precinct 26 all day long, and that there are still no Spanish ballots at that precinct" and "In Tuscon, Arizona a misleading call informing voters that they should vote on November 3 has been traced back to the state GOP headquarters. The FBI is investigating."

Dennis Wagner of The Arizona Republic on AZcentral.com reported that "Arizona schools that double as voting precincts are being asked to consider implementing security measures on Election Day that voting-rights advocates say could violate federal and state laws. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne sent the letter Monday, advising district and school administrators to monitor all voters who come on campuses and to consider implementing emergency-response plans during Tuesday's election. About one-third of Arizona's 2,109 precinct polling places are at schools. "

"Nathan Sproul, owner of Chandler-based Sproul & Associates Inc...oversaw the RNC's nationwide campaign to sign up Bush-Cheney voters in swing states. A Valley-based political consulting company headed by Arizona's former Republican Party chief has come under fire in at least two states for allegedly throwing away voter registration cards filled out by Democrats. In Oregon, the state Attorney General's Office launched an investigation Wednesday after registration collector Mike Johnson admitted to Portland's KGW-TV that he "might have" destroyed forms completed by Democrats. The Associated Press reported in September that Sproul employees "misrepresented themselves" when they sought permission for a registration booth at the Medford, Ore., public library, using the name "America Votes." That is the official title of a nonpartisan coalition of liberal organizations involved in registration and education drives."(AZcentral.com).

Russ Dove is editor of Tianews.com, the website of Truth in Action, which supports Protect Arizona Now or Proposition 200, a Republican-authored referendum which would require proof of citizenship for anyone registering to vote. "On primary day, Dove says he sported "a black T-shirt with 'U.S. Constitutional Enforcement' on the back" and the image of a badge on the front. "The only people we will bother are people who are in violation of the law," says Dove. For instance, if he sees "a busload of Hispanic individuals who didn't speak English and who voted," he plans to follow that bus to make sure they aren't voting more than once. (Alternet.org).

Republican Arizona Secretary of State Janice K. Brewer, who serves as Chief Election Officer for the State and certifies candidates and measures to the ballot and election results, wrote a column for the Verde Valley Independent in support of George Bush (Ahwatukee Foothills News): "In summation, the political season of mudslinging and campaign accusations seems to have begun here in Arizona, yet Democrats will have great difficulty in getting around the many accomplishments made by President Bush in 2003. At election time people like to review candidates' records. If that's the case this year, then President Bush's prospects sure look good as he has a long list of accomplishments in which to tout." In 2002, Ms. Brewer, an active member of the Christ the Redeemer Lutheran Church, was endorsed by the Arizona Right To Life Political Action Committee.

On September 2, 2003 Secretary of State Jan Brewer announced the official contract was awarded to Diebold Election Systems to update punch card voting equipment used in nine Arizona counties. "It is vitally important that we continue to meet the timelines and objectives I have put forward in order for our State to be successful," stated Secretary Brewer. "This contract award keeps us right on schedule to have all nine punch-card counties able to use their new voting systems for the 2004 Presidential Preference Election in February." (Azsos.gov).

# posted by Ron Brynaert : 11/19/2004 03:31:00 AM