Heflin petitions for ballot recount

[sonias]

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2914444
State Rep. Talmadge Heflin is seeking a manual recount of all ballots cast earlier this month in his unsuccessful bid for a 12th term in the Legislature, his lawyer said Monday.

(snip)
"Illegal votes were counted, and legal votes were rejected," Taylor said Monday.

Several election experts said Monday that Taylor's allegations of voter fraud would have no effect on a recount because recounts are confined solely to counting ballots — not determining whether those ballots should have been accepted or rejected.
(/snip)
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They've started the spin cycle. Lets remember that when Ciro Rodriguez tried to bring up the fraud issue into his primary election, it was never given a fair hearing. Now granted that was two Democrats in the race instead of a Democrat and a repuke. We'll see how the count goes.


Sonia

[ChicanoPwr]

1. Ciro opponent

Ciro's opponent is repuke. I know his opponent, he is the biggest fake Democrat I ever seen. However, I like how Reukes can ask for a recount but us Dems are accused of conspiracy theories. What a bunch of rat bastards.

[sonias]

4. I agree ChicanoPwr

Cuellar is nothing more than what we call a ballot Democrat or a DINO, Democrat in name only. I expect that once he takes his seat in Washington we will see him vote right along with the repuke Congressional delegation from Texas. And we need to hold him accountable for that and get that information back out to his district. I know Ciro said he would run again so we'll have another opportunity to kick Cuellar out of that seat.

Sonia

[WestHoustonDem]

2. Election irregularities?

Do you think the Repukes really want to go there? I hope they do, we have much more to gain than they do if the elections are scrutinized.

[sonias]

3. Yep I can't wait for them to open that can of worms myself

What I really think is happening however, is that they are just putting a fraud message out to justify overturning the election in the House. This is really where this is headed. I do not believe for a second that they will ask for another vote. It simply is not justified.

We just need to be ready to descend on the Capitol when this makes it to the House to overturn the election. We have to be ready to fight with huge numbers. We'll be ready here in Austin, trust us. We need the whole Houston area to send thousands as well though.

Sonia

[WestHoustonDem]

5. I may be able to gather a few friends for a road trip

if it comes down to that

[sonias]

6. WestHoustonDem check with HCDP site and Vo's site as well

There is nothing up yet, but according to one of the people in the Vo campaign last weekend. Information on rallies and events would be posted to these sites. The fight in the House will happen in January '05.

Hubert Vo Campaign
http://www.hubertvo.com/

Harris County Democrats
http://www.hcdp.org/

Sonia

[Not_Giving_Up]

7. I didn't really think

that they'd go there...imagine the things they could discover!

[sonias]

8. Oh I think they will go there Not_Giving_Up

Remember the radio comments that you heard on the radio. Now listed to all the comments that Andy Taylor is making about "massive voter fraud". Also let's not forget that Craddick had also told Vo's campaign that Vo would never be seated. These repukes have no shame, they have nothing to lose. They don't care what the people think.

I do agree with you that if they open that can of worms of fraud that we may finally get the Legislature to actually take some action to clean up our elections. Fraud does happen, but as long as they win they don't care. Now I think repuke fraud is committed at higher rates so this will expose their dirty laundry too. But let's just air that laundry anyway.

Vo won this race and the recount will prove that. I do still expect the repukes to take this to the House.

Sonia

[PDittie]

9. A large public objection will be necessary

These bastards are going to try to steal this seat for Heflin.

And Speaker Craddick is orchestrating the theft.

Keir Murray served as a watcher during the recent counting of votes in the Vo-Heflin race. He sent this e-mail:

============================


Sent to me by a friend on the inside in Austin. People need to know this.

Hi folks,

I want to update you on what's happening here in Houston with the District 149 State House race.

Last Friday, the Secretary of State certified the election results, making Hubert Vo the official winner by a landslide 32-vote margin. Yesterday, Heflin announced he will seek a recount - this is perfectly within his rights, and given the close margin, not a surprise. However, here's where it starts getting fishy.

Heflin's lawyer - Tom Delay's and Tom Craddick's hatchet-man Andy Taylor - has continued to say that he and his staff witnessed "countless irregularities" during the counting process. (This is BS - I was there, and things were handled above board.) He says "legal votes were not counted, and illegal votes were counted." Taylor is laying the groundwork for a legal contest of this election in the House, where the Republicans conveniently have a 25-seat margin of majority.

Heflin himself said his legal team would look at a "certain part of the district" for a "certain kind of voter" (READ: minority/Asian) and seek to disqualify them. Taylor is now saying that "certain voters" voted twice, or voted when not registered. Sound familiar? It's good old-fashioned racism and intimidation of minority voters. Heflin sure is sending a message to immigrants in 2004 (many of whom make up his diverse district): Don't mess with me.

Recall that this past summer, Heflin attempted to simply take custody of his African immigrant housekeeper's baby. A judge ruled Heflin had no legal basis for taking the child and demanded it be returned to its parents. Now Heflin has lost a fair election to a Vietnamese immigrant and refuses to accept the result. Moreover, he's telling immigrant voters in 149, unless you're voting Republican, don't bother, because we'll come after you and disqualify your vote.

But perhaps the most interesting player in this drama is Speaker Craddick. He's played both sides against the middle in a fashion that would make his mentor Tom Delay and Machiavelli proud. Publicly, Craddick's had his spokespeople distance themselves from Heflin. Consultant Bill Miller says Heflin shouldn't challenge, should accept the will of the people and move on. Craddick gives away Heflin's Austin office and replaces him as Appropriations Chair with Jim Pitts. Meanwhile, behind the scenes he's got Andy Taylor working to undermine the democratic process, and challenge the results of a fair election. Make no mistake, Andy Taylor is Craddick's boy, and there's no way this challenge goes forward without the Speaker's blessing. Clever, clever, Mr. Speaker - but we know you're behind this.

Please do what you can to let people know what's happening. As a Republican, I don't like to lose elections, but this makes me sick.

================

The protest must be loud and non-stop, people.

Go to Camapign Underground and start writing.

[merci_me]

10. Who is "as a Republican"?

Obviously, NOT Keir.

Nevermind, I just re-read it and see the "republican" is Keir's friend in Austin.

I'm going ahead and posting this anyway, in case there are other's as foggy (ill/sore throat/holiday creeping crud) reading this, not know Keir and think he was refering to himself.

Mary

[DesEtoiles]

11. kick to top