Reply #17: WA Task force finds 'unacceptable' flaws in state election

[dzika]

From kitsapsun.com in Bremerton, WA:
March 2, 2005

WA Task force finds 'unacceptable' flaws in state election system; suggests 15 changes

By Rachel La Corte, Associated Press

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) -- An election reform task force created by Gov. Christine Gregoire in the wake of her razor-thin margin of victory last year found that the public’s trust in the state’s election system was damaged by imperfections and mistakes that "are clearly unacceptable."

In a 23-page report obtained by The Associated Press, the task force suggests 15 specific actions it wants to see the governor and Legislature take, including moving the primary date up and requiring voter identification at the polls. The report will be released at a news conference with Gregoire in Olympia Thursday morning and later that afternoon in Spokane.

The task force, co-chaired by Secretary of State Sam Reed and former state Sen. Betti Sheldon of Bremerton, held five public hearings around the state with a total of more than 455 people in attendance. The task force also received nearly 700 responses to questionnaires that were distributed at the public hearings and available on the secretary of state’s Web site.

The issue of reform jumped quickly to the forefront after Gregoire, a Democrat, won the governor’s race by 129 votes after a hand recount of nearly 2.9 million ballots after the Nov. 2 election.

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