Senators should object to Ohio vote: Editorial today by Jesse Jackson

[NVMojo]

Senators should object to Ohio vote

January 4, 2005

BY JESSE JACKSON





This Thursday in Washington Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), the senior minority member of the House Judiciary Committee, will formally object to the counting of the Ohio electoral vote in the 2004 presidential election. If any senator joins him, the counting of the vote is suspended and the House and the Senate must convene separately to hear the objections filed, and to vote on whether to accept them.



The grounds for the objections are clear: The irregularities in the Ohio vote and vote count are widespread and blatant. If the Ohio election were held in the Ukraine, it would not have been certified by the international community.

In Ohio, the gulf between exit polls and counted votes is vast and glaring. Blatant discrimination in the distribution of voting machines ensured long lines in inner-city and working-class precincts that favored John Kerry, while the exurban districts that favored President Bush had no similar problems.

Systematic efforts were made to suppress and challenge the new voters in Kerry precincts, whether students or African Americans. Some precincts were certified with more votes than the number registered; others were certified with preposterously low turnouts. Voting machines, produced by a company headed by a vowed Bush supporter, provide no paper record. Ohio's secretary of state, the inappropriately partisan head of the state's Bush campaign, has resisted any systematic recount of the ballots.

more...

http://www.suntimes.com/cgi-bin/print.cgi

or this one, both work for me, I don't know why....

http://www.suntimes.com/output/jesse/cst-edt-jesse04.html

[BlueFlu]

1. Your link is bad... n/t

[intheflow]

2. Your link doesn't work.

When was this editorial published?

[NVMojo]

3. it says today...

[intheflow]

5. Here's the link:

http://www.suntimes.com/output/jesse/cst-edt-jesse04.html

Story is mirrored on the Common Dreams website here:
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0104-36.htm

[Nothing Without Hope]

4. Go Jesse go! He's really rising to the occasion

And the Democratic leadership will ignore him at their peril. The minority groups whose votes were stolen or suppressed are not the only ones who believe passionately in what he is saying.

BTW, another thread discussing this article is here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1468181

(Don't take this as an admonition -- I'm glad to see it posted again because I want more people to see it.)

[yinkaafrica]

6. Jesse Jackson has turned into quite the statesman

He is probably welcome everywhere on the planet.

[Nothing Without Hope]

8. He's earning it. And he is needed.

Reminds me of a quote I read today:
"You are never too old to be what you might have been."
-George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans), novelist (1819-1880)

[Starone]

7. A Response from Bayh in IN

I wrote Evan Bayh last night and was happy to see that he didn't ignore my plea or respond with a "tin foil hat" attitude. Would have loved for him to say "I'm protesting the electors Thurs."; but am pleased with his assurance that he'll keep my "concerns in mind, should this issue come before the Senate." I am looking forward to when it does on Thurs!

January 4, 2005

Thank you for contacting me with information on possible
voting irregularities. I appreciate you bringing this matter to my
attention.

It may interest you to know that on November 5, 2004, several
members of the House of Representatives sent a letter to the U.S.
General Accountability Office (GAO) requesting an investigation into
alleged voting irregularities and voter disenfranchisement. The members
asked the GAO to "immediately undertake an investigation of the
efficacy of voting machines and new technologies used in the 2004
election, how election officials responded to difficulties they
encountered and what we can do in the future to improve our election
systems and administration." The letter specifically requests
investigations be undertaken in Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, and
California, but does not limit the investigation to those states. The GAO
has stated that it intends to release a report on electronic voting during
the 2004 Election in the near future.

There have been no hearings on this matter scheduled before
Congress at this time. Please be assured that I will keep your concerns
in mind, should this issue come before the Senate.

Again, thank you for contacting me. I value your input and hope
you will continue to keep me informed of the issues that are important to
you. My website, http://bayh.senate.gov, can also provide additional
details about legislation and state projects, and you can also sign-up to
receive my monthly e-newsletter, The Bayh Bulletin, by clicking on the
link at the top of my homepage.

Best wishes,

Evan Bayh
United States Senator

[dalloway]

9. bravo Jesse !!!! n/t

[Starone]

10. Perfectly Said!

"If America is to be a champion of democracy abroad, it must clean up its elections at home."

[Laura PourMeADrink]

11. International Community - What did the observers say about

our elections? Were they in OHio? I mean that would be a strong case if we could say that the International Observer's said the thing was bogus...

[snot]

12. What DID the int'l observers say about US election?

I too am looking for an answer to the question in Reply # 11 -- because others are asking me. Thanks!