Oopsy. Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell promised America that he would not interfere with a recount. Now his office has instructed employees that Ohio voting records are not considered "public records."
That means that Kenneth Blackwell has been caught in a big fat lie. And I've got the proof (I provide video and a transcript):
Last week, he promised in an interview with MSNBC's Keith Olbermann that he wouldn't do anything to interfere with the recount. He said he would consider it "yet another audit of the voting process."
Here's the story detailing Blackwell's "lockdown" of the Ohio voting records:
Blackwell Locks Out Recount Volunteers
By Ray Beckerman.
On Friday December 10 two certified volunteers for the Ohio Recount team assigned to Greene County were in process recording voting information from minority precincts in Greene County, and were stopped mid-count by a surprise order from Secretary of State Blackwell’s office. The Director Board of Elections stated that “all voter records for the state of Ohio were “locked-down,” and now they are not considered public records.”
Here's Blackwell during his interview with MSNBC's Keith Olbermann saying he won't interfere:
Olbermann: As it plays into the recount though sir, are you saying that your office does not anticipate taking any steps to try to prevent a recount in Ohio?Blackwell: No. We haven't! We've told the two officials..candidates that once we certify on December 6th, they have five days to certify. I mean, to ask for a recount. Once they ask for a recount, we will provide them with a recount. And that's what I've said from the very first indication that they were interested in a recount. Once it was established that they were statewide candidates with standing, our law says that they can ask for a recount. We will regard this as yet another audit of the voting process. The reason it takes us from November the second to December the sixth to certify is because we have a very tedious, very comprehensive process where we audit by precinct, across the state, every vote that was cast to make sure that every vote that was legally cast is counted.
By the way, voting records are public by definition. Here's an excerpt from Ohio's State Election Code:
Ohio Revised Code Title XXXV Elections, Sec. 3503.26 that requires all election records to be made available for public inspection and copying. ORC Sec. 3599.161 makes it a crime for any employee of the Board of Elections to knowingly prevent or prohibit any person from inspecting the public records filed in the office of the Board of Elections. Finally, ORC Sec. 3599.42 clearly states: “A violation of any provision of Title XXXV (35) of the Revised Code constitutes a prima facie case of election fraud within the purview of such Title.”
December 10, 2004
Blackwell Locks Out Recount Volunteers
Subject: Blackwell Locks Down Ohio Voting Records
Ohio Election Investigation Thwarted by Surprise Blackwell Order
Dayton, Ohio Friday December 10, 2004
On Friday December 10 two certified volunteers for the Ohio Recount team assigned to Greene County were in process recording voting information from minority precincts in Greene County, and were stopped mid-count by a surprise order from Secretary of State Blackwell’s office. The Director Board of Elections stated that “all voter records for the state of Ohio were “locked-down,” and now they are not considered public records.”
The volunteers were working with voter printouts received directly from Carole Garman, Director, Greene County Board of Elections. Joan Quinn and Eve Roberson, retired attorney and election official respectively, were hand-copying voter discrepancies from precinct voting books on behalf of the presidential candidates Mr. Cobb (Green) and Mr. Badnarik Libertarian) who had requested the recount.
One of the goals of the recount was to determine how many minority voters were unable to vote or denied voting at the polls. Upon requesting copies of precinct records from predominantly minority precincts, Ms. Garman contacted Secretary of State Blackwell’s office and spoke to Pat Wolfe, Election Administrator. Ms. Wolfe told Ms. Garman to assert that all voter records for the State of Ohio were “locked down” and that they are “not considered public records.”
Quinn and Roberson asked specifically for the legal authority authorizing Mr. Blackwell to “lock down” public records. Garman stated that it was the Secretary of State’s decision. Ohio statute requires the Directors of Boards of Election to comply with public requests for inspection and copying of public election records. As the volunteer team continued recording information from the precinct records in question, Garman entered the room and stated she was withdrawing permission to inspect or copy any voting records at the Board of Elections. Garman then physically removed the precinct book from Ms. Roberson’s hands. They later requested the records again from Garman’s office, which was again denied.
Ohio Revised Code Title XXXV Elections, Sec. 3503.26 that requires all election records to be made available for public inspection and copying. ORC Sec. 3599.161 makes it a crime for any employee of the Board of Elections to knowingly prevent or prohibit any person from inspecting the public records filed in the office of the Board of Elections. Finally, ORC Sec. 3599.42 clearly states: “A violation of any provision of Title XXXV (35) of the Revised Code constitutes a prima facie case of election fraud within the purview of such Title.”
Contact Information: Joan Quinn (937) 320-9680, (916) 396-9714 – cell Katrina Sumner (937) 608-5861
Permanent Link to this Post posted by Ray Beckerman @ 9:57 PM
WHAT A SHAME! I JUST KEEP WONDERING WHAT DOES THIS GUY BLACKWELL THINK HE IS? THIS IS SURELY GOING TO HUNT HIM IN THE LONG RUN. TIME WILL TELL BECAUSE HE WILL NOT GET AWAY WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES OF THE LIES AND HIS FRUADULENT ACTIVITIES.
Posted by: DAVID OKAFOR on December 12, 2004 07:28 PMHe obviously violated state code.. Is there a DA somewhere willing to file charges?
Posted by: Why not prosecute on December 12, 2004 08:10 PM Does this current 'melrose place' melodrama regarding election fraud, as it pertains to 4 years ago in Florida, give you any indication of what is fundamentally wrong with the Democrats? Why do the Democrats always come to a gunfight armed only with a plastic fork? Whether it was Willie Horton ages ago, or actual votes 4 years ago and now, the point remains the same. Which is......(drumroll)
.....The Democrats always try to 'intellectualize'-- whether its during the election to the American public, or afterwards using 'legalese' to an already conservative court-- and the results remain the same. The right wing 'outsells' the Democrats during the election, and they continue to win. The point of whether or not there was election fraud should have never come up. It should be a non-existant point. Moot, by definition.
This armor plating/Humvee scandal is just hitting the press? Just now!? And not before the election, where it might have given the American public a true understanding of whose well being and benefit the Bush's look out for? Where this administrations loyalties and sympathies lay? Not for the American public, but for money, money, and profit.
Was this news/scandal for some reason not allowed to 'leak' before the election? If so--which would be even more political cannon fodder-- it doesn't really matter, for were the plating or other interesting events or irregularities to have been 'handled' appropriately in campaign advertisements, the voting scandal wouldn't have tipped the scales in favor of the Republicans. The Democrats would have won/prevailed, and this current scandal would just be a notable sidebar in how unethical the right wing truly is.
Republicans are better salespeople, it seems, than are the democrats! What a novel concept! Doesn't wealth, by definition, come in some part from a sale. Without a sale, where is the transfer of money? And with no transfer of money, how can there be an accumulation of wealth?
When will the Democrats come to a boxing match fighting like a seasoned pro, and drop the Marquis of Queensbury rules? Start to get their hands dirty, and come up with something that sells?Heck, it doesn't even have to be completely off the wall, like the Willie Horton fiasco was. It could actually be regarding a pertinent issue, that affects our daily lives. It could actually be true. And it would have just the same impact, but with the added benefit of legitimacy.
I wrote a small note to George Soros well before the election-- which he obviously never received(I wonder if it would have made a difference if he had?)-- where I theorize that if the current hierarchy of the Democratic National Party were to comprise the leaders of the sales force that made up the fledgling Soros Corporation, he would be either destitute or darn near broke.
Big business can sell, and it seems as if that is wearing off on the politicos of the conservatives during the elections. Why can't the Democrats do the same thing? The outcome of the presidential election now comes down to life or death for hundreds. Possibly for thousands. Of Americans, and not just 'discounted' foriegners and 'others'.
When will the hierarchy of the Democrats wake up and smell the coffee? Hopefully before my two boys, ages 10 and 8, become eligible for any unnecessary draft imposed by the Bush's and their henchman and cronies. God help somebody if it isn't remedied before then.
daniel Quinn
dqcelticwarrior@earthlink.net
Why Wait? Move to EarthLink.
isn't it obvious that the (upper level) democrats are really on the same side as the republicans? isn't it obvious that the whole political process is a dog and pony put on for YOUR benefit? isn't it obvious that the real struggle is not right vs left or fascism vs sociolism (misspelled on purpose, the site wouldn't take the real spelling, for some reason)or dem vs repub? those are all COLLECTIVIST ideals! the TRUE struggle is collectivism vs INDIVIDUALISM! that is what a constitutional republic (what we used to be, until recent "legal" acts eviscerated the constitution) is constructed to safeguard: the individual! the entire system has been hijacked for quite some time by these creatures, and one of their greatest triumphs has been the educational ("indoctrinational") process that brainwashes people to only see the collectivist principles, which are a lose-lose situation in any area of the spectrum. in sociolism the gov't tells you what to do, in democracy the majority tells you what to do, in fascism the corporations tell you what to do. in a REAL constitutional republic, the individual is protected from the ravages of these groups (notice that we, currently, are held hostage by all three groups.) proof that the collectivist spectrum of right(fascism) vs left(sociolism) is false? well, the nazis, the world's prodigal fascists, were the national sociolist party of germany! i could go on and on, but, rather than that, i would conclude by pointing out that until each of us INDIVIDUALS wakes up to the fact that these groups (including dem. party) are a part of the problem, not the solution, we will sink futher into this tyranny. don't rely on them to "get it together" for your benefit, because they NEVER will. wake up and fight for yourself!
Posted by: james sears on December 13, 2004 08:22 AMWhere is the public outcry for justice in this matter. Why have the Democrats become docile. I know I worked my butt off for this election and to get John Kerry & John Edwards in the White House. So now this makes two presidential elections in a row the Republicans have stolen from us, not to say the Senate & Local elections that were probably stolen as well.
Why are we not protesting in the streets? Why are the blue states not asking to secede? Why haven't we called for Blackwells arrest? Why are we not protesting the Right-Winged media and buying our own media outlets and pounding our message into everyones head? I mean we do have Randy Rhodes on an AM station, can't we do better? Why are we not reporting all the blunders of the current administration and may be head off some future ones? Is anyone else getting so frustrated by the Republicans and their lies that they want to choke the lying liars?
Last week I was reading a message board bashing what Chevy Chase said about Bush. I posted a message thanking Chevy Chase for having the guts, the next day my post was changed to state the negative. I went back and posted several more as different users, including John Kerry with a link to the Kerry-Edwards site which stated negative things about Rush, Bill O'Reilly, Fox News and Bush. Within 2 days all of my posts were changed to say negative things about the Democrats, Chevy Chase, Al Frankin and say positive things about the Republicans. Also, the link was changed from Kerryedwards.com to Georgebush.com. Talk about organized. (see this sleazy, lying site for yourself at hogonice.com).
The Republicans are pathetic, but if they keep getting away with this we are even more pathetic. Do we need a Civil War? Wasn't it George Bush who said "Fool me once shame on, you fool me once, I'm not gonna be fooled again"?
Posted by: Pat A Democrat on December 22, 2004 06:10 AM