Pull On Superman's Cape

It's close and they are cheating

It is reasonable to expect that the electoral process is treated with sanctity. What we are getting, at least in King County Washington, during the gubernatorial recount process - is Democrat partisanship of the worst kind.

What is supposed to be a machine recount is being turned into a manual recount with partisans participating in the process being allowed to 'vote' repeatedly - both for the candidate that they desire to win and against the candidate that they want to lose.

This is happening in the light of day with impunity. Why impunity? Because, when the Republican observers and officials ask for judicial intervention, the partisan judiciary doesn't rely on evidence (the ballots and procedures in question) - it relies on the testimony of the very partisans that are committing the crimes in the first place.

We have already seen a number of questionable events during the original counting process - all of which ocurred in counties where Democrats are in charge of counting operations. Just coincidentally, each time the results favored the Democrat's candidate.

Stalin's maxim proves once again to be true.

See the press release from the Washington State Republican party here. Also, see this detailed tracking post (from Kerry supporter, but proud Dinocrat Josef) here.

UPDATE: New update to my Friends blog roll, Jeff Goldstein at Protein Wisdom links in. Thanks Jeff! The summary of my Washington 2004 gubernatorial race is here.

Potential vote fraud alert: When is a blank ballot a problem?

A blank voting ballot is a problem when it is stored in an unsealed container within the same secured storage area that the sealed marked ballots are stored in - prior to the conmmencement of a recount.

Such is the case right now in the King County storage area in Washington state where we await a recount beginning November 20 in the too, too close gubernatorial race yet to be decided here.

In a televised public confrontation Friday evening, Chris Vance, Washington Republican chairman, challenged the county elections director to count the blank ballots, seal them and openly move the boxes of open blank ballots into a nearby storage closet or other sealed enclosure so that they can be formally controlled during the recount process. The marked, sealed ballot boxes for King County are stored inside of a chain-link fenced-in area with a gate and a padlock (inside a larger warehouse). Within that enclosed area, on shelving in unsealed boxes are blank ballots for this election.

Blank ballots may be needed during the recount process to replace a ballot damaged by a counting machine. During recount operations such actions are managed by auditors with observers from both parties to insure complete integrity.

The problem with the current situation is that, though access to the caged area is limited to elections staff, most of the elections staff are Democrats and it is possible for someone to enter the caged area alone.

As of the evening of November 19, the King County elections director has refused to secure the blank ballots saying that blank ballots could not be secreted into the sealed marked ballot boxes because they are sealed and only opened in the presence of observers.

He wasn't asked what would keep someone from opening a sealed ballot box, if they had already entered the fenced-in area and filled in a blank ballot for the purpose of fraudulently impacting the recount - or whether blank seals are also stored in this area.

Local news story here.

Developing...

UPDATE: Reader Josef (A Kerry supporter, proud Dinocrat, and concerned citizen about the sanctity of the election process) points out a further statement by Chris Vance in reference to the blank ballot situation in the AP story here (free registration required) and he later blogs this.

Ready to start it all again?

Benton and Gray's Harbor counties did show up Wednesday evening - leaving Republican governor candidate Dino Rossi 261 votes ahead at full county certification to SecState Washington. This is significantly less than any of the folks that have been tracking trends for the last week or so using spreadsheets. The spreadsheets had a difficult time projecting newly discovered votes, mid-stream recounts, Dem voter canvassing (after the election) and court rulings.

Now the recount begins. There are no Republicans dancing in the streets here - just many hopeful ones. Most of us remember a very close election in 2000 for a Senate seat between dot com millionaire Democrat Maria Cantwell and veteran incumbent Republican Slade Gorton.

The certified count to SecState had Cantwell ahead by 1,953 votes (1,199,260 to 1,197,307). The certified recount awarded her the Senate seat with  margin of 2,229 votes - a gain of 276 votes (final count 1,199,437 to 1,199,208). The recount added 177 votes to the Cantwell total and subtracted 99 votes from the Gorton total. This is troubling to us simply because 276 is 15 more than 261.

Why is it that Democrats always add to their total in a recount and Republicans always end up with less votes than they started with (at least in Washington)? Oh, do you doubt that?

It's less remembered but nonetheless true that Slade Gorton won a recount race in 1968 - for State Attorney General. That recount lost Gorton 399 votes and increased Democrat John McCutcheon's vote count by 205 votes. But this 604 vote swing was unable to overtake Gorton's 5,972 vote lead prior to the recount.

Interestingly, the other most prominent recount was the Secretary of State election for 2000 featuring our current SecState Republican Sam Reed. In that recount Reed lost 172 votes and Don Bonker gained 95 for a net loss of 267 votes for Reed. This was insufficient to overcome the original 10,299 lead for Reed. (Side note: Even in liberal Washington we have had Republican SecStates since 1964 - somebody has to get the work done.)

Rossi's lead is so slim that it can bear little encroachment. We remain vigilant. My heart certainly goes out to both Dino and Christine. Their personal agony continues and is much worse than it is for any of us watching.

How long can we hold our breath?

Two counties left - Benton (68% Dino Rossi Republican to 30% Christine Gregoire Democrat - so far) with 750 ballots left - and sneaky Gray's Harbor (Which was a Red county until yesterday - now Blue 49.3% to 48.66%) with 1,221 ballots left to count.

Rossi is ahead by 92 votes. We need 150 so that there is not a manual recount (recount will be done by machine).

Slugged by King County - At least no more coming

SecState Washington was just slugged by - thankfully - the last King County ballots - giving Gregoire a 29 vote lead. Friend Timothy Goddard says that's not enough. I hope and pray.

After tonight, we've got to make sure all ballots statewide are under seal because no more can be allowed to show up for what is likely to be a statewide manual recount of over 2.7 million ballots (no chads thankfully).

You guessed it

Inside source over at Tim Goddard reports that King County has found another 2,000 votes. Let's see, that's 10,000, 500, 2,000 ... gotta keep on finding them so that the 58% TO 40% Dem to Republican ratio can catch Gregoire up!

I can't believe I actually live in the banana republic of Washington state.

UPDATE: Cool Hand Tim 'Luke' Goddard sets me straight that 'Inside Source' wasn't in fact lurking around 1st Avenue South in Seattle - so less than 1,450 King County votes showed up to get them to 0 more to count! Day after day of 'new' ballots showing up has just got me jumpy.

That doesn't look right Vern

The Democratic auditor of Grays Harbor county in Washington state ordered a recount yesterday claiming that a number of ballots were counted twice. Any time a Democrat says something looks suspicious - usually the opposite does. From the Seattle Times this morning:

The Grays Harbor County recount was ordered after officials discovered they had miscounted some votes. Yesterday, they ran all their ballots through counting machines a second time.

Grays Harbor Auditor Vern Stratz, a Democrat, said officials took a closer look at his county's results after total turnout reached 93 percent — well above any other county in the state.

They discovered that computer disks used to transfer votes from counting machines to the central tabulator fed in some votes more than once.

In retrospect, Stratz said, he was surprised that no one outside his office looked at the inflated turnout numbers and said, "Gee, Vern, that doesn't look right."

Stratz's action moved the turnout number from 93% to 71% - from the top turnout in the State to the next to the lowest. Given that the lowest turnout county (Stevens) has always reported to be the lowest this election - Stevens doesn't seem unusual.

But when a county goes from the highest turnout to the next to the lowest - in one fell swoop - and in a state where the overall voter turnout was 82% and six counties report nearly 90% turnout, I'll say that it just doesn't look right Vern. I guess it's just coincidental that your recount has cost Dino Rossi about 500 votes so far?

(And add, although I know it dates me:)

Know what I mean, Vern?

UPDATE: Friend Ace of Spades HQ links in. Thanks Ace!

UPDATE: Digital Brown Pajamas has an interesting post as well.

Dem doings in WA Governor's race

In the closest Washington Governor's race in history, Democrats in this liberal dominated state work to make sure that 'every vote counts' - as long as it is for the Democratic candidate.

In liberal dominated King County, they just found 500 or so ballots last night after finding 10,000 over the weekend. Today is the day that counties must certify the results.

Yesterday a King County judge ordered that King county provisional ballots whose signatures did not match voter registration cards, must be made available for affidavit challenge and if so contested - without identification - counted.

In heavily Republican Yakima county the Democratic auditor refused to allow any Republican affidavits challenging provisional ballots there. Story here.

Don't you love Democratic double standards?

As of the latest update from SecState, Dino Rossi leads by a 64 vote margin - this after leading last night by 19 votes. Last update has Rossi 1,367,464, Gregoire 1,367,400.

That one vote swing is looking pretty good right now

We obsessing, nail biters up here in Washington State are watching the SecState site updates every few seconds as the final counts are updated this evening.

At the last snapshot, Rossi has 1,365,721 votes and Gregoire has 1,365,741 votes. Mathematically a tie to two decimal places.

Many of us think they are doing this on purpose - or else there is someone named Hitchcock who works over at SecState.

Last post on this here.

UPDATE: (5:33 PM November 16) - Latest update puts Rossi ahead 784 votes - with about 11,000 to count. Sound Politics has a potential fraud update here.

UPDATE: (5:49 PM) Waiting on that King County slug at six (Yikes!). Now with 9,331 ballots left to count (unless King County comes up with more), 621 vote lead for Rossi: 1,369,146 to 1,368,525.

UPDATE: (6:29 PM) OK, I can hardly type because all my fingers are bleeding... Kidding, kidding - looks like only one possible county: Franklin, to update yet this evening (counties have to certify tomorrow so SecState can't be happy with not getting totals tonight - all other counties are currently reporting updates at various times tomorrow.), Franklin had 250 votes left and voted roughly 70% to 30% in favor of Rossi so far. For all counties: 6,152 ballots left to count. Rossi 1,367,347, Gregoire 1,367,314. 30 votes.... Ahem ... still taking those one vote swing wagers ...

UPDATE: (7:40 PM) 25 more votes trickled in during the last hour. You know, I'm working on other posts but I just can't stop looking! Believe it or not, right now: Dino Rossi leads by 19 - yes that's 19 votes! With 6,127 ballots left to count, Rossi has 1,367,365 votes, and Gregoire 1,367,346... Well, it appears from comments that it's a bit more complicated than 25 more votes showed up - counties are subtracting votes and adding votes and ... it's almost too much to bear you know - see the comments to Tim Goddard's post here.

UPDATE: We conclude that Franklin county must be asleep at the wheel. They last reported November 9th - scheduled for the 5 PM the 15th. Those 250 votes should be about 70/30 favor of Rossi - but looks like we aren't going to get them tonight. <Sigh...>

How close can it get?

Latest updates are in at SecState for Washington state.

With approximately 21,666 ballots left to count, Christine Gregoire has pulled back ahead of Dino Rossi by 324 votes - about 1/100th of one percent difference.

About 4,000 of the remaining votes are in Dem leaning King County - so far Gregoire almost 58% of the vote to Rossi's 40% (there's a Libertarian candidate as well). About 2,200 left in Benton county - about 68% Rossi to 30% Gregoire so far. Approximately 2,500 ballots left in Skagit county - about 53% Rossi to 45% Gregoire to this point. About 2,000 remain in Thurston county - so far Gregoire about 53% to Rossi 44.5%. Whatcom county has about 3,200 ballots left to count - to this point Gregoire leades Rossi about 50% to 48%. Yakima county has about 2,500 ballots left to count - so far there Rossi leades Gregoire about 60% to 39%. The balance of outstanding ballots are all in other counties- none of which has over 850 left to count. Out of all Washington counties, so far, Gregoire leads in 6 (including that most populous King), and Rossi leads in 33. BTW - Kerry carried 12 counties in his 52.81% to 45.65% win over Bush in Washington.

We are now taking wagers on whether the vote total will differ by one vote either way by the end of the count.

What agony must Gregoire and Rossi be experiencing with each passing day? Talk about undecided Governor's race - photo finish coming up by Wednesday!

Readers are encouraged to share their 'close' election stories. Got one to top this?

UPDATE: Michelle Malkin has details of Dem doings now in Washington state. 992 'Democrat voters' will now be 'contacted' to 'contest their signature inconsistencies'. Also looks like King County is 'finding' earlier unreported uncounted ballots. Help Hugh, it's close!

UPDATE: A more detailed prognostication (for you handicappers) is here. Also, Tim Goddard has a regularly updated detailed spreadsheet with projections - no kidding.

UPDATE: The local paper thinks bloggers are obsessing about Washington's gubernatorial race. Like it's not important, I mean really, really important to us?

State of Washington: Fingers gnawed to the bone

The Washington Governor's race continues to be unbelievably tight.

A massive counting operation through the day (on Friday the 12th) saw the race tigthen to a 1920 vote lead for Republican Dino Rossi. That's a 7 hundredths of one percent difference between Rossi and Gregoire!

About half the remaining ballots were reported today, which leaves approximately 40,000 left to count. King county reported about 2/3 of what it had left to report so it has about 10,000 left to go. The remaining 30,000 are from counties that are, for the most part, decidedly Republican.

Too, too, close.

WA Governor's race update

As of this evening - with approximately 84,715 ballots to count - Republican Dino Rossi has pulled ahead of Democrat Christine Gregoire by 3,586 votes.

At one point, a day or two after November 2nd, Rossi trailed Gregoire by more than 15,000 ballots (after a brief lead during election day).

Come on Dino! This ultra liberal state needs a Republican Governor!

UPDATE: As of SecState posting this AM (November 12) - with 81,115 ballots left, Dino Rossi leads by 3715 votes. King County still has approximately 25,000 ballots and has been about 53% Gregoire so far - many of the counties in Eastern Washington have been 60% or more Rossi so far.

UPDATE: See later post here, and here.

King County kicks in for WA

Well, now Washington with 13% reporting has Kerry ahead 52/47. Interestingly Rossi is still up 50/48.

We'll see what eastern WA does as the returns continue to come in. If you know this state, you know that eastern WA is very conservative (like 80%) - look at Idaho - it's like that.

I'm willing to keep watching. Of course, I live here.