OHIO: A little election wobbling

[sled]

A little election wobbling

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041209/OPINION02/412090394/-1/OPINION

Thursday, December 9, 2004

(SNIP)

Thanks to Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, who has been so busy
running for governor that he hasn't entirely focused on his current
job as chief election officer, some questions may never be answered.

One is the extent to which provisional ballots - those issued to
voters whose qualifications had to be verified later - affected the
presidential race here. More than 77 percent of 156,977 provisional
votes cast were ruled valid, but it is going to be difficult to
determine which candidate benefited because Mr. Blackwell permitted
county boards of elections to fold provisional ballots into the rest
of the stack, where they lost their identity.

(SNIP)

Again, this was no thanks to Mr. Blackwell, who issued some
unnecessary and contradictory directives to the county boards and
delayed ballot printing by stringing out a ruling that kept Ralph
Nader off the ballot.

(SNIP)

Public confidence in elections and vote counting is hardly bolstered
when the state's chief election official (Mr. Blackwell, a Republican)
also is serving as associate chairman of the re-election campaign of
one of the presidential candidates (Mr. Bush). You can't have the
referee also working the sidelines as the coach.

Putting the election system into the hands of nonpartisan
professionals and technicians is a reform long overdue in Ohio.

CONTACT INFO: [e-mail]

[rabid_nerd]

1. This makes a recount impossible, therefore the election should results...

...should be overturned.

[Eloriel]

2. Thanks for including the Letters link -- you should post this

over in the 2004 Election forum, where more peeps will see it and maybe send those letters this editorial writer so richly deserves.