Kilroy Race Not Decided Until 11/27 (Change in Provisionals Again)

[democraticinsurgent]

Friday, November 17, 2006
Robert Vitale
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

The winner of central Ohio’s still-undecided congressional race and three other close contests will be announced Nov. 27, a day before state law requires results to be certified as official.

To comply with an agreement that state officials and opponents of voter-identification rules reached Tuesday, Franklin County officials said they will need extra time. The agreement allows observers to challenge provisional votes, which could take extra time, officials said yesterday.

• Board of elections employees are reviewing 20,679 provisional ballots to verify whether the voters are legally registered. That work likely will be completed by Thanksgiving.

• On Nov. 24 and during the weekend after Thanksgiving, employees will enter ballotidentification numbers from verified provisional ballots into vote-tabulation software so they’ll be tallied along with all others for the official count.

• The four-member Franklin County Board of Elections will meet at 9 a.m. Nov. 27 to rule on any disputed categories of rejected provisional ballots. The board also will declare the results official that morning.

Director Matthew Damschroder said the schedule gives observers ample time to evaluate the categories of rejected provisional-ballot applications and prepare any protests, as specified in the agreement approved this week by U.S. District Court Judge Algenon L. Marbley.

Four groups that were permitted polling-place observers on Nov. 7 are allowed to watch the provisional-ballot reviews: the Ohio Democratic Party, the Ohio Republican Party, a committee of statewide Democratic candidates and a committee of five statewide independent candidates.

http://dispatch.com/?story=dispatch/2006/11/17/20061117-A1-00.html

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My comment: this looks positive. At first I thought they were allowing challenges to provisionals ruled countable, but rather it reads that the rejection of a provisional can be challenged by observers. That's much better, and since most of the provisionals are D votes, Mary Jo will benefit most. If my interpretation is correct, that is.

Key distinction: only about 20,000 total of these uncounted votes are in OH-15, Kilroy/Price race.

[geiger]

1. thanks for the post. I wonder what Ken Blackwell is thinking, the little twit

plus it must be ironic for Mary Jo, who at one point considered running for Sec. State. I think in the end she will win.

[democraticinsurgent]

2. He's probably in trouble for not shifting enough votes

...if the "landslide denied" post is correct. After all, Kilroy led in virtually all the polls I saw, some by as many as double digits. How Pryce could legitimately overcome that, especially with her election eve meltdown on CNN, is beyond me. Especially with exit polls confirming a comfy Kilroy win; on my way back from working the polls, Fox had called the race for Kilroy, one of the first close races called in OH.

Hmm....

[Botany]

3. I did a little volunteer work for Kilroy and worked on election day

One poll had Kilroy up by 12 points ... her own polls had up
by more than 6.

The repugs put 2,000 people and 2 million into the 15th in the
final days .... this so does not pass the smell test.

When I smelled a rat was when the absentee voting #s were
not released @ 7:30 PM on election according to plan.
"They" said a problem in the vote in Cuyahoga kept them
from releasing the absentee #s .... even after the polls closed
in Cuyahoga county.

Damnschroder is dirty .... in 04 it was he who limited the voting
machines in dem areas.

Count the vote and M.J. Kilroy wins.

[geiger]

4. I'm sure you did more than just a "little" volunteer work; you worked hard

[Botany]

5. o.k. a little more than a little

and on election day a rode polls .... collected #s and watch for
trouble ..... my best lines was, "The lawyer is on his way, we are done here."