Hi, I'm new at posting here at DU. Perhaps this isn't where I should put this editorial (below), but I'm in a hurry to send it to my local paper and I was wondering if anyone could give me a bit of feedback. I know it seems long, but the letter that I'm responding to was even longer so I don't think length is an issue. My teenage daughter read it and thought it made the situation in Ohio sound too scary. She suggested I lighten it up a bit. But it's such a serious matter and I don't know how to lighten it up! Thoughts anybody? Thanks!
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This is in reply to Mr. Jerry Bunn's September 29th letter "Send Our Troops Home." Mr. Bunn wrote an excellent piece, but one point that I'd like to discuss is from his last paragraph where he asks "Ohio, what were you thinking?" in giving Bush a second term.
It probably wasn't the fault of Ohio voters. Most of the blame should be placed directly with Kenneth Blackwell, Secretary of State, for disenfranchising Ohio voters, as well as the mainstream media for not bringing his unscrupulous actions to the public eye for close scrutiny.
During the 2004 election, Ohioans' constitutionally guaranteed rights were extensively and systematically violated on a scale so grand that the election most likely swung in favor of Bush as a result of malfeasance (ie: extensive voter registration card purges, so-called "spoiled" ballots
and machine tampering, voter intimidation/suppression, etc.) and corruption (interference with the election process and abuse of authority).
Some examples:
As Secretary of State, Blackwell's duties include the position of Chief Elections Officer, overseeing the elections process in Ohio. However, he took on another job that was highly suspect and a direct conflict of interest--his position as co-chair of the Committee to Re-elect George Bush in Ohio.
Prior to the election, Blackwell's office failed to process voter registrations, while at the same time improperly purging many, which likely disenfranchised tens of thousands of voters statewide.
He sent out an illegal fundraising letter that solicited corporate contributions.
In one precinct voters were still lined up waiting to vote at 3AM! Protests had been made-before election day-about how the number of voting machines assigned to that precinct was insufficient. Blackwell wouldn't assign more than 2 voting machines, and one of those even broke down! But do you think he cared?
Blackwell also placed arbitrary and unreasonable exclusionary procedures in provisional ballot counting.
The examples above (and more) are well documented in Johns Conyers' Report on the 2004 Presidential Election entitled "What Went Wrong in Ohio."
We can't allow another fiasco in the next national election, so on November 8th vote YES on the Reform Ohio Now initiatives (http://www.reformohionow.org/) which will be on the ballot as Issues 2, 3, 4, and 5:
* Issue 2: Makes it easier to vote by allowing all Ohioans to vote by mail.
* Issue 3: Helps stop the influence of big money in elections by reducing campaign contributions.
* Issue 4: Prevents politicians from drawing their own legislative districts and puts an Independent Commission in charge of this process.
* Issue 5: Ensures the Board of Supervisors in charge of Ohio's elections will be bi-partisan--rather than one partisan official who backs candidates and takes sides in elections.
The leadership in Ohio is engulfed by scandal and is being led by a convicted governor who has a 15% approval rating.
Voting YES on these issues will give Ohioans the reforms needed to reclaim our state from the politicians who've failed us.
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