over 1700 OH precincts lost since 1998 - ineptitude or maliciousness?

[KaliTracy]

in a 20 year span the average was in the hundreds. Suddenly -- it's over 1,500?

Update
This is part of a letter I've been sending out to media and other places... (posted recently within a thread)

"People were disenfranchised in Ohio, which is, as I understand it, against the law. We are supposed to have fair and equitable elections, and this did not happen in Ohio. Kenneth Blackwell was on watch when this occurred. I was angry before, just knowing of people who stood out in the rain for hours, but I am angrier now that I’ve found the following information (see below http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=209744&mesg_id=209744
for numbers... ). You see, it wasn’t just this year that precincts were merged or deleted -- it's just this year that the excuse of getting ready for e-vote machines was made for this occurrence. Since Mr. Blackwell has been Secretary of State in 1998, there have been over 1,769 precincts lost, while we have gained 878,427 new voters.

From 1980 to 1996 Presidential Elections there has been an average of 72.86% voter turnout (with 1996 being under 70%). From 2000, to 2004 there has been an average of 67.75% voter turnout, with 2000 being closer to 60% than the average 70% for elections in the last 20 years. People stood in lines for HOURS in this 2004 election and yet we only had 71% reporting? Does that make any sense? For weeks prior to the election the media was warning us about“long lines.” Why? Why is it that machines that were supposed to be distributed in Franklin county never made it? Why is it that more Democratic areas were Merged than Republican? (On one 1-2 mile strip in my neighborhood in West Chester, I estimated at least 23 machines.) What was the voter to machine ratio in suburbs such as mine compared to the areas that had problems?

These issues must be addressed. I, and thousands of other Ohioans, are waiting."

[kuozzman]

1. Great post.....interesting!