Lawsuit Over '04 Ohio Election Advances

[Wilms]

Lawsuit Over '04 Ohio Election Advances

November 26, 2008

By Dan Sewell
ASSOCIATED PRESS

CINCINNATI -- A federal appeals court agreed today that a lawsuit challenging Ohio's voting system as unfair and marked by problems should be heard in court.

The League of Women Voters brought the action three years ago in the aftermath of the 2004 general election, which brought national criticism of Ohio elections officials while President Bush narrowly carried the state to clinch re-election. The organization wants a court order requiring the secretary of state and governor to put "a fair and competent system" in place.

A three-judge panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati ruled unanimously that the lawsuit should continue in U.S. District Court in Toledo.

The lawsuit cites examples of voters in some counties who were misdirected by poll workers, believe their votes were miscounted or not counted at all, and found broken or not enough voting machines at their polling sites. It also alleges misuse of provisional ballots.

"If true, these allegations could establish that Ohio's voting system deprives its citizens of the right to vote or severely burdens the exercise of that right, depending on where they live," wrote Judge Julia Smith Gibbons.

The panel agreed that the lawsuit raises valid questions about violations of citizens' equal protection and due process rights. The lawsuit doesn't challenge the 2004 results.

~snip~

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/11/26/lwv_lawsuit.html?sid=101

[RC]

1. Now that the bu$h administration will soon be gone,hopefully more hot under the collar

groups will come forward expose more crimes of the last eight years in court.

[bleever]

2. I am thankful for all the people

who have worked to expose the Republican election fraud of the last eight years, especially since the theft of 2004.

In those dark, dark days four years ago, it was a thankless task. Even talking about it could get you banned from the largest liberal web discussion site, on top of being reviled as a "conspiracy theorist".

But people worked on, and spoke, and wrote and researched. Is there any question that without those efforts, the playing field would still be tilted corruptly? Or that we'd be picking over the corpse of the Democratic campaign and explaining away the loss in terms of the "Bradley Effect", the too-brutal primaries, the PUMAs, the star power of the Killa from Wasilla?

Let us all remember to feel grateful to the plaintiffs in this lawsuit, and all the others who have worked to ensure that our elections actually reflect the will of the people.

[tbyg52]

3. Halleluiah, brother, AMEN! nt

[blm]

4. I concur.

.