DFA contributions deciding factor in Washington recount

[NoPasaran]

From the Blog:
The Washington state Governor-elects office remains empty—the race to elect a new governor is tied. The Republican candidate's chief of staff is threatening to unleash the Bush White House if Democrats pursue a statewide hand recount. Why wouldn't Republicans want every person's sacred right to vote count? I guess they feel it's more important to win than to win legitimately.

Yesterday, Attorney General Christine Gregoire called on the Washington state Democratic Party to count all the votes. With a 42-vote margin, the only way we can be sure a legitimate Governor is elected is with a hand count.

During the mandatory machine recount phase, we found that voting machines had counted 15,000 votes incorrectly. In addition, we recently learned that over 2,700 absentee ballots statewide were thrown out because of mismatched signatures. In at least five counties the numbers of ballots to the number of registered voters doesn't add up. A hand recount will ensure that every legitimate vote gets counted and protect against disenfranchisement.

Today, the Washington Democratic party chair announced that—with the help of thousands of Democracy for America contributors and supporters throughout the nation—we will be able to pay for a statewide hand recount of every single vote. Given that only a 42-vote margin separates Attorney General Gregoire and her Republican opponent, hand counting is the most accurate method available to finally determine who will be Washington's next governor.

Thank you again for all of your support. Christine Gregoire appreciates everything you have done.

—Tim Zenk, Campaign Manager
Gregoire For Governor

[Capn Sunshine]

1. Yeah baby!

We carry the water YET AGAIN

[madfloridian]

2. What is close to 15,000 donations times 20 or 30 dollars?

Do the math. Here is an update from last night.

http://www.blogforamerica.com/archives/005623.html
With the news breaking Friday that thousands of small-dollar contributions from Democracy for America supporters were the deciding factor in getting a hand count of all the ballots in the Washington Governor's race, the Washington Post caught up with the story this weekend:

The $730,000 down payment that will start a statewide recount came from cash left over in Kerry's presidential campaign, from the Democratic National Committee, and, in the past two days, from 15,000 smaller donations, many of them from individuals reached by Democracy for America, an organization created by Howard Dean, the former Vermont governor who sought the Democratic presidential nomination this year.

"I am grateful and humbled by the outpouring of support for a hand count of every vote," Gregoire said after learning her party had raised the money.

Gregoire Campaign Manager Tim Zenk sent a personal thank-you to the people of Democracy for America on Friday.

During this election cycle, millions of small donors just like you just like you accomplished what folks in Washington, DC never could -- real campaign finance reform that put the Democratic Party (if not the GOP) in the hands of real people.

But what we did together last week was bigger than financing a campaign -- you made the difference between real democracy and a system that says, "Ehh, close enough" when it comes to counting votes.

In America today we have a bewildering array of voting machines using widely divergent standards and a system that makes it hard for people to vote and often fails to count their votes when they do.

It's a crazy system we have that requires a frantic national fundraising drive to pay election authorities to make sure every vote gets counted. But thanks to you democracy seems a little more real today.

Posted by Joe Rospars at 08:46 PM

[JNelson6563]

3. Dean and DFA still vital to the cause

I can't help but wonder about others, especially those who have a cult-like following that are already scheming and plotting for 08. Where are they in this?

Once again Dean makes me proud.

Julie