Reply #22: Update 12/15/04 [View All]

[Carl Brennan]

The dem observer I talked to the other day, an ex-County Prosecutor, got a number of boxes recounted due to counter error. Another dem observer I talked to saw a box of ballots coming out of the security cage that had its seal broken. I need to follow up on this. Why am I doing the job of dem supervisors? Numerous sorting errors I observed as sorters rechecked boxes for the proper precinct. Boxes not marked properly by the recorder and supervisor that had to be opened to determine from what district they came from. A garbage bin next to the sorting stacks full of miscellaneous papers--it would be easy for a ballot or a box of them to be chucked in. Tired dem observer/floaters. One dem woman, an observer for the media and liasson?, I talked to hadn't had a but one day off in 6 months. I tried talking to her a little about Ohio and she said she doesn' t think about anything except what is going on in King County. Nice worldview, eh. Others look and acting tired.

I asked twice to talk to someone higher up about the data entry into the computers. The head of the dem program. She said she was going to get back to me in a minute and then never got back with me. Her eyes widened when I told her I was interested in electonic/computer end of the recount process....don't know what that means.She had said that I should talk to her first before talking to the Project Manager, a County official, named Garth. hmmmm.....do we have a pecking order?
I saw her in the lounge after my shift was over talking to an observer.

A supervisor in the security cage tipped over a large number of ballot boxes with a crash with lots of people asking if he was OK. He had informed me after a casual chat as I stood at my observation post dodging carts full of ballot boxes going in and out of the cage that there are observers inspecting the outgoing garbage.

Many of the supervisors were friendly and helpful and knowledgeable. It is the partisan people that I am not sure about. And the observers are not raising their hands enough. The dem paid people are to chummy with the county people . I was stuck in the sorting zone and away from the counting today--don't know what that means. Oddly all of the dem people knew me by name today, hee. Kinda flatterin'.....I guess?


I'm getting the sense that there is alot of scrutiny of the recount process at the lower level, but I keep seeing the image of a slice of Swiss cheese when I think of the electronic end of this process. I understand from multiple sources that a wireless hack into the "stand alones" is easily doable.

In sum, much mischief could be made by any number of people. The hurried pace pisses me off. I talked to a county police officer who said that there is 24 hour security at the facility. I was thinking of going back tonight and snoop around, maybe early tomorrow.

Later in my shift I was stuck with a couple of young white male con observers. Young clean cut men like the Mormon types you see riding bicycles with a coat and tie knocking on doors. Friendly enough, but not asking many questions--normal in other words. I told an older con observer about Clinton Curtis testifying before the House Judiciary Committee and he was very interested. He stated that he just wants the damn vote counted accurately and that the whole operation (here in King County) looked like a "clusterfuck". I shared my experience of the day before with the Repug counter doing a shitty job.Then wryly I said: "Well, in the end his number complied with the dem so that's good enough for me, since dems don't cheat." He said with a smile: "Oh, of course not, guaranteed". This guy seemed like a pretty good fellow, at least he had a sense of humor. It was the young Mormon types that never quite made eye contact that bothered me. I asked them what was going on with the computers in "their" lounge and they didn't reply.


Talked to a savvy as hell software engineer, dem observer, who told me about how to hack a stand alone computer with a wireless computer and a reciever. I had talked to him yesterday. I've got his e-mail and we will be in touch. I want he and I to team up to interview the County officials on the security of the electronic end of this process.

The Press came in and put Shawn the county official under the limelight. A couple of photos of tired looking counters in todays paper. I never saw or heard a question of relevance asked by the Press to anybody. I stood next to the cameras yesterday as they panned the room. We are not aloud to bring cameras into the counting area, but I saw one of the paid dem woman snapping some memento pictures inside the counting area. We are not allowed to have cell phones in the area but I saw a county floor supervisor talking on a cell phone. This was of interest because she was talking on the phone after opening the mismarked ballot box to check the district it came from, then she was pulling ballots out of the boxes and putting them in envelopes. Both the Repug and me flagged a floater on this. I asked the cop about the cell phones and he said no cell phones allowed. I pointed at the supervisor and he said: "Well maybe supervisors can have them". Another lead I have to follow-up on tomorrow. Why have rules if you don't enforce them??

Another observer told me that he was talking to a counter outside of the counting room and she said that the observers scare the shit out of her when she is counting. . I certainly don't want them to love us. One pretty young girl, a repug counter was warming to the presence of observers. Oddly enough a friend of mine who happens to be a progressive activist here in Seattle was her counting partner. He does have a way of converting the enemy. He was really smoozing her and the Mormon observers didn't like it, hee, hee. They started talking to her and flirting and that is in violation of the rules: observers cannot talk to counters. I intervened and told them they could not talk to counters, hee and then sat back bemused by my friends pouring on the charm. The Mormon repugs gave me some ugly looks, hee, hee. Funny as hell. I likes messing with Repugs. Started thinking: maybe if we take their woman away from them.......oops back on target.

I asked a supervisor to move some counters at a table we were too far away from to observe to some empty counting tables closer to our observation post they were very helpful.

The dem observer who got embarrassed yesterday for not raising her hand avoided me like the plague and started when I came up and smiled asking her how she was doing. zzzzzzzzzz. Big Daddy needs lovin'!! You can't stir things up and expect everybody to like you.


More later.