A Legitimate Recount Effort in Ohio

[rodeodance]

http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/111304V.shtml

A Legitimate Recount Effort in Ohio
By Steven Rosenfeld
AlterNet.org

Friday 12 November 2004

An effort led by Common Cause and the Alliance for Democracy is underway in Ohio to conduct a statewide recount.
Efforts to launch an official statewide recount of the Ohio presidential vote are underway. While it's unclear if a recount will result in a Kerry victory, it's likely to highlight many flaws in Ohio elections that may have tilted results toward Republicans and against Democrats.

Common Cause of Ohio and the Alliance for Democracy, a progressive coalition, Thursday announced they were launching a recount campaign for Ohio. Columbus, Ohio attorney Cliff Arnebeck, who represents both groups, said both the Green Party and Libertarian Party presidential candidates would seek a recount if the $110,000 filing fee could be raised. "Common Cause and the Alliance for Democracy are not partisan. The purpose of the recount is to verify the honesty of the process," Arnebeck said. "That is in the interest of anyone who would be declared the winner."

A coalition of progressive groups will hold a public hearing on election abuses this Saturday in Columbus calling on the Kerry campaign to pay for the recount. Meanwhile, they have created a Web page to collect donations at the Alliance for Democracy site. The Kerry campaign reportedly was sending lawyers to Ohio to look into election irregularities, but Arnebeck said only the public interest groups were now committed to a recount.

[kuozzman]

1. Did the price go up?

[Carolab]

2. No

It's the same. They have about half now.

[rodeodance]

3. they have about a third of the cost

And he clock is ticking on the Ohio process. In coming days, the Ohio secretary of state is expected to announce that the provisional ballots have been counted. A losing candidate for president then has 5 days to request a recount, filing the paperwork and filing fee. That cost is $10 per precinct, which comes to slightly more than $110,000. As of Friday morning, $35,000 had been raised. There is a possibility that not all Ohio counties will finish the provsional ballot count, which would prompt those seeking the recount to pursue other actions, Arnebeck said. .....


There is a big difference between this effort and what Bev Harris and Black Box Voting are doing. That group, which is investigating computer voting fraud, is making Freedom of Information Act requests. That does not have the force of law behind it to change election results, unless it is entered as evidence in litigation sparked by a recount. The recount sought by the Ohio groups can revise the official state count. ....

[Divine Discontent]

4. hey rich vets & retirees, here' s your chance!

KICK!

[loudsue]

5. All the more reason....WE NEED TO DONATE & FUND THE RECOUNT

And we all need to do this NOW!! Open those pocketbooks, boyz & girlz! Even if Kerry doesn't come out the winner, I PROMISE YOU there will be a mess surrounding those black boxes that will jerk a knot in the electoral process for years to come.

We cannot wait until we go through this again in 2006 and 2008.... and we WILL go through this again, if we don't stop it NOW!!

Send whatever you can possibly afford to the groups doing the recounts.

:kick::kick::kick:

[Ima]

6. here is our chance

Here is the donation page. Be sure to put RECOUNT in the large box.


http://web.greens.org/c/cobb/supporters.cgi?function=donate

[sweetheart]

7. I'm tapped out to the kerry campaign

I contributed to that campaign expecting that at a point like this,
the funds would be used to recount. Instead, i'm being asked for
more while they have extra cash.... what gives!