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Thanks Evan – I am reposting
the PDF content here so that it can be part of our record and for all to read
that couldn’t see the PDF file. - paul <><><><> PRESS RELEASE Congressman John Conyers, Jr. Fourteenth District, Michigan Ranking Member, Committee on
the Judiciary Dean, Congressional Black
Caucus ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: December 2, 2004 Dena Graziano
(202) 226-6888 CONYERS, AND OTHER HOUSE
JUDICIARY DEMOCRATS ASK BLACKWELL TO EXPLAIN
ALLEGED OHIO ELECTION IRREGULARITIES In response to information
obtained as part of the House Judiciary Committee Democratic staff’s ongoing investigation of
election irregularities in the 2004 election, Congressman John Conyers, Jr., Ranking Member of the House
Judiciary Committee, along with Representatives Jerrold Nadler, Melvin Watt, Sheila Jackson Lee,
Maxine Waters, William Delahunt, Robert Wexler, Tammy Baldwin, Anthony Weiner and Linda Sanchez, wrote
to Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell requesting that he respond to reports of election
irregularities in the state of Ohio. The Members wrote to Blackwell: “Collectively, we are concerned
that these complaints constitute a troubled portrait of a one-two punch that may well have
altered and suppressed votes, particularly minority and Democratic votes. First, it appears there were
substantial irregularities in vote tallies. It is unclear whether these
apparent errors were the result of
machine malfunctions or fraud. Second, it appears that a
series of actions of government and non-government officials may have worked to frustrate minority
voters. Consistent and widespread reports indicate a lack of voting machines in urban, minority and
Democratic areas, and a surplus of such machines in Republican, white and rural areas. As a result,
minority voters were discouraged from voting by lines that were in excess of eight hours long. Many of these
voters were also apparently victims of a campaign of deception, where flyers and calls would direct
them to the wrong polling place. Once at that polling place, after waiting for hours in line, many of
these voters were provided provisional ballots after learning they were at the wrong location. These ballots
were not counted in many jurisdictions because of a directive issued by some election officials, such
as yourself. We’re sure you agree with us
that regardless of the outcome of the election, it is imperative that we examine any and all factors
that may have led to voting irregularities and any failure of votes to be properly counted.” Among other questions, the
Members asked Blackwell to respond to the following: • Why did Warren County
officials exclude members of the press from observing vote counting on election night,
claiming an FBI agent had warned of a terrorist threat that was a “10" on a scale of
one to ten, but the FBI has no knowledge of such a warning? • Why did precincts in Perry
County apparently record more votes than voters? • Why did Butler County and a
number of other counties record more votes for an underfunded Democratic
candidate for State Supreme Court than were recorded for the Democratic Presidential
candidate? • Why did historically
Democratic precincts in Cleveland record up to twenty-two times more votes for the Constitution
Party Presidential candidate than all third-party candidates combined received in
the 2000 election? • Why did voters in Mahong
County report that when they attempted to record a vote for John Kerry their vote was
displayed as being cast for George W. Bush? • Why did there appear to be a
shortage of voting machines in traditionally Democratic precincts on election day,
causing up to ten hour delays for voters, while there was an apparent surplus of voting
machines in traditionally Republican precincts? ##JUD-108-12/2/04## |