News yesterday before the polls closed: more than twelve hundred people in Snohomish County and in different numbers in pockets around the State had never received ballots; Some had received ballot envelopes without contents.
As disturbing as the breakdowns in the mail-in system were, the ease of the fixes was worse: “Just log in to the email ballot program. Print your own ballot!” And some had fixed their missing ballot with such a program when their original ballot finally arrived. How absolutely simple to vote multiple times! Are the bureaucrats unaware of copy machines? scanners? the simplicity of printing multiple copies? There was the warning that it was a crime, but no security to speak of. And if it is easy for the average citizen, how much easier for an election official… appointed by a member of the political class… who directly benefit from the outcomes?
And what of the valid votes to be discarded from voters because they forgot to sign their “secret” ballot envelope and will never know they were disenfranchised?
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012557960_missingballots07m.html
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012638761_missingballots17m.html
Mail in ballot horror show:
http://www.soundpolitics.com/archives/014171.html
Invalid Snohomish ballots due to failure to pick party:
No voter guide for Snohomish:
Remember the good old days when we went to the polls, showed our registration card, photo ID and signed in before we voted?
My friend who lives a few miles from me in another precinct never received her Voter Pamphlet. When I found this out, I called the Election office asking about her not receiving hers. I was told they weren’t sent out to that precinct.
I was so taken back that I didn’t think to ask what other precincts never received Voter Pamphlets. I plan on visiting the Election Office and finding out what other precincts didn’t receive theirs.
Outrageous! No wonder Rossi and Murray made the top two. Those people didn’t have a clue about the other candidates besides names on the Ballot. Oh my, who are the most familiar names? Who are the names the media endorsed? What a racket!
I would suggest people in other Counties take it upon themselves to visit their Election Office and find out if everyone received their Voter Pamphlets and report back to us.
My ballot came with a notice that for this primary, the pamphets were only available online. I’m in Snohomish County.
Each candidate who paid for inclusion in the Voter Pamphlet should receive a refund of his fee proportional to the percentage of households that did not receive a copy in every district that pertained to his race.
All Senate candidates, for instance, should receive a refund for all the voting population of Snohomish County.
Snohomish County spends 100s of thousands (possibly millions) to harass people with bogus environmental and building code violations. But the Auditor’s Office, whose 3 million dollar plus payroll increased $245,000 from 2009 to 2010 (even given the trying economic times) couldn’t cough up $70,000 to mail out voter pamphlets when the number one job they are tasked with is handling elections. Hmmmm. The Budget link is below, check out page 36 for the Auditor’s office.
http://www.co.snohomish.wa.us/documents/Departments/Executive/News/10Recommended_Final.pdf
Not mailing out pamphlets is extremely prejudicial to seniors who might not have internet and to new candidates, since incumbents have name recognition.
Contact the auditor here and let them know this is not acceptable. They don’t answer their phone (another disturbing trend at government agencies), but you can email them at the bottom of the page. Plus, they do have a fax number. Contact them even if you are not in Snohomish County because of course this affects election results in the entire State.
http://www1.co.snohomish.wa.us/Departments/Auditor/Contact/
I did email them and received a reply saying that if someone didn’t have internet access they could go down to the Courthouse and use the terminal in the lobby of the Auditor’s office or go to the library. Nice way to treat seniors or others who are less mobile and also might not even know how to use the internet.
Snohomish had a pretty low turnout and I am wondering if this was the result of no pamphlets being mailed.
Add to this the likelihood of multiple ballots per voter!?!
One very reliable person informs me, and I saw the ballot, that they received two official ballots… one at the new address and one at the previous address where registered.
The change was made very officially, properly, and timely, long before this election! It was a change in not only precinct, but county and congressional district. How many others also moved and … ?!?
It is time NOW for paper ballots, at the precinct polls, counted at the poll, at the conclusion of the election period, 8 PM, AND WITH bystanders observing, the poll watchers SHALL count and come to an agreed upon conclusion before sending ballots and results to the county!
Only then will the electorate know, with confidence, that their ballots were counted, corrected tabulated, and logged. Only then shall this land really see the attitude of the people!
It is not for no reason that the ballot system has been continuously under attack, undergoing change, and ALL towards a more easily co-opted and defrauded system!
Every tyranny in history eventually controlled any vote the electorate had once enjoyed, and all dictators have been on agreement with Lenin and Stalin who spoke what is becoming the hallmark of 20th century American balloting…
“Those who cast the votes decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything.”
For updated information on the state of voting fraud in America, which BTW has been increasing to pandemic proportions in since the latter quarter of the 20th century, see:
http://blackboxvoting.org
Illegal residents could be voting. Officials say most noncitizens wouldn’t take such a risk
By Stephanie Rice
Columbian Staff Reporter
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey said Monday it’s possible residents who are not U.S. citizens are voting in today’s primary.
But he also said convicted felons account for the majority of illegal voters, at least according to a multimillion-dollar investigation into votes cast in the state’s 2004 gubernatorial race between Chris Gregoire and Dino Rossi.
Kimsey was asked about illegal voters in light of an Aug. 14 Associated Press article that ran on the front page of The Columbian.
The article said Washington, Utah and New Mexico have seen a surge in illegal immigrants seeking driver’s licenses because they are the only states that don’t require proof of citizenship or legal residency to obtain a license.
It follows, Kimsey said, that since it’s easier for noncitizens to get a driver’s license in Washington than in most other states, it’s also easier to register to vote as applicants need only a driver’s license or a state identification card.
They would have to lie on the voter registration form, which requires applicants to declare they are citizens of the United States.
Read the rest here:
http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/aug/17/illegal-residents-could-be-voting/
A person on FB replied regarding my question on not getting a Voter Pamphlet: (I’m not giving his name as he didn’t reply here himself.)
“I live in Benton County. Neither I, nor my girlfriend received a voter’s pamphlet.
While we’re on the subject of voter fraud, bring back the polling stations and make the people show a valid state issued I.D. card or driver license!!!”