This has got to be done. It also has to be done by someone with NO conflict of interest! You were Heavily involved with the Bush campaign so that leaves you out!
I live in an upper middle class community. I stood in line 30 SECONDS to vote and yet thousands of my fellow Ohioans had to wait as long as TEN hours. This is NOT DEMOCRACY.
Please get rid of paperless voting in my state of Ohio. I am a lifelong resident, and not a very proud one right now because of your behavior and the state of our ballot casting.
Something's rotten in Ohio...in order for this Election to be accepted as "valid" all votes must be counted accurately and fairly. If this is not done in an impartial way, we have no true democracy. Paperless computer systems that produce magic numbers are at the least ...suspect and very likely could lead to criminal charges if vote tampering is ever proven. In addition, as a legal matter, in order to preserve the integrity of this vote tally, you, Mr. Secretary must recuse yourself from this process, as you are too closely aligned with one party's aspirations over another's. If not, you too may face "obstruction of justice" charges for interfering with a sacrosanct concept of our American Liberty: the right to a truly fair Election, where every vote counts.
Imperative that the vote count be seen as complete and honest c/o the position of the Sec'y of State not only as the supervisor of elections, but his appointive job as chair of the Bush campaign in Ohio.
There are enough reports of irregularities to warrant a full investigation and recount of the vote in Ohio. The faith in our system requires it. The broader issue of voter suppression through long lines also needs to be addressed. How do you count the votes that were never cast due to unreasonably long lines. Why did the democratic party have to go to court to have paper ballots handed out to some of the voters in these extremely long lines in Columbus, Ohio? It would seem to be the right thing to do if you were the least bit interested in fairness and true democracy. What are we showing our young people?
If people would take time to re-read the federalists papers, they would see that our founding fathers were very worried about elections like this past one taking place, and tried to plan so that things like this would not happen. For the first time since I have been able to vote, and I am now 57, I am afraid of my government, and the continuation of the present admininstation.
Please make every vote count. It is important in this election as well as future elections that we see this one out to the very end. We need the whole picture to become one community.
I think its sad that the poor neighborhoods didn't have the same quanity of voting machines per registered voter - and that they were forced to wait in lines - I guess there is no way to count the votes of those that had to leave the line to go work.
Please recount the ballots and do not let any of the ballots get thrown into the garbage by Blackwell. He should step down. If the minorities get counted I believe John Kerry could win.
Dear Mr. Secretary
I was a "poll-runner" on election day and saw several disturbing items throughout the day; people leaving the lines not willing to wait, provisional ballots for individuals who had prove of residence, and a voting machine lights flashing (as it was unplugged).
It is imperative that the Ohio votes are all counted especially for the Ohioans that waited in long lines to have their vote counted.
Dear Mr. Secretary;
Please recount the ballots in Ohio. We are at war in the name of democracy and our own democratic rights are being violated!!!
Thank You
I am from Ohio an d we need to protect the integrity of the voting process. Irregularities should be checked in ALL machines and all votes counted. Procedures should be put in place NOW to avoid the same in the next election.
Democracy demands transparency and an honest intention to let the system work. Without a fair and accurate count the nation can never know surely whether there is a President with a true mandate from the people in office.
The outcome of no election should be announced until EVERY SINGLE VOTE HAS BEEN COUNTED! Democrats will never be satisfied this was an honest election until they have been.
I truly hope that OHIO did nothing to affect the outcome of the Presidential Election other than to count ALL the votes cast, the provisional ballots, the overseas absentee ballots, and since I voted absentee due to having surgery- I surely hope that mine was counted.
Please count or re-count all the votes in Ohio. As this is my state, I want it to be an honest state. Why are all the votes not counted before a candidate is declared the president-elect? That a candidate can be declared elected prior to ALL votes being counted (absentee, provisional, and so-called spoiled) makes the proceedings seem fraudulent and certainly not in keeping with the real democratic process. I am very concerned that Ohio, the state I have said I am proud to live in, could possibly operate in a way that is not integrous. This is more about integrity, upholding the democratic process and the Constitution, and not being swayed by dishonorable sources than it is about Bush vs Kerry for me.
However, the way Florida's voting happened in 2000 seemed like a terrible not-so-instant replay of Watergate. Why no one of authority has acted on the obvious illegality of those actions, much less the unconstitutional acts by Bush's administration in Florida (legal actions to prevent certain voters from voting, to suppress votes, etc in FL) has me very concerned. Now I find out that Ohio has not included many votes, I never heard on the news if Iowa completed the count of its 450,000 absentee ballots, or if Florida counted its 90,000 absentee ballots. This cannot be legal, is not moral, and speaks to Ohio operating from some measures that are not honorable.
Please make sure ALL of Ohio's votes are counted, ASAP.
Thank you.
Dear Mr. Secretary: I lived in Ohio for the past 5 years and voted in every election while I was there. I have been embarrassed by the election news coming out of Ohio and hope you will do all in your power to make certain that Ohio counts every vote and gives its citizens the rights we are fighting in Iraq to ensure for its citizens.
Long lines at the polls in only Democratic leaning precincts lead me to believe that there was an attempt to suppress the vote by making people wait up to 9 hours to vote. Is that why Bush made his election day trip to see Blackwell? So he could assure himself that the 'fix' was in.
I need to trust our voting process in this democracy. I am not sure I can ever trust a computerized voting machine that does not provide a paper trail. I get a receipt for every monetary transaction I do, why not in voting? The Bush administration is bent on having the government run as a business, they would never have a business run without a paper trail.
This is better than nothing. Unfortunately we will never be able to count the votes of people who never received their absentee ballots or post cards telling them where they should vote and then completed a provisional ballot at the wrong precinct.
It is vital to keep a democracy alive, to allow free elections, where all of the votes are counted. Only the truth will allow us to go forward in freedom!
If we live in a democracy, as we claim in statements made to nations all around the world, then all the votes must count and all the votes must be counted. We simply must do whatever is necessary to get an accurate count. This is the foundation of any nation claiming to be a democracy. We know from the Bible that only a house built on a solid foundation will stand.
I believe all Counties in States that seemed to have a problem should be recounted doesn't matter the outcome things need to be on the up and up.
Debra Cloinger
What must government do to re-establish the integrity and trustworthiness of our electoral system, if there is widespread evidence of wrongful behavior? Call it "glitches" or call it fraud. We cannot determine which it is without an "exhaustive" investigation. Efforts to avoid an investigation simply add fuel to already growing and ever more widespread suspicions and doubts about the fairness of the election.
because there appears to be ample evidence of erroneous results with electronic voting involving more votes than Bush "won" by, the vote count needs to be reviewed and the vulnerabilities and inequities of the system (i.e. electoral college) need to be addressed.
The sytemic fraud that continues to operate with boundless vigor in our beloved country, at all levels within our servant government is an abomination to God, and our Forefathers. It appears that fraud in our nation is condoned; providing that the fraud is profitable to the entity committing the fraud.
God Help Us All. . .
