500lbguerilla
10-31-2005, 03:50 PM
Demockracy in action
http://bobgeiger.blogspot.com/2005/10/big-election-theft-in-little-town.html
Big Election Theft in a Little Town
Susan Brenner-Morton never guessed what the remainder of 2005 would hold for her as she dutifully cast her absentee ballot for the March 15 mayoral election in Irvington, New York. The mayor's race in this scenic town of 6,700 people on the banks of the Hudson River, had been won by Democrat Erin Malloy, in a one-vote victory over Dennis Flood, the Republican incumbent who had held office, unchallenged, for 12 years.
This is the story of how Erin Malloy, Irvington residents – and especially Susan Brenner-Morton – discovered the true depths of the national Republican strategy for "winning" elections by disenfranchising voters and turning perfectly good votes into bad votes.
We've seen it many times over the last five years -- most notably in the 2000 presidential election and, earlier this year, in the protracted fight by Republican Dino Rossi to keep Democrat Christine Gregoire from assuming the Governor's office in Washington state. We also saw it in the race for New York's 35th district state senate seat last year, when Republican Nick Spano used the trash-the-votes strategy to discount ballots and secure an 18-vote win over Democrat Andrea Stewart-Cousins.
It's the same game, with different players -- a close election and the GOP using their weapon of choice, by fighting to ensure that votes are not counted.
The Irvington election was quite literally decided last Thursday on a game of chance, with Flood pulling the lucky lot after using the preceding seven months to engineer a bogus 847-847 tie in the election.
But first, a quick primer on a very complex case.
On election night, March 15, 2005, an initial count gave Flood a one-vote lead over Malloy. The Westchester County Board of Elections then conducted a more thorough, official recount that showed it was actually Malloy, the Democratic challenger, holding a one-vote advantage.
Here's where things go downhill.
Two unopened, absentee ballots remained and, despite holding the lead – and thus having everything to lose – Malloy, the former president of the Westchester League of Women Voters, readily agreed that they should both be opened and that all votes should be counted.
Flood then manufactured a tie by making certain only one of the two remaining votes was opened. Brenner-Morton's name was clearly visible on the last ballot and, because she was a known Malloy supporter, it was in Flood's best interests to see that the ballot never saw the light of day.
(far more at link)
http://bobgeiger.blogspot.com/2005/10/big-election-theft-in-little-town.html
http://bobgeiger.blogspot.com/2005/10/big-election-theft-in-little-town.html
Big Election Theft in a Little Town
Susan Brenner-Morton never guessed what the remainder of 2005 would hold for her as she dutifully cast her absentee ballot for the March 15 mayoral election in Irvington, New York. The mayor's race in this scenic town of 6,700 people on the banks of the Hudson River, had been won by Democrat Erin Malloy, in a one-vote victory over Dennis Flood, the Republican incumbent who had held office, unchallenged, for 12 years.
This is the story of how Erin Malloy, Irvington residents – and especially Susan Brenner-Morton – discovered the true depths of the national Republican strategy for "winning" elections by disenfranchising voters and turning perfectly good votes into bad votes.
We've seen it many times over the last five years -- most notably in the 2000 presidential election and, earlier this year, in the protracted fight by Republican Dino Rossi to keep Democrat Christine Gregoire from assuming the Governor's office in Washington state. We also saw it in the race for New York's 35th district state senate seat last year, when Republican Nick Spano used the trash-the-votes strategy to discount ballots and secure an 18-vote win over Democrat Andrea Stewart-Cousins.
It's the same game, with different players -- a close election and the GOP using their weapon of choice, by fighting to ensure that votes are not counted.
The Irvington election was quite literally decided last Thursday on a game of chance, with Flood pulling the lucky lot after using the preceding seven months to engineer a bogus 847-847 tie in the election.
But first, a quick primer on a very complex case.
On election night, March 15, 2005, an initial count gave Flood a one-vote lead over Malloy. The Westchester County Board of Elections then conducted a more thorough, official recount that showed it was actually Malloy, the Democratic challenger, holding a one-vote advantage.
Here's where things go downhill.
Two unopened, absentee ballots remained and, despite holding the lead – and thus having everything to lose – Malloy, the former president of the Westchester League of Women Voters, readily agreed that they should both be opened and that all votes should be counted.
Flood then manufactured a tie by making certain only one of the two remaining votes was opened. Brenner-Morton's name was clearly visible on the last ballot and, because she was a known Malloy supporter, it was in Flood's best interests to see that the ballot never saw the light of day.
(far more at link)
http://bobgeiger.blogspot.com/2005/10/big-election-theft-in-little-town.html