2004 Ballot Recount: Observer Report
- December 17, 2004:
Report by Libertarian Party Observer
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"The [Board of Elections] ladies said they chose the precinct to be hand counted, because it was just over three percent. It was not randomly chosen." "When we asked to see the provisional and absentee ballots, we were told that there was no way to tell which they were, as they had been mixed back into their precincts. Once the envelopes and stubs were removed, there was no way to identify them any more." "As for the provisional and absentee ballots that were not counted, (30 out of 160 total), they were not on hand. We were told they were locked away, and would be destroyed 60 days after the election." "That said, it is my opinion... that the B of E in Morgan County ... did their best, as they understood the rules, to accomodate the recount process and the observation." — Libertarian Observer |
December 17, 2004:
Report by Libertarian Observer
I was an observer at the recount for Morgan County on Wednesday. (I was representing Libertarians.)
The B of E [Board of Elections] ladies said they chose the precinct to be hand counted, because it was just over three percent. It was not randomly chosen.
The other observers said it was OK that the B of E ladies did the hand recount of that precinct, at their desk, and did not use the three Democrats and three Republicans seated nearby, which seemed odd to me.
(The six volunteers were used only to sort the remaining 21 precincts according to candidates, and by precinct, for what purpose I have no idea, since the machine could count them in any order.)
All ballots were then run through the machine. The votes from the one precinct that was hand counted did match the machine total, for what that was worth. The new total vote count also closely matched the total on record.
When we asked to see the provisional and absentee ballots, we were told that there was no way to tell which they were, as they had been mixed back into their precincts. Once the envelopes and stubs were removed, there was no way to identify them any more.
As for the provisional and absentee ballots that were not counted, (30 out of 160 total), they were not on hand. We were told they were locked away, and would be destroyed 60 days after the election.
That said, it is my opinion, and that of the other observers I asked, that the B of E in Morgan County had conducted a fair election, and did their best, as they understood the rules, to accomodate the recount process and the observation.