Some Fear Ohio Will Be Florida of 2004
 |
James Joyner | Tuesday, October 26, 2004 |
Some Fear Ohio Will Be Florida of 2004 (WaPo A01)
Democrats and Republicans here traded accusations of voter fraud, obstruction and intimidation Monday as officials grappled with what is becoming a confused — and potentially chaotic — presidential election in this critical battleground state. As Democrats marched through the downtown streets of the state capital with banners reading “Not This Time!” and chanting “Count every vote,” Republicans continued to challenge the eligibility of thousands of newly registered voters. This presented state election officials with the prospect of holding thousands of hearings over the next week to determine who can cast a ballot on Nov. 2.
The continuing legal and bureaucratic uncertainties have heightened fears that Ohio could be on the verge of becoming the next Florida, which could not determine a winner for 36 days after the 2000 election. Polls here show President Bush and Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) in a statistical dead heat in a state that each needs to win. “A storm is brewing in Ohio,” Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman (D) said Monday. “The day after Election Day, we’ve got to make sure the sun is shining. By that, I mean each and every vote has to be counted.”
Among the looming concerns:
⢠Republicans have already filed 35,000 challenges to voters’ eligibility and are preparing to send recruits into 8,000 polling places next Tuesday to challenge other voters they suspect are not eligible, particularly hundreds of thousands of the newly registered. Democrats are alarmed at the effort, saying it could tie up voting and keep many away from the polls.
⢠Ohio’s voter-registration rolls contain more than 120,000 duplicate names, and an untold number of ineligible voters, such as people who have moved out of the state. A review of the rolls by the Columbus Dispatch even found a murder victim and two suspected terrorists among the eligible.
⢠Democrats fear that polling places will be inadequately staffed and equipped to handle the crush of voters on Election Day. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-Ohio) said Monday she is concerned that many new voters will not get proper notification from county election boards about where to vote. That is a critical issue in light of a federal appeals court ruling Saturday that voters with provisional ballots — backup ballots for voters whose names do not appear on the rolls — must cast them in their own precinct for the votes to count.
In an interview, J. Kenneth Blackwell, Ohio’s secretary of state, acknowledged that the state may experience “a few hiccups” in the next eight days, but he dismissed notions of widespread trouble on Nov. 2. “You manage against systemic choking,” said Blackwell, whom Democrats have criticized for his dual role as co-chairman of Bush’s reelection campaign in Ohio. “I don’t think we’ll have systemic choking. I don’t anticipate the kind of confusion we saw in Florida.”
My guess is several states will be in a similar fix. It’s just that Ohio has enough Electoral votes that it could be the difference maker.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.
Follow James on FriendFeed | Twitter | Digg
- None Found
- Berlin Wall Fall: 20 Years Later
- Oklahoma High Schoolers Are Very Familiar With George Washington, Thanks
- Was Fort Hood Massacre ‘Terrorism’?
- Making Jobs More Expensive
- House Trades Freedom for Health Coverage, Senate’s Move
- Hasan a Muslim First, American Second?
- OTB Caption JamTM
- Taking “No” As Iran’s Answer
- Update on the Fort Hood Massacre
- OTB Latenight – Soft Cell
- Arguing with signposts... linked with Ohio the new Florida
- Peaktalk linked with PROJECTING TUESDAY
A friend of mine in Houston was telling me that he went to do early voting yesterday. The wait was 30+ minutes to get in.
30 minutes. In a place where the House seat is already decided, the Democratic electors have other plans for Electoral College Day, and there is no Senate race this year. 30 minutes.
Now, if that's the case in an area where there's no compelling reason to vote, much less vote early... just how crazy is it going to be next Tuesday? I don't think the system nationally is going to be able to handle the outside forecast of 60% sufferage.
And another reason to fear:
"With new voter registrations up by 15 percent, voter turnout in the (King County) General Election is expected to reach 82 percent -- higher than any other election in history."
http://metrokc.gov/elections/news/2004_10_13.htm
Admittedly, we're talking about Seattle, with a liberal populace ready to vote early and often against Bush. And we're also talking about a county where 58% of all votes will be absentee. Still... 82 percent?
Comments are Closed
