Who Really Won?

Thursday, December 23, 2004

What Are the Republicans Trying to Hide?

The Free Press again, this time on the Repubs still acting as if they have something to hide:

On Monday the expanded legal team issued subpoenas to top election officials in 10 counties where vote-count fraud is suspected.

The rapid filing of subpoenas, the first step in interviewing people under oath, provoked the shrill rejection from Blackwell. Though Blackwell is a state constitutional officer, his business office is in a private building, where protesters -- including former California Congressman Dan Hamburg---have been arrested without apparent provocation.

“They huffed and they puffed, trying to bully people around,” said attorney Peter Pectarsky, a key member of the election challenge legal team. “Now we’re fighting over discovery. We served 10 depositions. The attorney general blew a gasket. They filed a motion to stop it… We will file our response.”

This past Friday, attorneys refiled their election challenge suit, a day after state Supreme Court dismissed it on a technicality. The challengers are trying to get a meaningful recount before the January 6 Congressional vote, while Blackwell's GOP has done all it can to stall.

The election challenge lawsuit claims that statewide vote patterns reveal vote count fraud on a scale that incorrectly awarded the state’s majority – and the presidency – to George Bush. They are using the litigation process to document that fraud.

“Maybe this (the explanation of the Ohio vote) is much closer to the surface than anybody thinks,” said Pete Pectarsky, a lead challenge attorney. “It doesn’t add up. If everything was above board, why are they hiding everything? They could bury people in the details… Okay, look at these records. Look at those.”