DNC's Look at Ohio

An exhaustive five-month investigative study of the troubled presidential election of 2004 in Ohio has concluded that the state's voters encountered widespread system failure, with more than a quarter of voters - and 52% of African Americans - reporting significant problems at the polls.

According to the report, which was presented to DNC Chairman Howard Dean at a news conference today, the systemic problems plaguing Ohio's voting process included: significant evidence of voter suppression, negligent and poorly trained election officials, long lines, problems with registration status, polling locations, absentee ballots and provisional ballots and unlawful identification requirements at the polls.

Rather than challenge or question the results of the election, the report establishes a factual basis for developing a comprehensive agenda of reforms needed to ensure that every eligible voter has the opportunity to vote and to have that vote counted.

"Democracy only works when citizens believe election outcomes actually reflect their choices," said Donna Brazile, chair of the Voting Rights Institute and the project's leader. "Our goal was not to question the election result, but to determine whether or not every eligible voter in Ohio who sought to vote was able to cast a ballot and have it properly counted. The data clearly indicates that the system failed far too many Ohio voters."

Report here.