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In Warren County, Lebanon police, two county pick-up trucks and a bomb-sniffing dog helped guard the Administration Building on Election Day.
Board of elections officials compiled a list of people approved for after-hours access to the Administration Building. The list didn't include reporters or other approved ballot-counting observers.
Among those locked out were an Enquirer reporter, a TV reporter, and a stringer from the Associated Press. The AP had stringers at all 88 boards of elections, and only in Warren County were they not allowed in. James Lee, spokesman for then Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, told the Enquirer then that no other county had similar restrictions Election Night.
"We weren't trying to hide anything from them,'' said then-Warren County Board of Elections Director Susan Johnson, who now works at the Clinton County Board of Elections. "It had never ever been the practice (for the media) to be in the room with the counting anyway.''
The building's front doors were locked shortly after polls closed at 7:30 p.m.
Even Jeff Ruppert, Warren County counsel for the Kerry-Edwards campaign, was initially denied admission before presenting credentials. Ruppert told reporters he observed nothing inappropriate at the board of elections.
The Ohio Republican Party's election night rally in Columbus exploded in cheers at 12:41 a.m. Wednesday as Fox News Channel became the first to called Ohio for Bush. NBC later called the state as well.
But Kerry spokeswoman Mary Beth Cahill issued this statement at 1:30 a.m.: "The vote count in Ohio has not been completed. There are more than 250,000 remaining votes."
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By Mark Crispin Miller Posted by Mark Crispin Miller (about the submitter)
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Among the warnings to county officials was a four-page Oct. 4 memo from the Ohio Army National Guard that stated: "Homeland Security Department has indicated al-Qaida is plotting to disrupt US elections. Potential exists that disruptions could occur at campaign stops and/or polling places in the upcoming elections. Many polling places are located in churches, schools, community centers, local and state government facilities."
While no terror incidents occurred anywhere in the United States on Election Day 2004, Ohio Emergency Management Agency incident reports, obtained last month by The Enquirer, show a "terrorism threat rumor'' in Tuscarawas County and complaints about people of "Middle Eastern descent'' in Allen and Lorain counties.
The Lorain County incident turned out to be an international monitoring group photographing a polling place in Grafton. The Allen County incident was reported to the Defense Department as suspicious people in a gold minivan with California plates. It turned out to be four Latino males doing a film project, according to state EMA records.
Become a Fan (7 fans) -- Page 2 of 3 page(s)
While no terror incidents occurred anywhere in the United States on Election Day 2004, Ohio Emergency Management Agency incident reports, obtained last month by The Enquirer, show a "terrorism threat rumor'' in Tuscarawas County and complaints about people of "Middle Eastern descent'' in Allen and Lorain counties.
The Lorain County incident turned out to be an international monitoring group photographing a polling place in Grafton. The Allen County incident was reported to the Defense Department as suspicious people in a gold minivan with California plates. It turned out to be four Latino males doing a film project, according to state EMA records.
In Warren County, Lebanon police, two county pick-up trucks and a bomb-sniffing dog helped guard the Administration Building on Election Day.
Board of elections officials compiled a list of people approved for after-hours access to the Administration Building. The list didn't include reporters or other approved ballot-counting observers.
Among those locked out were an Enquirer reporter, a TV reporter, and a stringer from the Associated Press. The AP had stringers at all 88 boards of elections, and only in Warren County were they not allowed in. James Lee, spokesman for then Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, told the Enquirer then that no other county had similar restrictions Election Night.
"We weren't trying to hide anything from them,'' said then-Warren County Board of Elections Director Susan Johnson, who now works at the Clinton County Board of Elections. "It had never ever been the practice (for the media) to be in the room with the counting anyway.''
The building's front doors were locked shortly after polls closed at 7:30 p.m.
Even Jeff Ruppert, Warren County counsel for the Kerry-Edwards campaign, was initially denied admission before presenting credentials. Ruppert told reporters he observed nothing inappropriate at the board of elections.
The Ohio Republican Party's election night rally in Columbus exploded in cheers at 12:41 a.m. Wednesday as Fox News Channel became the first to called Ohio for Bush. NBC later called the state as well.
But Kerry spokeswoman Mary Beth Cahill issued this statement at 1:30 a.m.: "The vote count in Ohio has not been completed. There are more than 250,000 remaining votes."
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FBI, OR NOT?
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Frank R. Young, director of the county's Department of Emergency Services, said in an interview last week that he recommended the lockdown.
He said it was inspired, in part, by a conversation he had with an FBI agent in October, while planning security for an unrelated public event. That conversation took place in the parking lot of the Hamilton Township Administration Building.
Young asked the FBI agent how seriously to take the threats. The agent - whom Young would not identify - told him: "We take it very seriously. There are factions in this country that want to go after - and see disruption of whatever it is - whether it's an election or whatever.''
Young said the conversation "was not necessarily what prompted the actionsŠ We just wanted to have some extra protection around the building, because you never know what kind of a nut is out there.''
But Warren County Sheriff Tom Ariss has a different recollection of decisions leading to the lockdown: "My understanding is the FBI was never contacted. They never talked to anybody."
The FBI looked into whether anyone had told Warren County authorities about a threat to the board of elections, FBI spokesman Michael Brooks said last week.
He said it was inspired, in part, by a conversation he had with an FBI agent in October, while planning security for an unrelated public event. That conversation took place in the parking lot of the Hamilton Township Administration Building.
Young asked the FBI agent how seriously to take the threats. The agent - whom Young would not identify - told him: "We take it very seriously. There are factions in this country that want to go after - and see disruption of whatever it is - whether it's an election or whatever.''
Young said the conversation "was not necessarily what prompted the actionsŠ We just wanted to have some extra protection around the building, because you never know what kind of a nut is out there.''
But Warren County Sheriff Tom Ariss has a different recollection of decisions leading to the lockdown: "My understanding is the FBI was never contacted. They never talked to anybody."
The FBI looked into whether anyone had told Warren County authorities about a threat to the board of elections, FBI spokesman Michael Brooks said last week.
"We concluded that there was no information given to Warren County of an imminent terrorist threat to that county or to Southern Ohio,'' Brooks said. "None of our agents did anything wrong (or) advised of any type of any terrorist threat or anything like that.''
THE PRESS RELEASE
In fact, Ariss advised South, the commission president, to leave out references to the FBI or Young in a press release South was preparing amidst the hubbub over the lockdown that month.
In a Nov. 15, 2004, e-mail to South, county Prosecutor Rachel Hutzel and others, Ariss wrote: "This is inviting the hornets out of the nest. I still like the press release that was made up on Friday.''
South complied, cutting more than half the detail from her draft press release including this line: "While there was never any specific terrorist threat or warning directed against the County Administration Building or any venue in Warren County, we were adequately convinced that if any attempts were going to be made to interfere with the election process, Warren County was one of three counties ranked at highest risk.''
In a Nov. 15, 2004, e-mail to South, county Prosecutor Rachel Hutzel and others, Ariss wrote: "This is inviting the hornets out of the nest. I still like the press release that was made up on Friday.''
South complied, cutting more than half the detail from her draft press release including this line: "While there was never any specific terrorist threat or warning directed against the County Administration Building or any venue in Warren County, we were adequately convinced that if any attempts were going to be made to interfere with the election process, Warren County was one of three counties ranked at highest risk.''
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Shifting the Boxes
by Rady Ananda on Wednesday, Mar 19, 2008 at 8:15:13 AM
The Simple Fact
by Charlie L on Wednesday, Mar 19, 2008 at 10:15:22 AM
To quote...
by waldopaper on Wednesday, Mar 19, 2008 at 1:55:23 PM
Re: "What really happened: lockdown in Warren County, OH.
by Munich on Wednesday, Mar 19, 2008 at 7:48:54 PM