These sorts of discrepancies are precisely what cause voters to lose faith that their votes matter, and end up depressing turnout on Election Day. A vigorous investigation by the governor or attorney general is needed to demand accountability. The board of elections is currently operated as a relic, serving the interests of party leaders.

New York Observer editorial, Feb. 19, 2008

A Pattern of Contempt for Voters

When the national exit poll run by major media organizations contrives a 66% increase in big city turnout as the only way to prop up a much-questioned Bush victory, it looks like something was very wrong with the outcome of that election.

When a computer, a touch screen voting machine, makes the same error 14,000 times in one direction to the detriment of only one candidate, as happened in Florida's 13th congressional district in 2006, it looks like the machines were programmed that way.

When 80 election districts in a heavily Democratic urban center produce no votes for a popular, high-visibility candidate, it looks like election fraud. But we mere citizens are not allowed hear a discussion of that issue nor do we get a serious investigation.

The Democratic-controlled 110th Congress fumbled, and then shut down the investigation into the obvious problems and a likely stolen election in Florida's 13th congressional district. We now have more of the same in New York City, with the suspects clearing themselves absent outside interference. The implication that this is just the tip of the iceberg is a speculation that the inside crowd will never utter.

We pretend to vote, they pretend to get elected, and the last thing you get to do in this democracy is demand that those in office provide reasonable proof that they were elected in the first place. The answer to that question would be telling.

END

Note: Many thanks to Web researcher anaxarchos for his unpublished exit poll analysis, which is the basis of the exit poll commentary. Thanks also to Jill Hayroot for her editorial assistance.

For more information on manipulation in the 2004 Election see:

Election 2004: The Urban Legend
Notes from the Underground: Why the 2004 Election Matters More than Ever

This article may be reproduced in whole or part with attribution of authorship and a link to this article in "Scoop" Independent News.

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