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October 21, 2007 at 11:52:20

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Destruction of Evidence - Ohio's 2004 Presidential Ballots

by Michael Collins     Page 1 of 6 page(s)

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Letter from an Ohio Board of Elections (Holmes County) on missing 2004 ballots.

“Letters from the Edge” - Part 1

By Michael Collins
“Scoop” Independent News
Washington, D.C.

Overall this blatant destruction of evidence only reinforces the widespread belief that the 2004 election was stolen.

Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman,
Free Press
August 2, 2007

The 2004 presidential election was mired in controversy all over the country. Candidate Kerry’s legion of volunteer lawyers was ready to fight anticipated election fraud. Serious challenges were defused when Kerry conceded the election in the early morning of November 3, 2004. Failing to recognize that candidates cannot concede the votes of citizens, the news media and political parties called it a night.

Ohio was ground zero for charges of election fraud. These are ably detailed in several articles and won’t be repeated here. One post election event is worth mentioning. The March 13, 2007 Toledo Blade ran this headline at the end of a major trial in Cleveland:

2 election workers get 18 months for rigging presidential recount.

The crime took place in the largest voting district in Ohio, Cuyahoga County, which includes Cleveland. Election workers created the recount that wasn’t thus denying the public of vital information about charges of election fraud.

The tale of the lost ballots and destroyed evidence begins with a law suit brought by citizens against Ohio officials: King Lincoln Bronzeville Neighborhood Association (KLBNA) v. Blackwell. The suit charges Blackwell and other Ohio officials with: “election fraud, vote dilution, vote suppression, recount fraud and other violations.”

Specific charges include: “withholding unused (unvoted) ballots” in response to legitimate requests to review these ballots; violation of Ohio law by “breaks in the bipartisan chain of custody;” and “tampering with ballots” by marking Bush’s name on ballots with no presidential vote and switching ballots from Kerry to a third party candidate. Amended Complaint October 9, 2006

In order to prove their case, plaintiff’s counsel, noted voting rights attorney Cliff Arnebeck, needed all of the ballots from the 2004 election. Federal law stipulates a 22 month retention period for all federal elections, as does Ohio law for state elections. The presiding judge in the case, Algenon L. Marbley, issued a court order on September 6, 2006 extending the retention requirements for an additional 12 months. Blackwell was instructed to distribute the order to Ohio’s boards of elections.

The Judge then ordered that the ballots be turned over to the new Secretary of State, Democrat Jennifer Brunner on April 7, 2007. Brunner sent a request out for the ballot evidence two days later

When the Ohio Secretary of State sent requests for delivery of the ballots, 56 of Ohio’s 88 counties replied that they no longer had some or all of the ballots requested. Only 41 bothered to provide an explanatory letter as to the missing ballots. Fifteen counties offered no reason at all for noncompliance. Counties failing to return complete sets of ballots accounted for a majority of Ohio’s 2004 presidential votes.

Federal and State Law on Preserving Ballots

In the section on “Federal Election Records,” federal law (United States Code) clearly states the rule:

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Michael Collins is a writer in the DC area who researches and comments on the corruptions of the new millennium. His articles focus on the financial manipulations of The Money Party, the abuse of power by government, and features on elections and (more...)
 

The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.

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7 comments


Of the utmost importance.

Thank you, Michael. I've been sending the link to this story to everyone I can.

There is no accountability. Where there is no accountability, there is only tyranny.

If we ever had a system of laws in the U.S., it is long gone, replaced with partisan judges, crony prosecutors, and corrupt officials and legislatures. 

The biggest hypocricy of all is the political parties pretending that they want our votes, and then not bothering to ensure that our votes are counted. When they ask us for money, they make sure that it is counted, so we know that they really want our money. Why are we still voting for them when they obviously don't care about counting our votes? 

by Mark E. Smith (21 articles, 30 quicklinks, 100 diaries, 1325 comments) on Sunday, Oct 21, 2007 at 1:56:49 PM

Recommend  (0+)

Reply: That's the big question. You are 100% on target.

We've got two Democrats who are now in power because people voted for them on the basis of going after election fraud in 2004.  Then when those people who heard the promises just try to set up a meeting to deliver the evidence, they're shut down by the Democrat Attorney General and Democrat Secretary of State. Both say, nothing to investigate here.

Then when 56 counties destroy or lose evidence, a couple of crimes anyway, the A.G. and SoS say, very quickly, no crime here move along., What hypocrites!

But you've been saying that for a good while. Their lies are now totally exposed. Was there a strong party reaction to the two high level Democrats disrespecting citizens who tell the truth, a truth tht is very well documented? No. Will there be? Not likely in this life time.

by Michael Collins (130 articles, 20 quicklinks, 7 diaries, 485 comments [42 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Monday, Oct 22, 2007 at 12:16:50 AM

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Welcome to the New World Order

The rigged elections of Flordia in 2000, and in Ohio in 2004 was just the beginning of the end for the U.S. The destruction of evidence was just to  assure no-recounts  for this administration to carry out its agenda of:

Endless war against an enemy that has a comodity that drives world markets, and to make sure at no costs that this will be disrupted.

To weaken the dollar until it collapses, thereby introducing a new currency "The Amero" with the intergration of: Canada, Mexico and the U.S.  as a federated economic zone.

So, Asian containers can bypass the union paid "Longshoreman" at the west coast ports and be transported by the "Trans Supper Corridor" to the port in Kansas City now under construction.

Say good-bye to what's left of the middle class.

 

 

 

by Stanimal (2 articles, 228 quicklinks, 38 diaries, 1259 comments [235 recommended, 2 rejected]) on Monday, Oct 22, 2007 at 12:17:22 AM

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If voting could change things ...

they's make it illegal.

by Mr M (8 articles, 0 quicklinks, 66 diaries, 2845 comments [654 recommended, 27 rejected]) on Monday, Oct 22, 2007 at 12:22:32 AM

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Reply: Or make it impossible...

...which they essentially did.

by Charlie L (2 articles, 4 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 747 comments [2 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Monday, Oct 22, 2007 at 12:46:57 AM

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Reply: Com n sense


If voting could not make a difference, the Republicans wouldn’t be working so damned hard to subvert the vote process.

Obviously, they are terrified of the population voting against them. Everything they do is an attempt to suppress the vote.

They couldn’t pull it off in 2006, and they will have an even harder time in 2008. But they will try very hard, because it is their only hope.

by John R Moffett (89 articles, 18 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 697 comments [14 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Monday, Oct 22, 2007 at 10:13:26 AM

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The intriguing but unstated issue here

is that Nancy Pelosi knows where the ballots are.

But looking for them 'is off the table.' 

by Jim Freeman (108 articles, 53 quicklinks, 227 diaries, 386 comments) on Monday, Oct 22, 2007 at 12:20:25 PM

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