Voter's Digest

G.O.P. Bid to Contest Registrations in Ohio Is Blocked (site registration required)
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 27 — A federal judge on Wednesday blocked six boards of elections in Ohio from proceeding with hearings into Republican-initiated efforts to knock tens of thousands of registered voters off the voting rolls.
—James Dao The New York Times, October 28, 2004

Voter Challenges Halted
A federal judge yesterday issued a temporary order preventing elections boards in Franklin and five other counties from hearing challenges that the Ohio GOP had filed against thousands of newly registered voters.
—Mark Niquette The Columbus Dispatch, October 28, 2004

In Fierce Contest for Ohio Vote, Secretary of State Feels Scrutiny (site registration required)
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 26 — J. Kenneth Blackwell, Ohio's secretary of state, likes to tell a story about the elderly woman who approached him at a church function the other day: "She said, 'I'm saying two prayers for you,' " recalled Blackwell, with a deep, rolling laugh. " 'The first is that you do the right thing. The other is, for your sake, I'm praying that this election is a blowout.' "
—Paul Farhi The Washington Post, October 27, 2004

Twelve Ways Bush Is Now Stealing the Ohio Vote
The Republican "November Surprise" to steal the 2004 election is in full force here in Ohio. With polls showing a dead heat, the GOP is staging an all-out attack on a fair vote count in the Buckeye State.
—Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman The Free Press, as reported on commondreams.org, October 27, 2004

Iowa Provisional Ballot Lawsuit Declined (site registration required)
DES MOINES, Iowa — A judge declined to rule Wednesday in a lawsuit filed by Republican voters challenging a decision that allows Iowans to cast provisional ballots outside of their home precincts. He said the challenge was premature.
—Associated Press, as reported in The Washington Post, October 27, 2004

Pa. Soldiers File Ballot Action (site registration required)
The two seek a federal court order extending the deadline for overseas tallies to be received, counted.
HARRISBURG — Two soldiers from Pennsylvania serving abroad filed a motion in federal court yesterday to force the state to accept overseas absentee ballots received after Tuesday's election.
—Mario F. Cattabiani & Stephan Salisbury The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 28, 2004

In Chester County, It's Chad's Last Stand (site registration required)
11 others also use the punch-card ballots, which Pa. will retire after this year.
With chad boxes empty, ballot books printed, and styluses set, Chester County is about to launch its final presidential election using the now-notorious punch-card ballot. Officials say they're ready. . . . This year, with Pennsylvania a swing state in a tight presidential race, the punch-card ballot systems of Chester and the other 10 counties that use them—the same method that caused an uproar in Florida four years ago—could be scrutinized as never before.
—Nancy Peterson The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 28, 2004

Maine's Election Day Registration Rare in U.S.
As Election Day approaches, registered voters might be feeling like the most popular kid in school. Pollsters are dying to know their opinion, and campaigns are calling, filling the mailbox or knocking on the door.
—Chris Churchill The Morning Sentinel, October 28, 2004

Election Suits Are Filed Early and Often (site registration required)
Each party seeks a legal edge in close states as provisional ballots, new voters become issues.
In the presidential election of 2000, lawyers did not become central players until after the polls were closed. This time, they are not.
—Henry Weinstein The Los Angeles Times, October 28, 2004

Expect Bush v. Kerry, the Chadless Sequel (site registration required)
In trying to fix problems that arose in the 2000 presidential election, Congress may have created an impediment to a quick resolution in 2004 and set the stage for major election lawsuits. The Help America Vote Act of 2002 allows voters whose names cannot be found on local rolls to cast provisional ballots, with election officials making a decision later about whether the vote should count. Election lawyers now say that those ballots could determine the outcome in a handful of states where the presidential race is expected to be extremely close.
—Adam Liptak The New York Times, October 27, 2004

Some Fear Ohio Will Be Florida of 2004 (site registration required)
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 25 — Democrats and Republicans here traded accusations of voter fraud, obstruction and intimidation Monday as officials grappled with what is becoming a confused—and potentially chaotic—presidential election in this critical battleground state.
—Paul Farhi & Jo Becker The Washington Post, October 26, 2004

Elections Boards Face Suit
GOP may seek court action if challenges of new voters continue to be rejected
The Ohio Republican Party is threatening to sue county elections boards that reject GOP voter challenges because they were not properly filed, even as Democrats are saying all the challenges should be dismissed.
—Mark Niquette The Columbus Dispatch, October 26, 2004

Five in Iowa Sue Over Ballots
Suit seeks to prevent votes from counting
Iowa's election laws were thrown into the court system Monday when five Des Moines–area Republicans sued election officials in an effort to prevent ballots from being accepted from voters who go to the wrong precinct. With the lawsuit, Republicans are challenging the opinion of Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, a Democrat who said Friday that Iowans who vote in the correct county but wrong precinct should have their votes for president and Congress counted.
—Lynn Campbell The Des Moines Register, October 26, 2004