bradblog: BUSBY/BILBRAY ELECTION IN DOUBT

BUSBY/BILBRAY ELECTION IN DOUBT:

Uncounted Ballots Reported by Registrar is Decreased by 2000, but Number of Votes in Busby/Bilbray Race Increases by 8000!

by Brad

6/9/2006

I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation for this. There always is.

As ever, it underscores the need for verifiable elections, and begins to remind us that the folks who give a damn about this down there in San Diego County better damned well be keeping an eye on the chain of custody for those paper ballots and "paper trails" as they are being theoretically "counted" by the SD County Registrar of Voters.

According to this web page from the SD County's Registrar of Voters office, as of 5pm last night, the number of uncounted absentee and provisional ballots in the entire county of SD has decreased by 2,000 from the reported 68,500 that were announced as "still to be counted" on election night.

The number of votes in the now-questionable Busby/Bilbray U.S. House (CA-50) special election, however, has been increased by 8,000 votes.

snip/link

http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002934.htm

It got over 100 recommendations!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=203&topic_id=432435&mesg_id=432435

then look for unhandness. Repugs want to disallow those votes. But, absentee ballots. Polls have showed more Repugs vote absentee than Democrats. Unless, the Dems have really worked hard.

Repugs also like to disallow Overseas votes, unless military. Anyone tell us. Is there a way to see if your overseas absentee ballot was received and counted? Will not want to be surprised in a year- and find we are no longer registered voters.

Brian P. Bilbray 37,050 54.2

Francine Busby 46,585 89.8

U.S. Congress District 50
100.0% ( 500 of 500 ) precincts reporting as of Jun 9, 2006 at 11:57 pm

http://vote.ss.ca.gov/Returns/usrep/5000.htm

One a general election the other a primary. Confusingly so.

As to whether Busby won or lost, we don't know.

We are demanding a hand recount in the general election.

What Brad is saying here is that it appears 8,000 votes were added to the total of one of the elections without a sound basis for the addition.

What we hope for now is that our people on the ground there are keeping a close eye on the election numbers to detail how the vote totals are established.

Remember Florida 2000? Due to a machine error, 16,000 votes for Al Gore disappeared at a crucial moment leading to the call of a win for *. The votes re-appeared later, but the damage had already been done.

It is precisely these kind of things that need close attention paid to in SD.