Question of voter fraud raised after untraceable ballots change outcome of Senate election

[jpak]

Source: Bangor Daily News

AUGUSTA, Maine — The specter of election fraud has been raised after last week’s Maine Senate District 25 ballot recount changed the outcome of the race.

Unanswered questions remain about 21 ballots from the town of Long Island that can’t seem to be attributed to any voter. The ballots were discovered on Nov. 18, the night of the recount, and all of them contained a vote for Republican Cathleen Manchester of Gray, who had requested the recount.

On Election Day, Falmouth Democrat Catherine Breen appeared to have won the tight race by 32 votes. After the recount — the outcome of which is contested by Breen and the Maine Democratic Party — Manchester was declared the victor with an 11-vote margin.

During an election, wardens at each polling place keep track of which registered voters have cast ballots. This ensures that no one gets to vote twice. The incoming voter list, or “voter manifest,” in Long Island indicated that 171 residents cast ballots either in person or absentee in this year’s election.

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Read more: http://bangordailynews.com/2014/11/25/politics/elections/questions-unanswered-after-untraceable-mystery-ballots-change-outcome-of-senate-election/

[canuckledragger]

1. For all the repub whining about voter fraud...

It always seems to be republicans that get caught doing it!

[Agnosticsherbet]

2. Republicans, out to prove there is voter fraud, by committing it themselves.

[maxrandb]

19. In the same way that they

fuck up governing to demonstrate that the "gubmint" is fucked up.

[C Moon]

3. Shocking! :/

That's the only way they can win.

[Android3.14]

4. Their concern over voter fraud has always been a case of projection

They do it, and they want to make sure nobody else is screwing the democracy.

[AndyTiedye]

5. Just What the Republcian Needed to "Win"

Singo said Tuesday that she did not know how there could be more ballots than voters

That's easy. Someone put another 21 votes for Manchester into the ballot box before the recount. By then they knew how many votes would be needed to flip the election.

[colsohlibgal]

6. No Question To Me

Again, these are zealots who truly believe cheating is justified, that the ends justify any of their nefarious means.

I know Bush lost the 2000 election and highly suspect he didn't really win in 2004 either. I think the same thing that happened to Kerry in 2004 happened when Max Cleland was not reelected

It's laughable to anyone with a clue that these slime balls whine about voter fraud.

[bvar22]

7. This is NOT "Voter Fraud", a term preferred by Republicans.

This is "Election Fraud", a whole different animal.
The first line of the story gets it right:

"The specter of election fraud has been raised..."

There is a HUGE difference between "Voter Fraud" and "Election Fraud".

[valerief]

10. ^^^THIS^^^

[Veilex]

11. Spot on.

[Cosmocat]

14. I would just point out

that if this incident is what it appears, there were more illegitimate votes in this one instance than "voter fraud" cases in the entire state of Pennsylvania in my life, which somehow was justification for a voter ID bill (that while it has been fully over turned at this point, chased a good number of people away ...)

[frylock]

16. thank you

[Odin2005]

18. I noticed that too.

[Thor_MN]

20. Voter Fraud creates one vote. Election Fraud generates as many as needed.

[turbinetree]

8. Indictment

There had better be an investigation in this matter by a independent agency, how about the U.S. Attorneys office and the FBI, to secure the ballots now. Under arm guard now.
And whoever did this fraud needs to go to jail, there are only so many registered voters and everyone that voted had there ballot assigned a number either by mail-in or by voting in person end of story Sounds like we have another Ann Coulter voter fraud debacle shaping up

[librechik]

21. good luck with that

election fraud is usually investigated and adjudicated by the same assholes who perpetrated it.

[valerief]

9. What are they supposed to trust--the actual number of voters or the ballot count that

gives the seat to the Republican?

We know the answer to that.

[Vincardog]

12. Please note "The specter of election fraud"

[Enthusiast]

13. They have to cheat to win and maybe they still don't win even though they cheated.

It's Republican dishonesty and corruption from sea to shining sea.

[Half-Century Man]

15. They have to cheat to win, and insist on cheating incompetently.

It is like they are daring us to do something about it.

[TxVietVet]

17. Just like Waukesha County, Wisconsin.

Maybe the conservanazis have a play book out there teaching other reichwing nuts on how to cheat on elections.

[hughee99]

22. I don't understand this part...

"Unanswered questions remain about 21 ballots from the town of Long Island that can’t seem to be attributed to any voter. The ballots were discovered on Nov. 18, the night of the recount, and all of them contained a vote for Republican Cathleen Manchester of Gray, who had requested the recount. "

If they opened up the ballot box and found they had 21 more ballots than they should, how can they tell WHICH ballots are the "extra" ones and which are the ones that were actually cast?

[24601]

23. So the immediate solution solving this election problem shouldn't be too difficult. Election

officials have a list of 171 voters. Double check to ensure all are authorized to vote and have those 171 people re-vote.

If you didn't vote before, you don't participate in the re-vote. Could have a result in short order.