WRITE-IN VOTES WOULD TIP SAN DIEGO RACE

[Liberty Belle]

Donna Frye would win the mayoral race bu 4,180 votes if all votes are counted, an examination of disputed write-in ballots reveals. What's next? Most likely, more court battles:


Write-In Votes Would Tip San Diego Race

Tue Dec 14, 6:23 PM ET Politics - AP


SAN DIEGO - A review Tuesday of ballots cast in the San Diego mayor's race showed that a city councilwoman would beat the incumbent mayor if disputed write-in votes were added to the official tally, a newspaper reported.


The review, being conducted by representatives of the mayoral candidates and several media outlets, found 4,180 ballots on which voters wrote Democratic Councilwoman Donna Frye's name but failed to darken a bubble next to the write-in line as required by state law, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported on its Web site...

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?
tmpl=story&cid=536&e=7&u=/ap/20041214/ap_on_el_st_lo/san_diego_mayor

NOTE: The San Diego Union-Tribune announced its intent to have these ballots counted shortly after a protest against stolen elections was held in front of the newspaper's offices. Thanks for the DUers who participated--our voices may have made a difference for Donna Frye!

[bobweaver]

1. Now the incumbent mayor Dick Murphy is calling those "illegal votes"

But he won't explain how if someone goes to vote, writes in Donna's name, but doesn't fill in the bubble, how is that an "illegal" vote. What law did the voter break to make it "illegal"?

[Liberty Belle]

2. There's a conflict between state law and local election codes.

One allows votes cast in this fashion to be counted, the other specifically excludes them. California's high court generally defers to voter intent, which is obvious with these ballots. If Donna goes to court, she should win.

FYI, I received an interesting note tonight from Karin Winner, editor of the San Diego Union-Tribune, in response to a letter I'd sent her objecting to the newspaper's lack of serious coverage of the presidential election fraud issues:

Thank you for your note, Miriam. I believe we have run more than one story on the presidential recount in Ohio. Perhaps you have missed a few. I would be happy to have someone send them to you if you like. In any event, we will endeavor to be more diligent in the days ahead. I am a firm believer in the public's right to know. That's the major motivation behind our current involvement in seeing to it that all the ballots in the mayor's race are counted.

Regards,

Karin Winner

[knight_of_the_star]

3. I'm impressed with the Union Trib

They're a fairly conservative paper, I guess conservative doesn't always mean Repug. That's a relief here at least.

[Liberty Belle]

4. They paid to put elephants in the sky...

For the fireworks show at the GOP convention here in 2000.
They are Republican through and through, but I do see a glimmer of hope. Even Republican papers engaged in the feeding frenzy during Watergate once Nixon's crimes came to light.

I e-mailed back to Karin with links to clips of the voting fraud hearing featuring the programmer's confession, along with a link to tomorrow's NYT article quoting Conyers saying he believes fraud occurred in Ohio.

No newspaper, however conservative, wants to be the only one not to cover a major breaking story. If enough other big newspapers get on board, they'll have to provide some coverage, even if it's slanted.

[bobweaver]

6. Just for the record, the GOP convention in San Diego was in 1996...

... I saw that fireworks show in person, and not because I have anything to do with the GOP, because I'm in the fireworks business and that was the largest fireworks show ever fired in San Diego, up to that time. They hired the Gruccis from New York to do the show, which is highly unusual, the Gruccis rarely if ever come to California. The Union-Tribune paid for that fireworks show, and although they never revealed how much they paid, I heard various rumors around town putting the price at a low of $100,000 and a high of $350,000. This illustrates the very cozy relationship between the U-T and the GOP.

The U-T has always had a very strong Republican bias, in my opinion, but Republicans would probably try to call it centrist. The U-T was very, very personally close to Nixon and have always had close ties to the GOP.

Editor Karin Winner has such strong job security there that she can pretty much do anything and not get fired. The paper is willing to print just about anything and any letter, even letters criticizing Bush, with one provision - that the candidate they want to win, wins. However, they recently killed one column by liberal columnist James Goldsborough recently and he resigned in protest. The story on that is at:

http://199.249.170.220/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000729669

[Liberty Belle]

7. You're right, it was '96. As for Goldsborough...

I'm aware of that and complained about his situation in my original letter to the editor. Winner responded by saying that he left voluntarily because they chose not to run one column, etc.

Thanks for the history lesson on just how much the fireworks display for the GOP convention here cost. Out of curiousity, why are you convinced that Winner's job security is so strong that she could publish anything and get away with it? David Copley is quite an obnoxious Republican toadie. IS there something that I'm missing?

[bobweaver]

9. No, I don't know, really. I guess anyone there is dispensible.

[toymachines]

5. i live in dick murphy's neighborhood

the guy has done nothing good for us, and he is a dick. would i be breaking some law if i just went out with some sign in front of his house or something like that? anyways, i hope donna gets in. sd is turning blue :D

[Liberty Belle]

8. Murphy goes to our church.

Thank goodness I haven't been to services lately, because I'm not sure I could look him in the eye without reminding him of the "Thou shalt not steal" provision in the Bible.