Recount 2004

[cmd]

Just back from the courthouse.
The process:
* Two deputies carried the ballots in sealed boxed into the computer room.
* The BOE did a test run of the machines.
* Two precincts that made up about 3% of the vote were selected for a hand recount.
*Six teams of counters and observers were given ballots from the two precincts. Three teams counted one precinct. Three teams counted the other. My team was made up of a Republican counter; a Democratic counter; and observers from the Republican, Democratic and Green parties. I was a Democratic observer.
*The observers sat opposite the counters. The counters each took half of the pile of cards assigned them. They first sorted the ballots by holding each ballot up and looking for the punched holes on the left side of the ballot. They were only recounting the presidential vote; and were only concerned with the numbers 4,6, 8 and 10. Provisional ballots from the precinct were included in the count. Absentee ballots were counted separately.
* During this time I watched to see that there were no over or under votes and that the ballots were put into the correct pile. I did not see a single hanging chad. There were over votes and undervotes (no vote at all).
* After sorting the ballots, the counter stacked them neatly and held them up to the light. You could see through the hole when the ballots were sorted correctly.
*The counter then began counting the ballots and recording the outcome.
*The counters then switched piles and repeated the procedure with the other half of the stack.
*The report for each team was given to the director of the BOE. He and the elections board totaled the results. The ballots were run through the computer.
*One precinct came out with the same numbers as the computer. The second precinct was incorrect and was counted two more times by the other three teams. The results were off by one vote each time.
*At this time, the recount was suspended for the evening. We will meet again later in the week to count that precinct again. If the results are still off, it may mean a hand recount for the entire county.
I do not know which candidate benefited from the one vote. The candidates were rotated on the ballots for each precinct. We were not told the position of the candidates on the ballot. I considered the recount very fair and very impartial. It's a difficult process, but important in making sure every vote is counted correctly.
If you have any questions, please ask. I'll try to answer. cmd

[whalerider55]

1. thanks

having been involved in arecount on the local level once myself, i appreciate what you are doing.

fwiw, i caught three votes in my recount that allowed a very wonderful progressive city counselor to take a seat that the first count had shown she had lost. there's a chance she may be the next mayor here.

whalerider55

[AllyCat]

2. Thanks for your report and

for being there. Must be an interesting process.

[pleiku52cab]

3. Couple questions

Who selected the 2 precincts? Any info you can give in what counties, or cities, and who won the original presidential majority of votes.

[cmd]

5. The Board of Elections selected the precincts.

They were two very rural precincts in my rural county. One precinct voted 442 - 363 in favor of Kerry. The other voted 341 -185 in favor of Bush.

[The Doctor.]

4. No surprise that things are set up carefully.

Sounds like it would be in the best interest of many that a county wide handcount is triggered.

Were the totals from the machines the same totals from Nov. 2nd?

[cmd]

7. I'm sure they were different from Nov. 2

The provisionals had not been added in at that time. I don't know if the were different from the certified vote, but assume that the one precinct was.

[pleiku52cab]

6. And if I remember correctly

Isn't that 'repairman' in Green Co. being accused of attempting to set the tally in the machine to correspond to the actual vote - as in CYA about any machine tampering that went on during or before the election?

[cmd]

8. I don't know anything about Green Co.

Do you have a link?

[keithjx]

9. Hey cmd

You ROCK!!! Thanks for this report. I am envious that you are part of this process and wish I could be there too. Thank you and those you witnessed for protecting our democracy.

:toast:

Keithjx

[cmd]

10. Wish you were here, too

In fact, if we have a full recount, I want the entire Underground here! Cheers!:toast:

[MsConduct]

11. Thanks for all the hard work. If I was there, I'd help you. n/t

[trudyco]

12. You needed to know which position was for Kerry and which

for Bush, don't you? Then you need to verify that the positions are the same for that precinct as somebody who was there on election day found it. Otherwise, if the hand and automatic recount show perfect correlation you can say "oh no fraud here" when in fact they just frauded you right under your nose.

They can say that position 8 was for Bush and it tallies with the "official" count but in fact on election day they told everybody in that precinct that position 6 was for Bush. So they just flipped the Kerry and Bush votes by saying Bush was in Kerry's position and vice versa. You need to know which position is supposed to be Bush and Kerry in the recount and then verify with people who were in that precinct on election day.

I mean, why wouldn't they tell you which position was which candidate? Maybe so you can't verify?

trudyco

[cmd]

13. The head of our group knew the positions

I really think it was better not knowing. I was able to look at the ballot without prejudice. The count was what was important. I don't want any voters to be disenfranchised - even if they voted for the man I detest.

[trudyco]

14. who was the head of the group? Dem, Repub or Glib?

DId they also know what the position was supposed to be on election day?

trudyco

[cmd]

15. I was on the Democratic team

Our leader had all the info on the positions. The positions were the same on election day. The Republicans and Greens ( who were represented by Democrats in our county) also had access to the rotations for each precinct. The BOE director is a Democrat. The Democratic counter on my team was a Kerry delegate. We were very well represented.