September 02, 2006

Columbus Dispatch Reports: New lawsuit alleges ballot tampering in 2004 election

The Columbus Dispatch has reported that a new lawsuit has been commenced in Ohio alleging ballot tampering in the 2004 election:


New lawsuit alleges ballot tampering in 2004 election
Group says ballots in Democratic precincts were pre-punched, negating Kerry votes

Friday, September 01, 2006
Jim Siegel
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

"A coalition of critics of the 2004 election is insisting it has uncovered new evidence of ballot tampering in Ohio that caused a number of John Kerry’s votes to get tossed out.

"The group filed a federal civilrights lawsuit yesterday, asking U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley to declare that Ohioans’ voting rights were violated in 2004 and to appoint a special master to ensure fairness in the 2006 election.

"The lawsuit alleges that Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell and others conspired to deprive Ohioans of their right to vote. Prior election-related lawsuits by those affiliated with the coalition have been dismissed by various judges.
Complete Columbus Dispatch article

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The lawsuit, brought by a number of civic associations and individuals, is captioned "King Lincoln Bronzeville Neighborhood Association, et al, v. J. Kenneth Blackwell, et al", C2-06-743, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio, Eastern Division. It was filed on August 31st. It alleges that the defendants violated the constitutional and civil rights of the plaintiffs, by depriving Ohioans of their right to vote.

The complaint alleges various deliberate discriminatory acts by defendants in furtherance of this objective, among them:
-uneven distribution of voting machines;
-improper and inaccurate precinct boundaries;
-malfunctioning voting equipment;
-disproportionate assignment of, and disqualification of, provisional ballots;
-improper voter purges;
-use of provisional ballots to limit voting locations for minority voters; and
-use of faulty optical scan machines.

The complaint alleges that defendants created and implemented voting policies calculated to discriminate against African-American voters, voters from large urban areas, and students, and seeks a declaratory judgment and a permanent injuction.

Full copy of the Complaint

The plaintiffs are represented by Marshall and Morrow LLC and Arnebeck Law Office, both of Columbus, Ohio.

On August 23rd, the Arnebeck Law Office sent a letter to J. Kenneth Blackwell demanding that he refrain from disposing of any documents relating to the 2004 election:

August 23, 2006, Letter of Clifford O. Arnebeck, Jr.



-R.B.

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