Citizens Testify on Voter Suppression as Ohio Election Recount Proceeds

Interview with Bob Fritakis, attorney and activist, conducted by Scott Harris

Since John Kerry's concession speech following the Nov. 2nd presidential election, the Internet has been abuzz with accounts of all manner of voting irregularities. Reports coming in from around the country relate incidents of voting machine malfunctions; secret vote counts; and charges of outright fraud. Several confirmed news stories of over-counts of Bush ballots and undercounts of Kerry votes have mingled with charges of deliberate attempts to change the outcome of voting totals in the key battleground states of Ohio and Florida.

Several statisticians have alleged that anomalies of voting totals in some Florida counties, skewing toward Bush, correlate with the use of a specific type of optical scanner. Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader is pursing a re-count of New Hampshire ballots, while the Green and Libertarian Parties have raised enough money to set in motion an official recount of the votes in Ohio.

Many progressive activists in Ohio are convinced that a deliberate shortage of voting machines in minority precincts, causing long lines, combined with a GOP campaign of suppression, intimidation and legal challenges against Democratic voters has resulted in another stolen election. To that end, public hearings, sponsored by the Election Protection Coalition, were held in the city of Columbus on Nov. 13 and 15, where hundreds of citizens offered sworn testimony about their experiences on Election Day that many feel undermine democracy. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Bob Fitrakis, a professor of political science and attorney, who helped moderate the Ohio hearings. He relates the stories told by angry voters and explains why he believes the results of the 2004 election are tainted.

For more information visit these websites: www.freepress.org and www.votersunite.org

Related links:


Black Box Voting www.blackboxvoting.org

www.ustogether.org

votecobb.org

www.commoncause.org

www.thealliancefordemocracy.org

www.helpamericarecount.org

"Vote Recount to Settle Doubts?" By Kim Zetter, Wired News, Nov. 17, 2004

"Worse Than 2000: Tuesday's Electoral Disaster," by William Rivers Pitt, www.truthout.org, Nov. 8, 2004

Voting irregularities and possible fraud, principally in Ohio and Florida, MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Nov. 8, 2004.

Discusses the Warren County, Ohio lockdown by Homeland Security, which prevented media from observing the last of the Ohio precincts to count the votes on Election Day. See the video: Click here!

"Kerry Won," by Greg Palast, TomPaine.com, Nov. 4, 2004

"How They Could Steal The Election This Time," by Ronnie Dugger, The Nation, July 29, 2004

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