Kerry cost 369 votes at one Ohio voting place

[jfern]

I posted this before, but I just found the reason for this madness:

Precinct Badnarik Bush Kerry Peroutka
CLEVELAND 4A 0 10 320 0
CLEVELAND 4B 0 21 289 1
CLEVELAND 4C 0 12 313 0
CLEVELAND 4D 1 24 518 0
CLEVELAND 4E 0 14 356 4
CLEVELAND 4F 0 20 299 215
CLEVELAND 4G 3 58 261 3
CLEVELAND 4H 2 12 478 3
CLEVELAND 4I 0 7 494 0
CLEVELAND 4J 0 20 436 1
CLEVELAND 4K 0 10 413 1
CLEVELAND 4L 0 15 338 0
CLEVELAND 4M 1 17 478 2
CLEVELAND 4N 164 12 334 10
CLEVELAND 4O 0 13 439 6
CLEVELAND 4F 0 20 299 215
CLEVELAND 4G 3 58 261 3
CLEVELAND 4H 2 12 478 3
CLEVELAND 4I 0 7 494 0
CLEVELAND 4J 0 20 436 1
CLEVELAND 4K 0 10 413 1
CLEVELAND 4L 0 15 338 0
CLEVELAND 4M 1 17 478 2
CLEVELAND 4N 164 12 334 10
CLEVELAND 4O 0 13 439 6

Here's the link:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/12/2/44647/2043

[Leilani]

1. I'm not following...

Why did so many votes go 3rd party?

[Chili]

2. I don't believe they did...

I know exactly where that polling place is - both of those precincts were located in Benedictine HS in Cleveland: 2900 MLK Jr Dr, near 116th and Buckeye... if that's not a 100% African-American neighborhood, it's pretty close (I went to elem. school on 116th, and it was close to that way back then). In other words, unless Badnarik and Cobb both campaigned in that neighborhood, or they swayed some voters on their website, those votes aren't very likely (not to take anything away from Cobb/Badnarik, I admire them greatly for taking up the recounts).

PS: I went here to look those precincts up, and the report called in to the EIR hotline had 2 punchcard machines down at that location by 8:10 am already.

http://shadowbox.i8.com/Suppression/ohio/ohiomachines.htm

[leftchick]

3. the titile should be Kerry LOST the votes in the precinct....

if what you are saying is true! :grr:

[jfern]

4. Read the link

2 polling places in one place. People had the wrong version of the ballot, which had the candidates in a different order. Kerry lost 379 votes, and Bush lost 10 votes, all in one precinct.

[Chili]

5. it's late...

...er, early, LOL. I didn't see this paragraph:

"It looks like a lot of voters voted using the other precinct's order. 215 Kerry votes lost in 4F, 164 Kerry votes lost in 4N, and 10 Bush votes lost in 4N. That's a net loss of 369 votes for Kerry, all at one polling place."

Eyes rolled right over that...

In fact, I think it's time to go to bed, LOL.

[jfern]

6. And 115 votes in another polling place

Kick - updated

[Carolab]

7. Why is this sequence repeated?

CLEVELAND 4F 0 20 299 215
CLEVELAND 4G 3 58 261 3
CLEVELAND 4H 2 12 478 3
CLEVELAND 4I 0 7 494 0
CLEVELAND 4J 0 20 436 1
CLEVELAND 4K 0 10 413 1
CLEVELAND 4L 0 15 338 0
CLEVELAND 4M 1 17 478 2
CLEVELAND 4N 164 12 334 10
CLEVELAND 4O 0 13 439 6

[jfern]

8. Oh

I guess I accidentily pasted part of it twice. It's too late to edit now.

[geo]

9. did this get reported to all the usuals?

:) -G

[jfern]

11. I don't know

Who are they?

[NewYorkerfromMass]

10. The belief here is that instructions were mixed up

causing people to punch the wrong hole in their ballot. It is not unlike the Palm Beach butterfly ballot.
If true, we got screwed again and can't do much about this.
I say this because there is no way to prove definitively what happened here. This very good detective work results in what is obviously the most likely explanation, but like the Pat Buchanan votes, they simply cannot be taken back.

My problem here is that rotation of the candidates names ended up being a problem. I think it is a questionable practice if this is what can happen. Chalk another several thousand lost votes up to incompetent election management.

[Stand and Fight]

12. kick