Taxpayers foot the bill for Rossi's election challenge

Associated Press via OregonLive.com ^ | 30 January 2005 | REBECCA COOK

[expatpat]

Hey, AP, how much did the hand count, that the 'Rats insisted on, cost?

[Congressman Billybob]

What a dishonest reporter! The taxpayers were already left holding the bag for the $1.5 million cost of the recount that Gregoire demanded, after Rossi won the count and the recount.

The Democrats put up $750,000 for that recount. They were supposed to put up the whole cost, but they didn't. Still, the deposit got returned to the Democrats because Gregoire "won" the third count.

Gee, why would an impartial AP reporter miss such an obvious point? Who'd a thunk it?

Congressman Billybob [TWO different columns this week]

Click for latest, "Homer, Shakespeare, Pope, and George Bush"

Click for latest, "Dusty Rhodes, a Death in the Family"

[MizSterious]

LOL!

[Liberty Wins]

Maybe when they do a revote, Washington state can buy some bottles of purple ink . . .

[Bommer]

The Taxpayers wouldn't have to fund jack sh!t if the state honored Rossi's first 2 VICTORYS and listened to the will of the people! I think that the DNC should foot the entire bill as a punishment for voter fraud and theft of an election!

[CyberAnt]

Excuse me .. didn't the taxpayers foot the bill for the recounts ..??

[hoosierham]

I am wondering if purple ink might not be a good thing for U.S. elections .

[Josef1235]

Right now, that money is being w/held by Secretary of State Sam Reed...

Frankly, the State Dems should be gracious and decline the money from the counties.

[Josef1235]

Because, frankly, it's the right thing to do.

Let me explain in plain English: Maybe we should strap a sensor to you as to your bile, then tell you that we found out where you ancestors are and then build on their graves...

Angry? Me too.

And BTW: The damn grave site should have been found before the full costs were incurred.

[Josef1235]

Okay, FYI: The Secretary of State's office is w/holding the money until the court challenge is ruled on by the State Supremes (probably not until mid-spring).

[Josef1235]

That sounds swell until: NO MORE VOTE-BY-MAIL...

[Josef1235]

Yes, they did. And the counties & other local tax districts are hurting.

[CyberAnt]

But .. if the people don't want to pay for it - then they need to change their state's election laws so they don't have to pay for it.

[AmericaUnited]

Right now, that money is being w/held by Secretary of State Sam Reed...

Wow! That is the first sensible thing that any Washington State elected official has done.

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!!!

[Josef1235]

And then who would pay?

Just imagine if this is 2006, it's a GOP v. Cantwell and we're in deep red Spokane County this time? But everything else is the same.

Food for thought.

[Josef1235]

Yeah, but he sucks royally. Go to http://recallreedblog.blogspot.com

[CyberAnt]

The real point is - WA state has got to make some kind of move to change their election laws. It can be done if you have a good organization to do it.

So .. the point isn't the location of the voting problems .. but what laws govern the voting problems.

However .. a reasonable dispute - such as if the margin of winning is 500 votes or less - then it becomes the state's obligation to pay for the machine recount. I believe the law already states that the hand recount is paid for by the party asking for the hand recount and the dems did that. Then that only leaves a rule change for who pays for a revote. If there was malfeasance in the original vote - then rules need to be made as to who is responsible for the revote - the party that was harmed - or the party which committed the malfeasance. That's going to be a tough decision.

[Josef1235]

Well, The Chronicle (of Chehalis, WA) said this: WHO PAYS? State law requires that the party, in this case the Democrats, that requests a hand recount must conditionally pay for it. The condition is that if the recount reverses the result — in this instance shows Gregoire won instead of Rossi, then the state must pay because theoretically it messed up in the first two counts. The result would be that we, the taxpayers, must reimburse the Democrats the $1 million or so it cost for the recount. We have a suggestion: Because a reversal that gives Gregoire the election will almost certainly be a result of King County election officials’ incompetence, make King County and its taxpayers reimburse the Democrats, not us taxpayers in the rest of the state. SOURCE I tend to agree. The incompetence however, is also in Pierce County, too. And others. Try to check out http://josef-a-k.blogspot.com/2005/01/total-mockery-part-02.html when you can.

[Josef1235]

Well, The Chronicle (of Chehalis, WA) said this:

WHO PAYS? State law requires that the party, in this case the Democrats, that requests a hand recount must conditionally pay for it. The condition is that if the recount reverses the result — in this instance shows Gregoire won instead of Rossi, then the state must pay because theoretically it messed up in the first two counts. The result would be that we, the taxpayers, must reimburse the Democrats the $1 million or so it cost for the recount. We have a suggestion: Because a reversal that gives Gregoire the election will almost certainly be a result of King County election officials’ incompetence, make King County and its taxpayers reimburse the Democrats, not us taxpayers in the rest of the state.

SOURCE

I tend to agree. The incompetence however, is also in Pierce County, too. And others. Try to check out http://josef-a-k.blogspot.com/2005/01/total-mockery-part-02.html when you can.