Free Republic

Rochester Republican Dan Swecker’s boycott of an inauguration ceremony last week for Democrat Christine Gregoire and the inaugural ball that followed had nothing to do with any disrespect by Swecker for the office of governor. Making such an erroneous claim or suggestion about Swecker misses the point of his protest, with which a majority of his constituents likely concur. The 20th District state senator, who represents Lewis County and parts of Thurston County, believes as do many others that the election for governor was so deeply flawed the result was illegitimate. Calling for a delay in legislative ratification of a...

Feds threatened suit over military ballotsBy David Postman and Ralph ThomasSeattle Times staff reporters   OLYMPIA — Less than a month before the November election, the U.S. Department of Justice threatened to sue Washington state because it was moving too slowly in mailing military ballots overseas. At that point Washington was the only state that hadn't mailed its overseas ballots. Questions about military ballots have come up frequently since the Nov. 2 election ended with a deadlocked governor's race. Democrat Christine Gregoire was certified governor-elect Dec. 30 and is to be sworn in Wednesday. But Republican Dino Rossi has...

OK, I'll ask: Should we vote again? By DAVID HORSEY SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL CARTOONIST At a social gathering in early November, I was cornered by a key player in Christine Gregoire's gubernatorial campaign. He wanted me to know that one of my editorial cartoons had thrown the election to Gregoire's opponent, Dino Rossi. Being my friend, he made his accusation with good humor, but he was clearly serious and obviously disappointed in me. Meanwhile, I was getting heat at work from readers offended by cartoons they interpreted as unfair to Rossi. So it goes with my job. I make everyone...

Here is Gov.-elect Christine Gregoire's victory speech, as delivered Thursday in the state Reception Room of the Capitol: Well, an election night without end has concluded. The votes have been counted, the count has been certified and I am honored to stand before you as governor-elect of the great state of Washington. Today could not have happened without the wonderful people who are with me today - the "First Mike" of the state of Washington, my husband Mike, and our two wonderful daughters, Courtney and Michelle, and we're joined by Speaker Frank Chopp today as well. I want to start...

OLYMPIA - Dino Rossi has filed papers to run for governor in 2008, even as he continues to battle for the seat this year. Rossi registered as a candidate Dec. 13, submitting the required C1 form to the Public Disclosure Commission. "Right now, they’re telling us he’s a bonafide candidate," said Doug Ellis, spokesman for the Public Disclosure Commission. Rossi could not be reached this morning for comment on his decision to run. One benefit of becoming a candidate is that he can raise money to pay staff and lawyers used for the recounts and court fights that have taken...

While Democrat Christine Gregoire won the third — and presumably, final — tally in the governor's race by 130 votes, no one is sure yet whether the election really is over. And no one is sure about what happens next. Even Gregoire isn't quite claiming victory yet. Supporters of Republican Dino Rossi, who was leading after both the initial vote count and the first recount, are exploring their options for challenging the outcome of the just-concluded hand recount. There is a massive gulf separating the perceptions of Gregoire and Rossi. Gregoire says the state's election system showed itself to be...

Are numerous other counties counting previously rejected ballots? No. Case made by Secretary of State and Democrats is wrong Seattle, WA – Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed and Democratic leadership have proclaimed that King County is not alone in counting numerous ballots that were previously rejected by county canvassing boards. However the claims are untrue. In Chelan and Thurston counties, each reconsidered one previously rejected ballot. “Two counties, two ballots,” said Washington State Republican Party Chair Chris Vance. “That’s it.” While King County is revisiting hundreds upon hundreds of ballots that were previously rejected – not once but twice...

Republican emotions were inflamed by party chairman Chris Vance, who blamed King County elections officials, democrats, and even those 700 plus voters for this situation. Once again, he demanded their votes not be counted, and left the door open for calling for a whole new election if they are. "If there's another outcome or another decision and questionable or illegal ballots are brought into the process, we reserve all of our options," he said. . . . Democrat candidate Chris Gregoire said voter trust will be eroded more by disqualifying legitimate ballots than correcting mistakes by elections officials and counting...

Saturday, December 18, 2004 Another governor election may be in our best interest Given the fiasco going on up in King County with the second recount, we suspect more and more people are coming to the conclusion we should have another election for governor. That was suggested this week by former long-time Secretary of State Ralph Munro, a Republican who was highly respected for his job performance by people in both parties. ‘‘This thing could just degenerate and spiral downward,’’ Munro said Thursday of the second recount and all of the controversy and lawsuits it has generated, with more likely....

Ballot checks vary widely across state By Christine Willmsen and Susan Kelleher Seattle Times staff reporters It never mattered much — until this election. But the fact that one county in Washington verifies ballot signatures differently than another county has taken on more significance as the gubernatorial election hangs on a handful of votes. A Seattle Times survey of counties shows that procedures for evaluating signatures are highly subjective and vary widely from county to county. More than 3,400 ballots in Washington were rejected in the November election because the signatures didn't match those on file with elections officials. And...

Last updated: 16:46 38 of 39 counties reporting Votes recounted Rossi Gain in Recount 8 Votes; Rossi Now Leads by 50 Votes

Up to 162 ballots missing By Keith Ervin Seattle Times staff reporter King County election officials will enter a locked "cage" in a warehouse this morning to look for a plastic mail tray they believe contains up to 162 misplaced absentee ballots. Elections Director Dean Logan said the ballots, like 573 other ballots that were improperly rejected, were set aside because workers couldn't find voter signatures that corresponded to them. But unlike the other ballots, these apparently were left behind and forgotten. The original 573 votes were mistakenly identified as having mismatched signatures and then disqualified. If the ballots are...

<p>State Auditor Brian Sonntag says he cannot properly account for any of Medicaid's $6.1 billion annual budget in Washington because the program's employees deliberately obstructed an official audit. Sonntag plans to "disclaim" the entire state Medicaid system in a highly critical audit his office expects to release within two weeks. A disclaimed audit means the auditor did not get enough information to reach an opinion, because the information was either withheld or non-existent.</p>

ABC13 Eyewitness News (12/15/04 - HOUSTON) — A Richmond couple is upset at a Sugar Land pet store they say gave away their beloved Pomeranian to a stranger. Jana Brown says she dropped off her purebred Pomeranian named Mercedes to a Sugar Land Petco to get groomed more than a week ago, just as she has done dozens of times before. But ... ~snip~ Click here to continue and see video

Will Legislature pick governor? It could happen By David Postman Seattle Times chief political reporter OLYMPIA — The state Supreme Court's unanimous rejection of the Democratic Party's recount lawsuit yesterday settled — for the moment, at least — the legal issues in the contentious governor's election. But it also raised the prospect of the fight moving back into the political arena, with questions about whether the eventual loser will use a vaguely worded provision in the state constitution to try to force the Legislature to overturn the result. That, according to one attorney, "is the ultimate nuclear weapon in the...

Wednesday, December 15, 2004 Count votes that count SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL BOARD The Washington Supreme Court Tuesday reached a unanimous and sound decision in rejecting the Democratic Party's request to effectively alter state election law by judicial fiat. It is, of course, impossible to know which gubernatorial candidate would have profited had the court ordered all 39 counties to include in the hand recount ballots that had been previously rejected. Democrats presumably believed the change would have benefited their candidate, Christine Gregoire. But it doesn't matter who would have benefited (this newspaper endorsed Democrat Gregoire). The justices' reading of the...

"It's tough being Republican in this state," Rossi joked with the crowd of 75 - mostly Republicans - who filled the reception hall at Hawthorne Funeral Home and Memorial Park. "You have to win three times." ... "Achievement and accountability have to be the cornerstones of the K-12 education system," Rossi told the crowd, who applauded loudly. "We cannot achieve great things by lowering our standards." ... He also said he approves of performance audits, which aim to reduce government waste and improve efficiency. "The first question always should be, ‘Should government be doing this function in the first place,'"...

Keep Legislature out of the governor’s race THE NEWS TRIBUNE Last updated: December 11th, 2004 02:40 AM (PST) The latest plan by some state Democrats to capture the governorship is downright embarrassing – and that’s putting it mildly. In a letter to Secretary of State Sam Reed, Democratic Party lawyer David Burman claimed that under the state constitution, the race between Republican Dino Rossi and Democrat Christine Gregoire could be decided by a vote in the state Legislature, where Democrats control both houses. That’s because an obscure constitutional provision grants power to lawmakers to decide the outcome of a “contested...

Saturday, December 11, 2004 · Last updated 9:34 a.m. PT Man or machine? Rossi-Gregoire recount prompts dispute over accuracy By DAVID AMMONS AP POLITICAL WRITER OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Humans versus machines? No, it's not an old Schwarzenegger sci-fi flick, but a high-stakes dispute in the often strange world of Washington politics. With the governor's race hanging in the balance, an unprecedented third vote count is now underway in the state's 39 counties - by real live human beings this time. The two previous tallies, both by machine, showed underdog Republican Dino Rossi to be the winner by the tiniest margin...

King County election officials are now saying the cost of a hand recount in King County alone will top $500,000. Democrats made a down payment of 25 cents a vote to get a statewide recount. They will be liable for the total cost unless the results are changed by the recount and Christine Gregoire takes the lead. It now appears the cost will far exceed the $730,000 the Democrats paid to the Secretary of State. Estimates are now that it may cost $1.3 million. King County, the largest county with some 880,000 votes, began the hand recount at about 9:30...