Electoral Fraud in 2004

Professor Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. of Pace Law School http://www.law.pace.edu/facbios/kennedy.html has published an article in the current issue of Rolling Stone on the widespread electoral fraud that occurred in the 2004 elections, particularly in the critical state of Ohio. Professor Kennedy has reviewed all the evidence, and concluded that "something deeply troubling had taken place in 2004." According to Professor Kennedy, the "president's party mounted a massive, coordinated campaign to subvert the will of the people in 2004. Across the country, Republican election officials and party stalwarts employed a wide range of illegal and unethical tactics to fix the election. A review of the available data reveals that in Ohio alone, at least 357,000 voters, the overwhelming majority of them Democratic, were prevented from casting ballots or did not have their votes counted in 2004--more than enough to shift the results of an election decided by 118,601 votes." Techniques used included purging tens of thousands of eligible voters from the rolls; neglecting to process registration cards generated by Democratic voter registration efforts; shortchanging Democratic precincts when allocating voting machines; and illegally derailing a recount. The man in charge of this wholesale fraud was Kenneth Blackwell, Ohio Secretary of State and co-chair of Bush's relection committee, and now Republican candidate for governor. Kennedy describes him as an "outspoken leader of Ohio's right-wing fundamentalists," opposed to "abortion even in cases of rape," and "chief cheerleader for the anti-gay-marriage amendment that Republicans employed to spark turnout in rural counties." As Rep. John Conyers has said, "Blackwell made Katherine Harris [Florida Secretary of State during the 2000 election] look like a cupcake."

This is one of the most alarming articles I have read in a long time; it is also extremely cogent and compelling, and should be read by anyone who cares about our democratic system of government. Fair and accurate elections are the cornerstone of any democracy, and they can no longer be taken for granted in the United States. Read the article here and then read Professor Kennedy's response to Farhad Manjoo's critique, and Manjoo's response at Salon.com.