Yes.
Yes, if Blackwell either dies, resigns as Secretary of State, or stops running for the governorship.
Then you have some evidence that he’s planning vote fraud, yes?
No, I just believe that a candidate in an election, no matter how honest, should not also take part in conducting the election. Just as a judge should not preside over a case to which he or she is a party.
why?
Conflict of interest.
Well, here in Washington state, the secretary of state is an elected office. And the Secretary of State can be re-elected, thus presiding over their own election. So why doesn’t anybody raise a stink?
Yes, there’s a potential conflict of interest. If you want to subject this race to extra scrutiny, feel free. But to suggest that the bare fact that an incumbent secretary of state is seeking another elective office means honest election is impossible is pretty weak.
Because a reasonable person might think that decision-makers, like a person running an election or a judge, might be biased in their own favour, and make decisions that favour themselves against the other candidates or parties.
Is “honest” defined as an election in which the Democrats win?
Give us a little something to work with, BG.
I’d define an honest election as one which is won by the candidate supported by a majority (or plurality, depending on the electoral laws) of those eligible to vote and wishing to vote in the election.
In Ohio, the actual voting is overseen at the county level by small bipartisan committees, the county boards of elections. The secretary of state is involved in administering who gets on the ballot and such, but he is not in a position to do much in the way of fraud. That’s more of a local matter.
Same here in Ohio.
In any case, Republicans across the entire state of Ohio, are mired in all sorts of legal difficulties right now. They don’t have much chance of taking any state office at all. The governorship might be the sole exclusion.
So, as I aksed, you have some kinda bone you can throw us in support of your blanket assertion that the only way Ohio can have an honest election this fall, is if Blackwell has no part in it?
Indeed. I’ve heard of poisoning the well before. But that ain’t someone one usually does to their own water supply.
Here’s what the Ohio government website says the Secretary of State does regarding elections:
Here’s the link. He appoints the local election boards, but the boards always consist of the local party chairmen and one actual appointee.
From the linked article, Blackwell has been very active in issuing directions on such matters as voter registration. Not outright fraud, of course, but the right processes can cut down on your opponents’ electoral bases more than they do your own. It’s bad enough when you are doing it for others in your party, but being able to do it for yourself is very problematic.
Oh, and two bits of trivia:
(1) In spite of my location, I’m not a citizen of the state of Ohio, so I won’t be voting in November’s election.
(2) My work telephone number has just two digits different from Ken Blackwell’s – one a diufferent digit, and one move to a different position. Indeed, I think on a couple of occasions I’ve had wrong numbers which were intended to go to his office
But Secretary of State is a partisan position. Since that’s the case, how can ANY state that has a partisan Secy of State have an honest election? Why aren’t they complaining about Washington state, where we have a Republican Secretary of State, who can engage in electoral fraud in favor of his Republican cronies all day every day?
The Nation should be ashamed of themselves.
If they have evidence that this guy is engaging in electoral fraud, bring the evidence. The fact that he’s Secretary of State and running for Governor is irrelevant.
Depends on how you define “fraud.” Read the article linked in the OP.
That might not be fraud – but it’s not the makings of an honest election, either.
I did. What’s interesting about the section you quote, is that although the article is three pages, and the author insists Blackwell engaged in a “string of baffling and, to all appearances, nakedly partisan rulings in the 2004 presidential race,” he fails to provide even one such example.