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Departments Election Issues
Ohio Governor's ethics violations expose money trail to stolen 2004 election
by Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
August 30, 2005
COLUMBUS -- The shock waves from Ohio Governor Bob Taft's no contest plea to four misdemeanor ethics violations have turned this state's politics upside down. They also have direct roots in the stolen election of 2004.
Ohio's "Mr. Clean" governor has been forced to admit he took gratis golf games and other insider graft and goodies. His tearful no contest plea led to a nominal fine where lesser public figures could have gotten substantial jail time. Taft faced up to two years in jail.
The mainstream media has indeed reported that these gratuities have come from the usual thieves' den of contractors doing business with the state of Ohio. It's also well known that Tom Noe has been prominent among them. In fact, it has now been reported that Noe told Taft about controversial rare coin investments that may have cost the state millions as early as 2001, rather than 2004, as Taft has claimed. Also, the Columbus Dispatch reported that Taft failed to report eight additional gifts valued at more than $75: three between 1999-2005; five between 2002-2004. Columbus City Prosecutor Steve McIntosh told the Dispatch that there wasn't likely to be a "second round of misdemeanors."
But the media has ignored the fact that Noe is also former Chair of the Lucas County Board of Elections, a major Bush-Cheney donor, and a key player in the theft of Ohio's 2004 electoral votes. He is reportedly under federal investigation for laundering money into the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign. Election Day chaos and confusion in Noe's predominantly Democratic Lucas County helped give Bush a second term in the White House.
Time and again Taft has made public posturings about the need for all state employees to be completely free of even the perception of wrongdoing and corruption.
But the Taft sinkhole goes way beyond a few gubernatorial golf games. Millions of dollars are now missing from the Bureau of Workers' Compensation Fund, thanks to his friend Tom Noe's bizarre investment schemes. Noe ran a Toledo coin shop before being fingered as some kind of investment genius, designated to handle some $50 million in state funds. When he got the account, Noe's first move was to write himself a check for fees well in excess of $1 million. As of now, millions more are known to be missing in a "Coingate" scandal that has made headlines nationwide.
But Noe was also at the heart of Ohio's 2004 stolen election. As northwestern Ohio's "Mr. Republican," Noe was the gatekeeper for Toledo-area GOP politics for a dozen years. He chaired not only the Lucas County Republican Party, but also the Lucas County Board of Elections.
As BOE Chair, Tom Noe made a high profile acquisition of Sequoia electronic voting machines, crowing about the speed with which they were installed. But by 2004, Lucas County was knee-deep in malfunctions involving the notorious Diebold opti-scan vote counters, which jammed before and during Election Day. In precinct after precinct throughout the heavily Democratic Toledo inner city, African-American voters were disenfranchised en masse. Machines broke down, lines grew to three, four and five hours. Thousands left without voting.
At the Glenwood School, voting machines were locked in the principal's office. When he called in sick on Election Morning, hundreds of African-American citizens were denied the ability to vote. The situation was cemented by an edict from Republican Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell that paper ballots were not to be issued to Ohio precincts to cover when machines broke down.
At other Lucas County precincts, as citizens have testified under oath, unsuspecting voters were issued faulty markers which ruined the ballots on which they were used. Inner city voters thus left thinking they had voted when, in fact, their ballots were automatically trashed.
The overall situation in Lucas County became so infamously twisted with incompetence, malfeasance and corruption that in mid 2005, Blackwell was forced to issue a scathing staff report on voting practices there. In response, he threatened to fire the entire Board of Elections.
Board Chair Bernadette Noe had already announced her intention to resign. But independent researchers estimate that at least 7,000 votes were shifted in Lucas County from John Kerry to George W. Bush under her regime. Many thousands of African-American citizens, most of them likely Kerry voters, were effectively disenfranchised.
The Toledo Blade reported that in the summer of 2004, 28,000 voters were "erased" from the Lucas County voter registration rolls. The purge included voters like Barbara and Ralph George "who first registered to vote for John F. Kennedy in 1960 and had lived in the same East Toledo house for 44 years." The Georges had called prior to their elimination from the voting rolls and had been told that they were eligible voters.
The Blade also reported that 40 of the provisional voters in precinct 4N were in the right room, but the wrong line on Election Day. All of their votes were rejected as were 50 of the 67 provisional ballots cast in the precinct. The volume of provisional ballots more than doubled when contrasted to the 2000 presidential election.
Taft is the first governor in Ohio history to be charged with misdemeanor ethics violations. His no contest plea opens a new chapter in Ohio politics. Whether its roots in the stolen election of 2004 will be fully exposed in the mainstream media remains to be seen. But we will continue to do our best.
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Harvey Wasserman & Bob Fitrakis are co-authors of the upcoming HOW THE GOP STOLE THE 2004 ELECTION & IS RIGGING 2008 (www.freepress.org).
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Don't forget to check out articles from 2007 and 2008Election Issues
"An open letter to the Election Assistance Commission" December 25, 2005 John Gideon, Executive Director of VotersUnite.Org and Information Manager for VoteTrustUSA.Org
"Diebold hack proven in county test!" December 17, 2005 Glenn Yeagley
"Diebold Inc. in a tailspin after resignation of CEO and filing of a class action fraud lawsuit" December 17, 2005 VelvetRevolution.us
"Orr thinks machines make voting simpler, more secure " December 17, 2005 Mario Bartoletti
"Diebold "hack test" - Sec. State / Black Box Lawyer square off" December 10, 2005 Black Box Voting
"With new legislation, Ohio Republicans plan holiday burial for American Democracy" December 6, 2005 Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Important daily voting news" December 4, 2005 John Gideon
"Poll shock" November 24, 2005 Robert C. Koehler, Tribune Media Services
"Ohio's Diebold Debacle: New machines call election results into question" November 24, 2005 Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Diebold attempts to evade election transparency laws" November 20, 2005 Matt Zimmerman
"Supreme Court stabs another GOP knife into US democracy by upholding ex-felon vote ban" November 16, 2005 Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"Has American Democracy died an electronic death in Ohio 2005's referenda defeats?" November 11, 2005 Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"What John Kerry definitely said about 2004’s stolen election and why it's killing American democracy" November 10, 2005 Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Scrap the "secret" ballot - return to open voting" November 5, 2005 Lynn Landes
"Clarification of NEDA's withdrawal of Ohio exit poll paper" November 5, 2005 Kathy Dopp
"Clarification of NEDA's withdrawal of Ohio exit poll paper" November 3, 2005 Kathy Dopp, National Election Data Archive
"Watergate-style money laundering indictments stoke Ohio's stolen election fires" October 28, 2005 Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Powerful Government Accountability Office report confirms key 2004 stolen election findings" October 26, 2005 Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Did you erase your own vote?" October 25, 2005 Warren Stewart, Director of Legislative Issues and Policy, www.VoteTrustUSA.org
"Why can't the left face the Stolen Elections of 2004 & 2008?" October 18, 2005 Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"Carter/Baker Report can't face how the GOP stole America's 2004 election & is rigging 2008" September 20, 2005 Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Two Steps Forward, One Step Back" September 20, 2005 Warren Stewart, Director of Legislative Issues and Policy, VoteTrustUSA
"FEMA Chief Brown Paid Millions in False Claims to Help Bush Win Fla. Votes" September 19, 2005 Jason Leopold
"Ohio recount lawsuit set for trial; election workers indicted" September 4, 2005 Blair Bobier
"Ohio Governor's ethics violations expose money trail to stolen 2004 election" August 30, 2005 Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"Diebold's failure in California" August 7, 2005 John Gideon, Information Manager, www.VotersUnite.Org and www.VoteTrustUSA.Org
"Did the GOP steal another Ohio Election?" August 5, 2005 Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"Conyers-Kaptur seek special counsel for Noe probe" August 4, 2005 John Conyers, Jr. and Marcy Kaptur
"Dramatic new charges deepen link between Ohio's "Coingate," Voinovich mob connections, and the theft of the 2004 election" July 29, 2005 Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman
"None dare call it stolen - Ohio, the election, and America's servile press" July 24, 2005 Mark Crispin Miller, summarized by Mary Anne Saucier, Columbus, Ohio
"Civic Engagement and the Restoration of Community from a voter activist’s view" July 19, 2005 Terri Zins
"My report from Hocking County, July 5, 2005: An update on Sherole Eaton's unfolding Story" July 7, 2005 Victoria Parks, Ohio Backbone Campaign
"Handbook for Ohio Voter Activists, Version 2.0" July 7, 2005 Various activists
"Direct testimony: Presented to Election Assessment Hearing" July 4, 2005 Richard Hayes Phillips, Ph.D.
"Log Cabin Republicans in Ohio" July 4, 2005 Richard Hayes Phillips, Ph.D.
"With a limp election theft report, Dems prove why they're unworthy" June 28, 2005 Harvey Wasserman and Bob Fitrakis
"Voting problems and uncounted votes in Lucas County, Ohio" June 28, 2005 Justine Smith
"The DNC 2004 Election Report: An indictment of incompetence" June 25, 2005 Steven Rosenfeld and Bob Fitrakis
"Corporate control of the election process" June 22, 2005 John Gideon
"Introduction: Did George W. Bush steal America's 2004 election?" June 16, 2005 Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
"Voter Confidence Committee Calls For Rejection of CA Special Election" June 16, 2005 Dave Berman
"Activists from 25 states lobby for paper ballots on June 9 and 10" June 10, 2005 VoteTrustUSA.org
"Fear of riffraff" June 10, 2005 Robert C. Koehler, Tribune Media Services
"Electoral Politics and the War: Lessons from 2004 and What the Anti-War Movement Should do in 2006" June 8, 2005 Kevin Zeese
"Optical scan machines hacked in Florida" June 2, 2005 Black Box Voting
"Does ES&S really want to sell the Automark machines?" May 28, 2005 John Gideon
"Attack on election board whistleblower and leaked Blackwell threats re-fire Ohio's election theft scandal" May 23, 2005 Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman
"Franklin County, Ohio Election Procedures – April and May 2005" May 6, 2005 Paddy Shaffer
"Carter Gets It – But Will His Electoral Commission?" April 24, 2005 Kevin Zeese and Linda Schade
"Voter Perceptions and Political Deceptions: Federal, Ohio and Knox" April 24, 2005 Mike Swinford
"Electoral reform groups call for James Baker's resignation from electoral reform commission" April 17, 2005 Ilene Proctor
"National Conference on Election Reform Opens with Civil Rights Panel" April 13, 2005 Abigail Thorton
"View from Another Planet" April 13, 2005 Josh Mitteldorf
"Democrats! Paper “Trails” Aren’t Good Enough. Count The Damn Ballots!" April 12, 2005 Lynn Landes
"Democrats, Paper ‘Trails’ Aren’t Good Enough; Count The Damn Ballots!" April 1, 2005 Lynn Landes, Online Journal Contributing Writer
"Scientific Analysis Suggests Presidential Vote Counts May Have Been Altered" March 30, 2005 US Vote Counts
"As Blackwell Says, Ohio’s in 2004 was a National Model" March 24, 2005 Steve Rosenfeld, Bob Fitrakis, and Harvey Wasserman
"Understanding the difference between paper ballots and paper audit trails" March 20, 2005 Gary Beckwith
"Save Our Democracy" March 16, 2005 John Irwin
"Republicans maneuvering to get Voting Rights Act killed" March 10, 2005 Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.
"Legal filing highlights Blackwell's hypocrisy in Ohio recount case" March 7, 2005 Blair Bobier
"Selma 40 Years Later" March 6, 2005 Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.
"Exit Poll Madness - Analyst Steve Freeman & Company Offer False Choice" March 4, 2005 Lynn Landes
"Libertarians To Testify in Ohio House: Modernize Ohio's Election Laws" March 3, 2005 Robert Butler
"The New Voting Rights Movement Begins Here Today" March 2, 2005 Steven Rosenfeld
"Voting in America" February 28, 2005 Bob Babson
"The Mighty Texas Strike Force" February 28, 2005 Nick Mottern - Documentary News Service
"Blackwell presidential election sanctions briefs" February 22, 2005 Various individuals
"Representative Conyers and others file amicus brief in Ohio Supreme Court" February 17, 2005 Dena Graziano
"Congresswoman Tubbs Jones Outraged at Blackwell's Failure to Appear During House Administration Hearing" February 12, 2005 Office of Rep. Tubbs Jones
"Ohio Attorney-General's attack on election protection attorneys draws mountain of documentation on state's stolen election, including new study on exit polls" February 3, 2005 Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
"Prominent Statisticians Refute 'Explanation' of 2004 U.S. Exit Poll Discrepancies in New Edison/Mitofsky Report and Urge Investigation of U.S. Presidential Election Results" January 31, 2005 Bruce O'Dell
"The last man to concede..." January 29, 2005 Sheila Samples
"Report on Washington DC, January 6, 2005" January 25, 2005 Avram Friedman
"Arkansas in 2004: Did Bush Really Win?" January 24, 2005 Max Standridge
"New links" January 23, 2005 Free Press staff
"Voting Problems and Uncounted Votes in Lucas County, Ohio" January 23, 2005 Justine Smith
"Plan B: Parallel Elections & Signed Ballots" January 20, 2005 Lynn Landes
"Open Letter to Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro from Representative John Conyers, Jr." January 20, 2005 Representative John Conyers, Jr.
"Open Letter to Warren Mitofsky and Larry Rosin from Representative John Conyers, Jr." January 20, 2005 Representative John Conyers, Jr.
"Ohio's GOP Attorney General launches revenge attack on Election Protection legal team" January 19, 2005 Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
"What are they hiding in New Mexico?" January 18, 2005 Warren Stewart, National Ballot Integrity Project
"In the Shadow of Dr. King, counting the vote remains a civil rights issue" January 17, 2005 Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
"Did the “Liberal Media” Get the 2004 Election All Wrong?
" January 16, 2005 Gene C. Gerard
"'COUNT EVERY VOTE. EVERY VOTE COUNTS'" January 16, 2005 Mary Anne Saucier
"Moss v. Bush moves on and movement continues" January 13, 2005 Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
"Rally Continues Drive for Democracy" January 9, 2005 Mark Huntress
"Estimated vote count in Ohio" January 8, 2005 Richard Hayes Phillips, Ph.D.
"January 6 Washington, D.C. rally report" January 8, 2005 Nick Mottern
"Together, we moved three mountains" January 8, 2005 Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
"What the election challenge means" January 8, 2005 David Swanson, ILCA
"Progressive Democrats lead historic voting rights protest as Congress ratifies flawed 2004 Electoral College tally" January 7, 2005 Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
"Arnebeck letter to Congress re Presidential Electoral Challenge" January 6, 2005 Clifford O. Arnebeck, Jr.
"Senator Barbara Boxer, D-CA and Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones, D-OH contested the election" January 6, 2005 Free Press staff
"The "Crime of November 2": The human side of how Bush stole Ohio, and why Congress must investigate rather than ratify the Electoral College (Part Two of Two)" January 5, 2005 Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
"Status Report of the House Judiciary Committee Democratic Staff" January 5, 2005 U.S. Rep. John Conyers and staff
"Seven key reasons why the vote must be challenged at the electoral college" January 3, 2005 Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition
"Ten preliminary reasons why the Bush vote does not compute, and why Congress must investigate rather than certify the Electoral College (Part One of Two)" January 3, 2005 Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
"Verified election contest petitions and documents in Ohio Supreme Court " January 2, 2005 The undersigned
"Distribution of voting machines by county in Ohio" January 1, 2005 Andy Shifflette
"Did We Bounce An Election?" January 1, 2005 Warren Stewart, votersunite.org
"Presidential election congressional hearing transcript" January 1, 2005 Congresspeople Waters, Tubbs-Jones and Conyers and others
Selected articles from 2004
"Ohio's official non-recount ends amidst new evidence of fraud, theft and judicial contempt mirrored in New Mexico" December 31, 2004
"Impossible Phantom Votes in New Mexico
" December 30, 2004
"The 2004 Presidential Election: Who Won The Popular Vote? An Examination of the Comparative Validity of Exit Poll and Vote Count Data" December 29, 2004
"Ohio GOP election officials ducking notices of deposition as Kerry enters stolen vote fray" December 28, 2004
"Another third rate burglary" December 25, 2004
"Hacking the vote in Miami County" December 25, 2004
"Update from the Ohio Frontlines" December 24, 2004
"Lawsuit Before the Ohio Supreme Court" December 24, 2004
"Kerry votes switched to Bush and ballots pre-punched for Bush" December 24, 2004
"Uncounted votes in Cuyahoga County" December 24, 2004
Related Journal articles:
"GAO report documents how easy it is to hack the vote" November 15, 2005
"J30 Election Reform Coalition" March 21, 2005
"The Un-mighty New Hampshire Jam Force" March 21, 2005
"Petro sanctions democracy" March 21, 2005
"Progressives helped concede election by conceding the moral high ground" March 21, 2005
"We will not concede, or get over it, but we shall overcome" January 23, 2005
"From Selma to Palm Beach to Columbus" January 23, 2005
"Movement Heroes" January 23, 2005
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