On election night, some early exit poll data was leaked onto the internet, showing Kerry in the lead in the crucial state of Ohio. Word quickly spread on internet blogs. On Fox News, reporters noticed an unusual discrepancy between the exit polls and the vote count in Ohio. As the latest exit poll data released to the news agencies was increasingly contaminated with vote counts, the discrepancies vanished. Kerry ultimately conceded, but suspicions still spread on the internet, fueled by the exit poll discrepancy, unacceptably long lines, voter intimidation, and apparently partisan prior decisions by Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell.
On election night, Ralph Nader filed a lawsuit in Ohio seeking remedy to the long lines in Ohio primarily in places with a high percentage of racial minorities. Matt Damshroder testified in court that there was no way they could alleviate the obstacles to voting caused by long lines. Later, this was found to be false: the precincts had been requesting more voting machines, and were being denied these voting machines, even though the relevant counties and the state had unused voting machines that could have been distributed to them.
[1]
Later in November, Edison-Mitofsky attempted to explain the exit poll - vote count discrepancies by saying that democrats were more receptive to being polled than republicans. Critics of this explanation decried this as a hypothesis that, even if taken at face value, explains only the systemic discrepancy and not the fact that the discrepancies were much higher in states with a high number of reported problems.
[2]
Throughout the month, reports of election problems in Ohio continued to surface, including problems with voting machines, the counting of votes, missing ballots, and voter registrations. Problems also surfaced in Florida and, to a lesser extent, New Mexico and North Carolina.
Watchdog groups became alarmed at the number and severity of problems with the election, and began investigating, reporting, and demanding accountability.
Law
Judge orders officials to provide paper ballots - Long lines of voters in Franklin, Knox counties; Matthew Damschroder testifies that there is no way to shorten long lines in Franklin; Bush makes Election Day visit
[3]
Popular Science: Sorry, your vote has been: lost, hacked, miscast, recorded twice
[31]
Major bugs found in Diebold vote systems (UPI)
[32]
N.C.: Election Exposes Serious Flaws In North Carolina WRAL[33]
Ohio: 33,000 ballots lost in shuffle - Salt Lake Tribune, OH
[34]
Statements
An official
European Parliamentary Observation Mission report at the time of the election, issues raised include observer issues such as effect of HAVA, voter suppression, voter identification, and "on the day" confusion.
Infernalpress.com. Alleges that Republicans suppressed votes and voting machine companies committed fraud and tampered with election results, "How George W. Bush Won the 2004 Presidential Election"
[35]
Ohio: Gwin, Harold. "Democrats' leader decries voting glitches." The Vindicator (OH). November 6, 2004.
[36]
Ohio: Fitrakis, Bob. "None dare call it voter suppression and fraud." The Free Press (OH).
[37]
Florida:
UCB team announces their calculation of less than one
permilleprobability that Florida's positive correlation between electronic voting machines and "votes" for Bush happened by chance
[72][73][74]
Nov. 19
Florida: 'Stinking Evidence' of Possible Election Fraud Found in Florida
[75]
Election Fraud 2004:Kerry, The Times, and the Democrats
[76]
N.H.: N.H. Republican leader failed, and rightfully will be replaced
[77]
$200,000 REWARD for evidence of vote fraud in the presidential election
[97], reported in media
[98]
Florida: Volusia County Florida lawsuit alleges irregularities in 2004 election
[99]
Nov. 25
Mr Powell on the Ukraine election: "We cannot accept this result as legitimate, because it does not meet international standards and because there has not been an investigation of the numerous and credible reports of fraud and abuse..." (front page, London Metro, UK, also see
[100])
[101] detailed criminal history related to voting machine companies
Nov. 26
Ohio: Jesse Jackson plans Ohio election rally
[102] and probe
[103]
Wyoming: More votes than voters in Wyoming?
[104][105]
Nov. 27
Oklahoma: Oklahoma voting machines change tallies 70% of the way through counting
[106] and
[107]
On election night, some early exit poll data was leaked onto the internet, showing Kerry in the lead in the crucial state of Ohio. Word quickly spread on internet blogs. On Fox News, reporters noticed an unusual discrepancy between the exit polls and the vote count in Ohio. As the latest exit poll data released to the news agencies was increasingly contaminated with vote counts, the discrepancies vanished. Kerry ultimately conceded, but suspicions still spread on the internet, fueled by the exit poll discrepancy, unacceptably long lines, voter intimidation, and apparently partisan prior decisions by Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell.
On election night, Ralph Nader filed a lawsuit in Ohio seeking remedy to the long lines in Ohio primarily in places with a high percentage of racial minorities. Matt Damshroder testified in court that there was no way they could alleviate the obstacles to voting caused by long lines. Later, this was found to be false: the precincts had been requesting more voting machines, and were being denied these voting machines, even though the relevant counties and the state had unused voting machines that could have been distributed to them.
[1]
Later in November, Edison-Mitofsky attempted to explain the exit poll - vote count discrepancies by saying that democrats were more receptive to being polled than republicans. Critics of this explanation decried this as a hypothesis that, even if taken at face value, explains only the systemic discrepancy and not the fact that the discrepancies were much higher in states with a high number of reported problems.
[2]
Throughout the month, reports of election problems in Ohio continued to surface, including problems with voting machines, the counting of votes, missing ballots, and voter registrations. Problems also surfaced in Florida and, to a lesser extent, New Mexico and North Carolina.
Watchdog groups became alarmed at the number and severity of problems with the election, and began investigating, reporting, and demanding accountability.
Law
Judge orders officials to provide paper ballots - Long lines of voters in Franklin, Knox counties; Matthew Damschroder testifies that there is no way to shorten long lines in Franklin; Bush makes Election Day visit
[3]
Popular Science: Sorry, your vote has been: lost, hacked, miscast, recorded twice
[31]
Major bugs found in Diebold vote systems (UPI)
[32]
N.C.: Election Exposes Serious Flaws In North Carolina WRAL[33]
Ohio: 33,000 ballots lost in shuffle - Salt Lake Tribune, OH
[34]
Statements
An official
European Parliamentary Observation Mission report at the time of the election, issues raised include observer issues such as effect of HAVA, voter suppression, voter identification, and "on the day" confusion.
Infernalpress.com. Alleges that Republicans suppressed votes and voting machine companies committed fraud and tampered with election results, "How George W. Bush Won the 2004 Presidential Election"
[35]
Ohio: Gwin, Harold. "Democrats' leader decries voting glitches." The Vindicator (OH). November 6, 2004.
[36]
Ohio: Fitrakis, Bob. "None dare call it voter suppression and fraud." The Free Press (OH).
[37]
Florida:
UCB team announces their calculation of less than one
permilleprobability that Florida's positive correlation between electronic voting machines and "votes" for Bush happened by chance
[72][73][74]
Nov. 19
Florida: 'Stinking Evidence' of Possible Election Fraud Found in Florida
[75]
Election Fraud 2004:Kerry, The Times, and the Democrats
[76]
N.H.: N.H. Republican leader failed, and rightfully will be replaced
[77]
$200,000 REWARD for evidence of vote fraud in the presidential election
[97], reported in media
[98]
Florida: Volusia County Florida lawsuit alleges irregularities in 2004 election
[99]
Nov. 25
Mr Powell on the Ukraine election: "We cannot accept this result as legitimate, because it does not meet international standards and because there has not been an investigation of the numerous and credible reports of fraud and abuse..." (front page, London Metro, UK, also see
[100])
[101] detailed criminal history related to voting machine companies
Nov. 26
Ohio: Jesse Jackson plans Ohio election rally
[102] and probe
[103]
Wyoming: More votes than voters in Wyoming?
[104][105]
Nov. 27
Oklahoma: Oklahoma voting machines change tallies 70% of the way through counting
[106] and
[107]