"calibration problems."232 Thomas McCabe, Deputy Director of the Mahoning County Board of

Elections, stated demo the version "happens every election" and "[i]t's something we have to live

with and we can fix it."233

There is also information, still being investigated, that in several precincts, there were

more votes counted by machine than signatures in poll books (which includes absentee voters).

This would mean that more people voted by machine at a precinct than actually appeared at that

location. For example, in CMP 4C Precinct, there were 279 signatures and 280 machine votes.

In BLV 1 Precinct, there were 396 signatures but 398 machine votes. In AUS 12 Precinct, there

were 372 signatures but 376 machine votes. In POT 1 Precinct, there were 479 signatures but

482 machine votes, and in YGN 6F Precinct, there were 270 signatures but 273 machine votes.

It would appear from these numbers that the machines counted more votes than voters.

Secretary of State Blackwell has refused to answer any of the questions concerning these

matters posed to him by Ranking Member Conyers and 11 other Members of the Judiciary

Committee on December 2, 2004.234

Evidence strongly suggests many individuals voting in Mahoning County for Senator

Kerry had their votes recorded for President Bush. Due to lack of cooperation from Secretary

determination would help us determine if the Voting Rights Act was also violated. Ascertaining

the precise cause and culprit could help ensure that the error does not occur in the future.

Secretary of State Blackwell's apparent failure to initiate any investigation into this serious

computer error would seem inconsistent with his statutory duty to review these matters.

Butler County ­ The Strange Case of the Downballot Candidate Outperforming the Presidential

See Letter from John Conyers, Jr., Jerrold Nadler, Tammy Baldwin, Melvin L. Watt,

Linda Sanchez, Robert Wexler, Maxine Waters, Sheila Jackson Lee, Martin Meehan, Zoe

Lofgren and Anthony Weiner to the Honorable J. Kenneth Blackwell, Ohio Secretary of State,

(Dec. 2, 2004) (on file with the House Judiciary Committee Democratic Staff and at

http://www.house.gov/judiciary_democrats/ohblackwellltr12204.pdf). Secretary Blackwell was

asked the following question:

·

Please let us know if you have conducted any investigation or inquiry of machine voting

problems in the state, including the above described problems in Mahoning County, and

the results of this investigation or inquiry.

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