candidate.245 Notably, these precincts share more than a strong Democratic history; they share

the use of a punch card created246 with problem was created by the combination of polling sites

for multiple precincts, coupled demo incorrect information provided by poll workers.

In Cuyahoga version each precinct rotates candidate ballot position.247 Therefore, each

ballot must go into a machine calibrated for its own precinct in order for the voter's intent to be

counted.248 In these anomalous precincts, ballots were fed into the wrong machine, switching

Kerry votes into third party votes.249 This was done on the advice of poll workers who told

voters that they could insert their ballots into any open machine­and machines were not clearly

marked indicating that they would work only for their designated precinct.250

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, 2004.251

Shared Voter Machines in Ohio Caused Problems, Paper Says, AS S O C. PR E S S, Dec. 11,

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:

·

Have you investigated whether the punch card system used in Cuyahoga County led to

voters accidentally voting for third party candidates instead of the Democratic candidate

they intended? If so, what were the results? Has a third party candidate ever received such

a high percentage of votes in these precincts?

·

Have you found similar problems in other counties? Have you found similar problems

with other voting methods?

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