A Funeral For The 2004 Election

Thanks!

original from the Columbus Dispatch
Posted by James Nash, Statehouse reporter on October 10, 2007 11:38 AM

When a group of voter-rights activists holds a "funeral procession" to mark the three-year anniversary of the 2004 election that they believe was tainted, they'll be making a stop at the office of Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann.

The Ohio Election Justice Campaign, which alleges that President Bush won Ohio in 2004 because of numerous irregularities, is accusing Dann of failing to follow up on campaign promises to investigate problems in the balloting.

Specifically, the group points to video of Dann, a Democrat, addressing voter-rights activists at Columbus State University before last year's election for attorney general. In the video, Dann says he'll take seriously any evidence of improprieties in that election and even will convene a grand jury and bring charges if merited.

Dann seems to have changed his tune, said Paddy Shaffer, founder of the Ohio Election Justice Campaign.

"No one is being held accountable," she said. "How can you not speak to the public about something this serious? This is not a trivial matter -- this is the theft of a U.S. presidential election."

Dann spokesman Leo Jennings III said his boss never vowed to bring indictments or prosecute the overseers of the 2004 vote. Rather, the attorney general wants to look at lessons of that election cycle to ensure that the 2008 election is conducted with the utmost integrity, Jennings said.

"We're certainly going to look at what happened in '04 to see what needs to happen in '08," he said. "If we see something that needs to be brought to the attention of a prosecutor, or for us to handle under our powers, we'll do it. We don't have any (evidence) in front of us."

Shaffer said her group plans a funeral march on Nov. 2.

Posted by James Nash, Statehouse reporter on October 10, 2007 11:38 AM
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