Here’s the gist:
- Rushton will be calling for a full hand recount of every ballot from Tuesday’s election.
- He cited the number of ballots marked blank — 925 — that might actually have been intended for one side or the other.
- Cited problems with the Diebold boxes used, claiming when they were initially used, Ray Mariano’s ballot wasn’t counted during a demonstration.
- Also said there are enough questions locally and nationally about the boxes that a full hand recount was the only way to ensure a fair count. Said that the software didn’t always count completely.
- Repeated that this is not a political decision, but “about the process.”
- Claimed the recount would cost around $7,000; had no idea on time line.
On Jordan Levy, Rushton just said: “One of the problems with the machine if you make an x or a check or go outside the line, your vote won’t be counted.”
- “At end of day, if I win, that’s great. If I lose, that’s great too.”
- One-half of one percent “is the standard nationwide for a recount.”
- Recount will be top-to-bottom
- Like any computer…it malfunctions
- Just cited Lukes suing the city in the 1990’s to become vice-chair
SNAP ANALYSIS:
Something obviously changed Rushton’s mind between Tuesday night and today. Either that, or he was acting when he told several people he wouldn’t be asking for a recount if it wasn’t automatic.
Either way, how this plays out for Rushton is going to be interesting. There is definitely going to be political and public fallout for him, and this is just going to add to the legacy of Murray/Rushton (and back to Levy) versus Lukes. A recount is, by nature, a protracted affair, and chances are this won’t be a neat and clean thing.
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November 9, 2007 at 4:30 pm
Video at Indymedia:
http://worcester.indymedia.org/node/16160
Man, I need a bigger memory card.
Thanks for the heads-up on this press conference, and the great/quick notes.
November 9, 2007 at 11:57 pm
Rushton is a big baby. If you ever noticed, he like to uses the word “process” a lot for things that get done behind closed doors where he and his “friends” can exert pressure. He’s done that a number of times. Konnie is Mayor and Rosen by his high vote count should be consider the vice mayor. But that will go to mama’s boy. It is about time someone has kicked the “Murray/McGovern machine” in the you know where. If there is a recount I hope Lukes and others are present.
November 10, 2007 at 12:23 am
I hope Rep. Jim McGovern doesn’t take collateral damage for the recount when folks get grumpy about all of this. (And let’s face it, there is a strong possibility people will get grumpy. They often do.)
An interesting question in my mind:
Let’s just say that all 925 blanks were machine mistakes;
Is there a reason to suspect that the ratio of K to R to R to B votes would be so substantially different as to reshape the final tally?
If I were a betting man I wouldn’t guess so. Turns out I don’t need to guess. We will get that info over the next several weeks.
Does this become the race decided by the messy voter?
Who precisely do messy voters favor?
Tune in for the next exciting chapter!
November 18, 2007 at 11:17 am
Councilor Rushton should offer to pay for out of campaign funds, reimburse the city, or make a charitable contribution to a city charity, for the $7,000+ of public funds expended for the hand recount.
We already paid for a primary, now Rushton wants to add extra cost to the election process in pursuit of his personal agenda.
The Councilor, flush with political cliches and trying to emulate Tim Murray, needs a wakeup call about this useless expenditure of public funds.
February 11, 2008 at 5:52 pm
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