Cobb Asks Court to Order a New Recount in Ohio.
COBB/LaMARCHE 2004 GREEN PARTY PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN
http://www.votecobb.org
December 30, 2004
Contact: Blair Bobier, Media Director at
541.929.5755
Congress Should Not Certify Presidential Vote.
Attorneys for Green Party presidential candidate
David Cobb today filed an amended complaint in federal court demanding
that the recount of Ohio's presidential vote be done again, this time in
conformance with state and federal law.
The amended complaint, filed on behalf of Cobb and
Libertarian presidential candidate Michael Badnarik, seeks to enjoin
Ohio's Secretary of State, Kenneth Blackwell, from declaring the final
results of the presidential vote "until every county has fully
conducted and completed a meaningful and fundamentally fair recount of
the votes cast in Ohio for president in accordance with uniform
standards throughout the state of Ohio."
"The people of Ohio deserve to have their votes
counted fairly and accurately. The initial recount of Ohio's
presidential vote was conducted inconsistently, haphazardly and in clear
violation of even Mr. Blackwell's minimal standards," said Cobb.
"There's clearly a legitimate basis for a new
recount. In a previous hearing, the judge indicated that if the recount
was not conducted in accordance with uniform standards that we could
petition the court for a new recount," said Cobb-LaMarche Media
Director Blair Bobier.
One of the most significant problems with the
recount was that few of Ohio's 88 counties randomly selected sample
precincts for the recount as is required by Ohio law. Other problems
with the recount included a lack of security for the ballots and voting
machines-including allegations of interference with voting machines by
representatives of the Diebold and Triad corporations-and the refusal of
some counties to do a full hand recount when required by law to do so.
Detailed reports from observers outlining a wide range of irregularities
with the recount are available at http://www.votecobb.org/recount/ohio_reports/index.php.
"With the Ohio results still not final, it
would be inappropriate for Congress to certify the presidential vote,
especially while it is the subject of pending litigation in federal
court," said Cobb.
Cobb will be in Washington, DC on January 6, the day
Congress considers the votes of the presidential electors, speaking at
public rallies and urging Congress to reject the votes from Ohio's
Electoral College delegation. Cobb will speak at a rally in Lafayette
Park, across from the White House, at 10 a.m., and at a separate event
later in the day at Upper Senate Park on Capitol Hill.
MORE INFO:
Additional information about the recount and
the Cobb-LaMarche campaign can be found at
http://www.votecobb.org.
The website for the national Green Party
is http://www.gp.org.
