-Caveat Lector-
Bond calls for investigation of St. Louis voter fraud claims
By DAVID SCOTT - The Associated Press
and Kansas City Star
Date: 11/09/00 13:00
ST. LOUIS -- Republican Sen. Christopher Bond said today that he
has asked federal attorneys to investigate allegations of voter
fraud in St. Louis city, despite promises from two defeated GOP
candidates to not seek a legal challenge to the election.
Bond said he's asked U.S. Attorney Audrey Fleissig and FBI
Director Louis J. Freeh to look into polling in the city -- kept
open by a court order Tuesday for an extra 40 minutes.
"We want to make sure in the future when Missourians go to the
polls, they know their vote is going to be counted and everybody
is going to have the same opportunity to exercise their
franchise," Bond said during a news conference at his office in
suburban St. Louis. "It's the most vital part of the Democratic
process. And when that is abused and distorted, we all lose."
Bond is seeking the investigation despite the decision by both
Sen. John Ashcroft and Rep. Jim Talent to not contest the
election. Ashcroft lost his Senate seat to the late Gov. Mel
Carnahan; Talent lost his bid for governor to State Treasurer Bob
Holden.
Ashcroft and Talent said that while the allegations of voter
fraud in St. Louis are a concern, they do not feel it cost them
the election.
"I lost this race because I didn't get as many votes as my
opponent did," Ashcroft said as he conceded the election to the
late Gov. Mel Carnahan.
Ashcroft's decision Wednesday came just hours after Bond called
the effort by Democrats to keep the polls in the city open until
10 p.m. "criminal," and one of the city's two election directors
said he would ask the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate.
Ironically, Bond appointed judge Evelyn M. Baker, who made the
initial ruling to keep the polls open, to the bench as governor
in 1983.
About an hour before polls in the city were scheduled to close at
7 p.m. Tuesday, Baker ordered the city's Board of Elections to
keep them open until 10 p.m. The Missouri Court of Appeals
quashed the order about 40 minutes later, closing the polls.
It made for a wild hour at the board's downtown office, where
hundreds of voters turned away from the polls because they were
not registered or had other problems voting filled the lobby
throughout the day. By early evening, the lobby was shoulder to
shoulder with people who wanted to vote.
Kevin Coan, the city's Republican director of elections, said
fewer than 500 voters obtained a court order allowing them to
register or corrected a registration problem, and then cast a
ballot.
Doors at the board's office were locked at 7 p.m., with those
arriving later placed in a line outside. Access to that line was
cut off after the appeals court decision was released, and that
crowd was dispersed peacefully by police.
Those inside the office by 7 p.m. were allowed to vote, as
prescribed by Missouri law. The last vote was cast about 10:30
p.m. Coan said the situation created by the dueling court orders
did not "in and of itself" constitute voter fraud.
Coan said Wednesday the board is still investigating 29 polling
places where election judges walked out at 7 p.m., leaving
ballots and boxes unattended. Police were later dispatched to the
29 locations to secure the ballots and boxes.
"There does not appear to be any ballot box tampering that we've
been able to establish yet," Coan said.
William Lacy Clay, who won the 1st Congressional District seat
held by his retiring father, was one of the parties who filed
suit seeking an extension of polling time. He spent the days
before the election saying he feared the election board could
attempt to block some eligible voters from casting ballots.
Coan said he believes Clay was to blame for the confusion at the
city's polls, and said he plans to ask the Justice Department to
look into Clay's conduct.
"Everything he did (Tuesday) was to create a situation where he
could file that suit," Coan said.
Steven Engelhardt, a spokesman for Clay, said the new congressmen
is sickened by what he called the Republican Party's shameless
attempt to disenfranchise thousands of urban voters.
"We stand by our testimony," Engelhardt said. "The evidence
presented was clear and compelling."
=================================================================
Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT
FROM THE DESK OF:
*Michael Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends
=================================================================
<A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A>
DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
==========
CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic
screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are
sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis-
directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with
major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought.
That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and
always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no
credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
========================================================================
Archives Available at:
http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html
<A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of
[EMAIL PROTECTED]</A>
http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
<A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A>
========================================================================
To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Om
