[Voterescue] Fw: TEXAS: University of Texas: "Caucus chair uncovers discrepancies"

Mon Mar 10 12:25:23 CDT 2008

Vickie and all,

  I hate to burst everyone's bubble here, but at the caucus I attended, it was the Obama supporters who were telling everyone to leave and were aggressively taking over the process and were taking advantage of the fact that the election officials didn't know the procedures for conducting the caucus.  One of the Obama supporters was trying to instruct everyone what to do and one even asked if they could copy the list of voters who caucused for both Obama and Clinton to take with them.  They also gave out wrong information to the Clinton supporters, by telling them that if they were not able to attend the Texas State Convention at the end of this month, they could choose anyone they wanted to substitute for them.  

  However, according to Texas election code, any substitute "must" be from the same precinct or their delegate vote would be void.  They failed to mention this important bit of information while instructing the Clinton supporters.

  As I have stated before and I will say so again, based on what I witnessed at this caucus, IF a system can be gamed, it will be gamed.  No one candidate is exempt from doing so and no one candidate is the only one guilty of doing so.  The whole process is literally open for business.  

  Also, the caucus system in Texas is the most undemocratic process I've ever witnessed in how citizens choose a nominee.  None of the election officials even knew the appropriate procedures to use for conducting the caucus. Why not? It was at this time, that the Obama supporter tried to impose what those caucusing should do.  I indicated that would be a conflict of interest and that we should call the Texas Democratic committee hotline to get the correct procedures.  The caucus system  disenfranchises.  It certainly does not empower citizens and it's the last method I would choose in selecting a presidential nominee.  There's really no way to feel confident that the final result is a fair reflection of the will of the people and isn't that what elections are supposed to be all about?

  Untill we get HCPB, meaningful citizen oversight, real checks and balances and effective chain of custody procedures put into the election process, no election for any candidate can be trusted.

  Kathleen

Vickie Karp <karp at mail.com> wrote:
    Right in our backyard!

----- Original Message -----
From: "Theron Horton" 
To: "Vickie Karp" , "Karen Renick" 
Subject: TEXAS: University of Texas: "Caucus chair uncovers discrepancies"
Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2008 11:12:55 -0500

To: Vickie Karp <karp at mail.com>, Karen Renick <Karen at voterescue.org>
From: Theron Horton <theronhorton at mac.com>
Subject: TEXAS: University of Texas: "Caucus chair uncovers discrepancies"
Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2008 11:12:55 -0500

  http://www.dailytexanonline.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticlePrinterFriendly&uStory_id=28ea38c8-11ea-4bfe-bd6a-489e15d95c61

  < Back | Home
  Caucus chair uncovers discrepancies
  By: Adrienne Lee
  Posted: 3/7/08
  Volunteers who worked the Jester Center caucus on Tuesday are suspicious of at least one of the caucus lists, the precinct chairman said late Thursday night. At least three students who signed the list verified that the candidates attached to their names were not the candidates they voted for.

  Government senior Ray Skidmore, precinct chair for the voting precinct that includes all UT dorms, said one of the caucus volunteers on Thursday noticed almost identical handwriting on one of the caucus sheets. Volunteers were recounting the caucus numbers Wednesday and Thursday, Skidmore said, just to double-check before turning them in today. Information from all caucuses - forms and the official delegate counts - are due to the Travis County clerk's office today by 6 p.m. 

  When recounting, the volunteer noticed a whole list had Sen. Hillary Clinton written in similar handwriting in the presidential preference column for each of the six voters on that list. Skidmore started calling each of the voters on the list when he reached finance senior Ronesha Holmes, who told him she did not write Clinton as her preference; Holmes said she was instructed to leave that line blank.

  Even one discrepancy threw up a flag of suspicion, Skidmore said.

  As he continued calling people on the list Thursday, he found that two other students, history and pre-med sophomore Abigail Cheney and government sophomore Adam Aldrete, said they did not fill in a presidential preference and that Clinton was not who they would have listed.

  "I think it's pretty disappointing," Skidmore said. "It might not affect the [number of] delegates, but it's the integrity of the process that may turn people off." He added that he was sorry for the inconveniences or problems the situation may cause.

  Both Cheney and Aldrete said those in their caucus line were given a sheet of paper and told to fill out as much information as possible and that the last person in line would take the list to the appropriate caucus official. 

  "It sounded sketch, but the whole situation was sketch," Cheney said.

  Cheney, Aldrete and Holmes said the caucus was unorganized and that caucus lists passed down the lines were not properly monitored by caucus officials.

  "I mean, who's to say sheets didn't get put in people's backpacks?" Holmes said. "I just want it all to be fixed and fair."

  Skidmore said he will be contacting the county clerk's office first thing this morning.

  There were at least 550 people at the Jester Center caucus, Skidmore said, who signed 80 caucus lists. He said the other 79 sheets "looked very legit, but I'm going to check through them."

  Skidmore is asking for all students who voted in Precinct 148 at the Jester Center caucus to send him an e-mail verifying their name, presidential preference and, if possible, voter ID number. He asks that those students e-mail him from the e-mail address they listed on the caucus sheet. Students can e-mail Skidmore at rfskidmore at gmail.com.

  © Copyright 2008 The Daily Texan
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