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 Howard Speaks to WE THE PEOPLE FOUNDATION Recount Update Alert
Prophetic Word From Albert Howard About N.H. Recount The Holy Spirit revealed to Albert Benjamin Howard on Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 15:58P.M. EST that within 58 days the corruption of the New Hampshire Primary Recount will be exposed and defeated! In addition, a major candidate will drop out of the Presidential race due to health reasons.
See Video Below
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: BOB DWYER-508-930-5530
CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE
17 February 2008
NEW HAMPSHIRE PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY RECOUNT IS BEING CONTESTED and APPEALED
CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE: Albert Howard, the Republican Presidential candidate who ordered a statewide recount in New Hampshire which was completed Monday, February 11th, filed an appeal to that recount with New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner's office on Friday, the 15th.
In his Petition, Mr. Howard has requested, "That the Ballot Law Commission and the Secretary of State’s office disclaim any opinion on the accuracy of the Presidential primary election AND the statewide Republican recount because checks and balances to maintain the integrity of the ballots and the total counts were either not followed, or not in place."
The first level of appeal in New Hampshire is with the state "Ballot Law Commission", which usually deals with matters of contested ballots. “Albert is determined to get a full hearing either at this Commission, or at a Federal Court” states Vickie Karp, National Chair of the Coalition for Visible Ballots. “He is one of the most committed patriots I've ever met.” Mr. Howard was inspired to call for a recount when, on Primary night in New Hampshire, January 8th, he watched on C-SPAN his vote totals seemingly disappear where the Diebold Optical Scan machines were being used to tabulate votes.
Through donations from supporters Mr. Howard was able to raise $55,000 necessary to pay for a statewide recount of New Hampshire's 100% paper ballots. The problem appears to be that 81% of those paper ballots were counted by Diebold optical scan counters.
A number of violations were cited in his appeal which cast doubt on the integrity of New Hampshire’s election process. Mr. Howard states: "...discrepancies shown between the results of those ballots counted by hand versus those counted by Diebold optical scan counters..., together with violations of HAVA requirements, indicate a high risk and opportunity for manipulation of ballots and vote totals, thereby invalidating the results of both the Primary election and the recount." (HAVA is the Help America Vote Act of 2002.)
In some cases, machines malfunctioned, and these machine failures were improperly handled by election workers and the private company providing the voting machines manufactured by Diebold possibly altering the outcome of the election.
For example, town clerks told Dori Smith, a reporter from Connecticut, that memory cards were switched out in some towns by LHS employees, which is contrary to state election laws. (LHS Associates is the vendor responsible for the optical scan machines.) In Manchester, three machines had to be replaced on Election Day, and one machine was reported to be "...taking ballots but counter not incrementing." In Barnstead, the problem was "Ballots rejecting a lot, even during test."
Apparently, the high error rate for the Diebold Optical Scanner is well-known. In a recent test at the University of Connecticut, the Diebold Precinct-Based Optical Scan Accuvote 1.94w system (AV OS) demonstrated a failure rate of roughly 3.4%. Diebold itself issued a Product Advisory Note about this machine on January 25, 2008, too late for election officials in New Hampshire to be forewarned.
In addition to problems with the voting machines, the post-election chain of custody of the ballots and machines was poorly monitored. In some cases, the location of the memory cards, which are essentially electronic ballot boxes, was unknown after the election. Some ballots delivered for the recount arrived in illegal cardboard boxes with slits in the sides.Some boxes of ballots were not properly sealed. Some came with no tape at all, making it impossible to verify that they had not been tampered with. Other ballots arrived in bundles wrapped in newspaper or brown paper. Sometimes ballot boxes were left overnight in an unsecured room instead of in the "ballot vault." Much of this was documented on video tape by Bev Harris, Founder and Director of non-profit election watchdog group Black Box Voting, who spent many days in Concord monitoring the recount.
Furthermore, Mr. Howard states, "On many days of the recount, ballots were delivered after the recount had ended for the day, after dark, when most of the employees were gone from the building, and their delivery was not witnessed by any member of the public or citizen monitors. These boxes at times were left out overnight in large insecure rooms."
Mr. Howard proposes a number of solutions to these problems in his Petition, starting with the requirement that election officials abide by the laws and follow all applicable procedures already in place to ensure the integrity of elections. In addition, he advocates that cameras be set up filming the ballot boxes at all times and broadcasting live over the internet for citizens to oversee.
American citizens have not only the Constitutional right to vote, but also the Constitutional right to have their vote counted. The use of electronic machines instead of paper ballots makes this much more difficult, especially when the machines break down, malfunction or are possibly tampered with in some way that cannot be easily identified. In addition, it appears that much greater care needs to be taken in regard to the "physical chain of custody" of either electronic or paper ballots to ensure the integrity of our elections.
The problems in New Hampshire are, unfortunately, not unique. Similar problems have been reported all over the country in recent elections. Albert Howard’s Petition may prove to be an important step in the direction of ensuring honest, transparent elections in the future. You can view the petition at and more information on his website: http://alberthoward.org/reco.aspx
Petition of Appeal to the Ballot Law Commission
c/o Office of the Secretary of State, William Gardner
State House
Concord, New Hampshire 03301
by Albert Howard, Republican candidate for President
of the United States
New Hampshire Primary Election of January 8th, 2008
Date: February 15, 2008
Petitioner: Albert Howard, Pro Se
710 Apple St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48105-1750
albertingridh@yahoo.com
Subject of Petition: Appeal of results of the Presidential Primary recount completed February 11, 2008; examination of contested ballots in that recount.
Relief Requested: That the Ballot Law Commission and the Secretary of State’s office disclaim any opinion on the accuracy of the Presidential primary election AND the statewide Republican recount because checks and balances to maintain the integrity of the ballots and the total counts were either not followed, or not in place.
Introduction:
New Hampshire has the distinct honor of having the first Presidential primary in the country and has always been viewed as a model state because of its election system and methodology of holding elections in an open, transparent fashion. I, for one, thank you for keeping the tradition of being one of the few states in the country that still has a paper ballot for every person who votes. Your standards for transparency and support of the democratic process are admirable and much appreciated.
I ask that you view the following petition as an opportunity to improve your procedures and policies. The scrutiny of election observers has brought with it a chance to correct areas of vulnerabilities and potential breakdowns and holes in the system. As a candidate I am requesting you work with me and together we can open up meaningful dialogue to bring better procedures and amend areas that need attention based on my experience and in consultation with many experienced and dedicated election integrity advocates.
If this Commission chooses to follow through and act on my questions, requests and recommendations, I am certain it will make New Hampshire’s electoral system even stronger and an even better leader for other states to follow.
This Petition is not about me. This Petition represents the requests of the people this Ballot Law Commission represents. Every person who voted in this Primary election wants to know that their vote was accepted and counted as cast. They want to have no doubt about the integrity of New Hampshire’s election process.
I am asking for the opportunity to work with you, to initiate an open, |
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