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Condotta votes to delay
ratifying governor's race
Rep. Cary Condotta,
R-Wenatchee, voted today to delay ratification of the governor’s race
and give the courts time to sort out problems with the recent election.
“I have heard from
hundreds of constituents about this issue,” Condotta said.
“Overwhelmingly, they have asked me not to put my stamp of approval on
this race until we can sort out the facts. I agree, and today I cast a
vote to wait.”
Every four years the
Legislature is called upon to ratify statewide elections. In doing so,
declare the results accurate and acceptable. Following the election,
dozens of errors and inconsistencies have come to light, including:
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Thousands more votes
counted in the election than there are records of voters casting
ballots;
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Hundreds of
provisional ballots – presumed invalid – were improperly placed
directly into vote-counting machines and counted as valid votes;
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Felons voted, and
people cast ballots in the names of deceased voters;
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Many members of the
military never received their ballots, or received them too late for
them to count.
House Republicans put
forward a measure today during a joint House and Senate session to wait
two weeks before ratifying the race. Democrats, who control both
branches of the Legislature, used their majority to deny the
Republicans’ attempt, and passed a measure ratifying the race. The
ratification clears the way for Gov-elect Gregoire to take the oath of
office tomorrow.
“Bottom line, this vote
was about representing the people,” said Condotta. “Polls show that a
majority of people, including those of all parties, want a revote. We
believed, given the evidence, it was best to put the ratification on
hold. That is certainly a better alternative than putting someone in the
governor’s office and then removing them later.”
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For more information, contact:
Bobbi Cussins, Public Information Officer: (360) 786-7252
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