Voting Irregularities         

          Is it just me or has anyone else noticed how the Republican or conservative candidate always seems to come out behind when there is a recount in a close election?  Of course the liberals will respond to this suggestion by once again dredging up the 2000 presidential race and in so doing deny that the Supreme Court is the final arbiter of the law.  We could go back to the Nixon-Kennedy presidential race in 1960, but for me it began with the 2008 Minnesota Senate race between Republican incumbent Norm Coleman and television clown Al Franken.  After months of back and forth counting of ballots, Coleman finally conceded, more out of frustration than a conviction that he had actually lost. 

           In the recent 2010 midterm elections a number of close contests resulted in recounts and delayed proclamations of the winner.  In most of the cases that have been settled so far, the Republican has gotten the short end of the stick once again.  After the results of the Connecticut gubernatorial race first went one way, then the other, Republican Tom Foley eventually conceded to Democrat Dan Malloy.  In Colorado’s close Senate race, Democrat incumbent Michael Bennet has been declared the winner over Republican Ken Buck.  In the Washington State Senate race, Democrat incumbent Patty Murray barely bested Republican Dino Rossi.  And in the Illinois Gubernatorial race Democrat incumbent Pat Quinn narrowly prevailed over Republican Dan Hynes.  These are just a few of the more notable instances of the Democrat being declared the winner of a tight race.  

          There are still several important races that have not yet been decided and we will be watching closely to see if this pattern persists.  In Minnesota the gubernatorial race between Republican Tom Emmer and Democrat Mark Dayton is headed for a recount.  In an important California Congressional race Republican David Harmer is still hoping to defeat Democrat incumbent Jerry McNerney.  In the most closely watched of all the unsettled races, Republican Joe Miller is trying to fend off the shenanigans of write-in candidate and heiress to an entrenched political dynasty, Lisa Murkowski, for the Alaska Senate seat.  The Murkowski camp is trying to change the rules for counting write-in entries on the ballot in order to give her an edge. 

          All of this raises the possibility that there may be an increasing incidence of voter fraud in our country.  Questions over counting of absentee ballots, the disenfranchisement of our troops fighting overseas and write-in ballot irregularities all contribute to this growing perception.  And what about the blatant activism of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in Harry Reid’s surprise reelection to the Senate in Nevada!  Add to that the intimidation of voters at the polling place by the New Black Panthers and meddling in elections by the discredited ultra-liberal group ACORN and I believe we are ripe for fraud in these disputed elections.  We must insist that observers impartial to the Republican or conservative cause be given access to all recount proceedings and we must challenge any questionable results in the courts.