Final question: Washington stolen?

[J. J.]

No partisanship, please.

Request of the year.

No, nothing organized. Did Rossi win? Who knows. But, if it was "stolen," it was more accidentally picked up.

I have to agree with Alcon.  No, you can not claim it was stolen.  The result may end up being wrong and possibly reversed, but I can see no massive effort on the part of Democrats to "steal" it.

[J. J.]

I think that Rossi will be able to prove in court that there were more votes counted than there were legitimate votes, and that the number of of illegitimate votes counted exceed the 'victoryt' margin of Gregoire.

Before we proclaim a "stolen election," "fraud" or demand a revote, let's see it this can be determined.

[J. J.]

I'm sorry, but I'm going to need evidence before I yell that either Gregorie "stole" the election or that she was "smiled upon" by the system.

I really doubt it was "stolen," though perhaps "screwed up."  Even then, that doesn't mean Gregorie didn't win.

[J. J.]

He also said the party has identified 44 votes cast under the name of dead people, 10 voters who voted twice in the state and six who voted here and in another state.

This is probably the key, if it could be verified.  I will note that these numbers are 55.  If ten people voted twice, one of their two votes was legitimate.  Gregoire would still win by 74 votes.

Now, the question if under WA law, can convicted felons vote at some point; they can in PA.

The provisionals were improperly mixed in, but that does votes show that they were votes cast by people not entitled to vote.  Some, if not all, of the people casting provisional ballots may have been legitimate voters.  That can be checked and the GOP here has not even claimed that they were not.

Now, I hate to say it, but there is precedent in WA for a revote; I'm not happy about it, but it is there and has been for more than 25 years.  If it could be shown that there were more illegal votes, i.e. votes cast by people who were not legally entitled to vote, a revote might be a possible solition.

In that light, I would ask if there in any WA constitutional provision relating to the governor's race?

[J. J.]

Here is Article III of WA Constitution:

SECTION 4 RETURNS OF ELECTIONS, CANVASS, ETC. The returns of every election for the officers named in the first section of this article shall be sealed up and transmitted to the seat of government by the returning officers, directed to the secretary of state, who shall deliver the same to the speaker of the house of representatives at the first meeting of the house thereafter, who shall open, publish and declare the result thereof in the presence of a majority of the members of both houses. The person having the highest number of votes shall be declared duly elected, and a certificate thereof shall be given to such person, signed by the presiding officers of both houses; but if any two or more shall be highest and equal in votes for the same office, one of them shall be chosen by the joint vote of both houses. Contested elections for such officers shall be decided by the legislature in such manner as shall be determined by law. The terms of all officers named in section one of this article shall commence on the second Monday in January after their election until otherwise provided by law.


Now, a couple of points.  The legislature has to act via statute; it can't just pass a resolution.

Second, in establishing the statute for contested elections, which the courts have determined permit revoting, did they include these "officers."  That would include the Governor.