The largest discrepency [sic] between our results and the official results was in Ron Paul’s totals. Our poll showed him coming in 2nd after Duncan Hunter with 90 (out of308)votes and 29.22% of the total; the “official” results showed him coming in 3rd with 217 (out of 1300) votes and 16.69%of the total.
As we hand-counted our results outside the main entrance of the Convention Center, (in full public view and being videotaped by Gregory), a delegate/voter approached our table and said he was puzzled that pencils were being provided for use in the voting room. He told us he reached for a pencil, then thought better of it since he realized his vote could easily be erased and changed, then got a pen to mark his ballot instead. He said that a selection of each was lined up on a table like so: “pen, pencil, pen, pencil, pen, pencil”. He commented that using erasable pencil for voting did not make sense to him. Another delegate/voter who came over to talk with us heard the first gentleman’s comment and, with a look of dismay, realized that she, too,had selected a pencil–and had used it. She said, “I can’t believe I was so stupid!”…In hindsight, it seemed peculiar to us that pencils were provided to voters at all since the Tarrant Party Republican Party Chair, Stephanie Klick, had told one of Ron Paul’s supporters that permanent ink pens would be used for marking the ballots
What we do know is that there were many vulnerabilities in the”chain of custody” of the official ballots from the point at which the election ended until votes were being counted; and that neither media, nor any citizen observors [sic] with videocameras (or otherwise) were allowed in the room where counting took place. Our videographers Terry Melton, Kathleen Winn, and Gregory Gory, as well as any other interested parties,had to satisfy themselves with quick glances through small windows in the doors of the counting room.
Everything about this poll stinks. Hanging chads may not have been involved, but some good old fashined rigging certainly looks to have taken place.
This could be a huge problem for the Ron Paul campaign. Somehow, we have to make sure these elections have a big light held up to them.
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