Friday, November 11, 2016

Election flummery or fraud in Putnam County Sheriff's race?

Wonder of wonders! Miracle of miracles!

In neighboring Putnam County, the Election Supervisor "found" 427 more votes that had not been downloaded.

Fancy that.

You can't make this stuff up.

This "error" is so colossal that we need actual investigations, by actual newspapers and actual law enforcement. The Times-Union article (below) reprinted in the St. Augustine Record is maladroit, not answering the who, what, why, when and how questions thoroughly, without fear or favor.

It could be a simple SNAFU -- local governments don't always hire the sharpest people.

This is Northeast Flori-DUH, home of the whopper. It's a beautiful but utterly corrupt place where St. Johns County Sheriff DAVID SHOAR f/k/a "HOAR can cover up a shooting death in the home of a Sheriff's Deputy, falsely calling it a "suicide" for more than six years and be re-elected, with support from the local hick hack newspaper, The St. Augustine Record, which is a national disgrace.

NEWS FLASH: In neighboring Putnam County, Florida, they have an actual Democratic Executive Committee that actually runs Democrats for office in countywide races: current voter registration is: Democrats:20,395; Republicans:17,957; Others:9,157 As Vice President Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. would say, "this is a big f---ing" deal.

Both Election Supervisor Charles Overturf and the apparent Sheriff-elect, Gator DeLoach, are Democrats.

Oh, and Supervisor of Elections Charles Overturf is a funeral director, with a degree in mortuary science.

What do y'all reckon?


Posted November 11, 2016 05:18 am
By
Garrett Pelican
garrett.pelican@jacksonville.com
Unreported votes show tentative reversal in Putnam County sheriff election


Edison Edison, Gator DeLoach III and Jonathan Kinney ran for Putnam County sheriff

About 430 ballots that went unreported on Election Day have shaken up the unofficial outcome of the race for Putnam County sheriff that was initially deemed too close to call.

Elections officials said they caught the error during an audit Thursday ahead of a mandatory recount required by law because just 18 votes separated top contenders Jonathan Kinney and Gator DeLoach III.

The inclusion of the outstanding ballots has DeLoach, who unofficial results showed trailing Kinney Tuesday night, now leading the race by a thin margin.

Elections Supervisor Charles Overturf acknowledged the error will raise questions about the legitimacy of the election but took responsibility for the mistake. He said his office is doing everything in its power to ensure the result is accurate.

“There’s no fraud, there’s nobody adding ballots, there were no ballots sitting in somebody’s car,” Overturf said.

He said the error occurred when a batch of 427 ballots was not downloaded from a computer to a memory card Tuesday, and that memory card in turn was not uploaded to the primary server responsible for tracking all of the votes.

Elections officials disclosed the news to both campaigns before an automated recount began at 9 a.m. Thursday.

A recount is required whenever unofficial returns have a candidate for office winning or losing by 0.5 percent or less of the total votes cast.

The swing in votes has both campaigns on edge, with DeLoach remaining hopeful about his chances and Kinney’s campaign weighing its legal options.

Kinney campaign manager Tim Campbell said he has questions about the handling of those votes, which he said was “suspect at best,” and whether they can be legally counted.

“We’d like to know where those votes came from and we have sought legal counsel and we’re definitely looking at it,” he said.

DeLoach said he was shocked to find out he might win the race after all.

“I’m cautiously optimistic that the race will turn out in our favor, but that still remains uncertain right now,” he said.

The canvassing board aims to wrap up the mandatory recount by late Thursday or early Friday, said Overturf, who noted the result won’t become official until Nov. 18.

Kinney, a Republican, was in the lead with 48.51 percent of the vote compared with 48.46 percent for Democrat DeLoach as of Tuesday night, according to unofficial results. Edison Edison, who is not affiliated with a party, came in third with 3.03 percent.

Overturf compared the shift in votes to an instant replay overturning a touchdown during a professional football game, saying not everyone will be pleased with the outcome.

“We may not like that, but at least we know it was the right call,” he said.

The new numbers wouldn’t change any other outcomes, he said.

Garrett Pelican: (904) 359-4385

COMMENTS
Tom Reynolds
Overturf should resign.

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