The State of the Democracy: Election Observer arrested in Arizona

Ask not for whom the bell tolls... it tolls for democracy.

From the Election Defense Alliance blog:

While monitoring a handcount of ballots from the September 3rd Arizona primary, in his capacity as an official election observer for the Democratic and Libertarian parties, EDA Investigations Co-Coordinator John Brakey was arrested and ejected from the Pima County election headquarters on orders of Pima County Elections Director Brad Nelson.

Brakey had noticed that several of the incoming bags containing ballots from the precincts had unsecured or missing seals. The seal failures appeared to be the result of pollworkers not knowing how to properly lock them.

Brakey then wondered whether the serial numbers on the bag seals matched the serial numbers recorded by the precinct pollworkers when they sealed the ballots. One question led to another, and Brakey ended up in handcuffs.

Watch the television news video of the incident from KGUN TV, Pima AZ. If you have any trouble hearing the video, click here.



Seal serial numbers are supposed to be recorded on yellow report sheets, called "End of Day Certification Reports." The certification sheets are supposed to be signed by all precinct pollworkers and included with the ballots inside the delivery bags. The bags are supposed to remain sealed until opened for counting at county election headquarters.

In one bag, instead of the signed official certification sheets, there was instead a slip of white paper with what Brakey said were "two illegible, scrawled signatures." Brakey watched Election Manager Brad Nelson read the slip, say he recognized who the two pollworkers were, and approve acceptance of that bag of ballots for counting.

Brakey found it rather remarkable that Nelson would be so familiar with the county's 3000 pollworkers that he could identify two of them by illegible scrawls on a slip of paper.

I had a feeling this election was going to be ugly. It is hard to imagine that our new ruling class will allow a few -- well 80% of Americans -- to just vote away their stranglehold on our government.

Not without intimidation and violence.

Realize that if you are greedy enough to overthrow the democratic process to escape all government accountability, oversight, and even taxes - not to mention the killing you're making in Iraq - you're not going to let go of that kind of power.

They are obviously worried that this election won't be close enough to fudge. Stronger action will be required.

If you don't believe me, read Machiavelli. This sort of behavior is as old as civilization. Long live the Robber Barons.