How JFK won Hawaii, and how JFK could win Ohio

First, some appetizers:

Voters to challenge U.S. Election.

BlackBoxVoting.org files lawsuit against Palm Beach country for failure to provide public records.

Oklahoma voting machines counted backwards -- possible fraud.

Kerry Team joins fight in Ohio.

Hungry now?

With the recount in Ohio expected to occur, and the Kerry campaign acknowledging and openly participating in observations of it, I call your attention to a proposal by bradamante3: Demand that Ohio send two sets of Electors in the event the recount results in a Kerry victory.

Due to the incredible delay in Ohio's certification of their results, a recount starting now would produce results too late to select Democratic Electors for the final vote for President (deadline to certify Electors is Dec. 12th). Therefore, by certifying both sets of electors now, administrative delays will not hinder the will of the people, no matter what the outcome.

Some links for reference to precedent set in the Kennedy-Nixon race, describing how Kennedy won Hawaii because two sets of electors were certified and ready before the recount returns:

How Kennedy Won Hawaii.

A discussion of the Kennedy-Nixon election and how Hawaii was decided for Kennedy.

Summary of Bush v. Gore from 2000.

As explained by bradamante:

The Court's "deadline" of midnight on December 12th to have the Florida vote count finalized was not a true deadline but an excuse to end the recount. If a state certifies its electors by December 12th, Congress can't question them. If a state does not make that deadline, nothing happens. The counting could continue. In 1960, Hawaii appointed two slates of electors and Congress chose one on January 4th. The appropriate US Code merely provides rules for Congress to follow when there is a conflict. Nothing in the rules prohibit a state from counting legal votes until a bonafide winner is determined. And just because votes were not counted by a punch card reader or optical scanner does not mean they were not legal votes. A legal vote based on Florida state laws and legal precedent is a vote which clearly shows the intent of the voter.

In other words, there was plenty of time to allow the Florida Supreme Court to set standards and complete a recount. The recount called for by the Florida court on December 8th was on a pace to be completed on the 10th or 11th of December, at the latest. But then the Supreme Court stepped in and stopped the counting. Even if the recount had to be started over with specific standards, there were six days remaining before the Electoral College was to meet. Even that date, December 18th, was not a final deadline for determining electors based on the 1960 precedent.

Our elections will not be reformed until America puts her foot down and declares, "Enough!" We grinned and bore it as 2000 passed us by with promises of reform, but all too soon 2004 appeared and we trudged like docile sheep back into the voting booth, knowing that nothing had been done to safeguard our vote, but still bleating our hopes that just maybe, this time things would be better. But they weren't. And they won't be. This cycle of deception and oppression will continue until we decide to stand up for our rights. It does not take a march on the capitol in sub-zero temperatures, all it takes is a phone call or an email. How can we hope to be a beacon of Hope and Liberty to the world when our spirit lies beaten in the gutter?

It's time for our vote to count.