Hillsborough Doesn't Care if Elections Are Rigged?

Hillsborough County Commissioners bravely addressing election issues

Hillsborough County Commissioners called Earl Lennard, supervisor of elections to the County Commission meeting yesterday and blatantly refused to ask him questions I have driven across the state to ask three times.

Namely what precisely caused the seismic election glitch of 2010?

 Most of the talking was done by a legal representative from the county. Lennard was there specifically to talk about the new election laws.

And yet, not one of the county commissioners thought to ask him for his office's official report on the Glitch that erased 38,000 votes the night Rick Scott was elected.

Earl Lennard SOE

I have asked the county to give me, or point me the way to, any shred of documentation regarding the events of Nov. 2, 2010. There is no report, apparently. Nothing on the Supervisor's website. And I need to hold a report on this glitch, as I march all over Florida in a fugue of Messianic-complex narcissism, trying to convince county commissions to remove Dominion Voting systems from their offices of supervisor of elections.

My fugue requires documentation, yes. Otherwise they just laugh at you. Of course they can only snicker at you quietly if you have bona fide evidence that what you say is true and accurate and they should do something about whatever your issue is. But they still snicker, and make jokes about your "concern".

What the commissioners did yesterday was personally insulting to me. Yes. Hear me sniffle at my desk. See the tears as they cascade down my face. But their actions (inactions) were also telling. Boiled down, there is only one logical conclusion. And it ain't pretty.

Comm.Mark Sharpe District 7

They simply don't care whether or not their supervisor of elections, or someone inside his office, or whether other parties through unknown means, are rigging elections through Hillsborough County's SOE. They just don't care. If it is happening, they don't want to know. And they don't want to talk about it.

Interesting to note that one commissioner Mark Sharpe, is running for congress. Oh yes! Please, feel free to link to his campaign Facebook page and ask him about his disinterest in this issue.

Sharpe actually was outspoken in his disappointment with the SOE office after the election of Rick Scott, because of the Hillsborough Glitch. The glitch erased 50 percent of the votes in the last three days of early voting, necessitating the emergency rescanning of those votes. "Glitch" is a word that doesn't exist in computer science. The term "Ballot rescanning" doesn't exist in Florida law.

He was quoted in the Tampa Tribune saying "heads are going to roll over this" immediately following the election. Because of all that money spent on Dominion voting machines (!) and not necessarily the tainting of the election result. No matter, the sentiment was a valid one.

Long about July, however, he decided to run for congress. He's facing incumbent democrat Rep. Kathy Castor in a seat that has been held by democrats for some time. Perhaps because of this, and not wanting to anger the supervisor of elections he went schtum on the entire issue.

Here's my hell in all this. Let's review the entire sad story of my pitiful efforts to get Hillsborough to officially, on paper, fess-up to what happened on election night 2010?

Timeline and videos:

1. I approached Hills SOE for information July 21, and was told blatant falsehoods. Here's the link to my account taken day-of.

2. I sent a complaint in to the Florida Attorney General's office that it was my firm belief the election was  rigged. This was forward by her staff to Sec. of State Kurt Browning.

3. I sent an email to Mark Sharpe asking if heads indeed did roll, and what happened? Was there an explanation for the glitch? I got nothing back.

Okay so, nothing from the A.G. Nothing from the Department of State. Lies from the Hills SOE, nothing back from one of their commissioners who at least seemed interested in the issue. What do I do?

4. Appearing here before the county commission Jan 5. I asked them to help me in my quest. (We come in at 1:12:11) Commissioner Mark Sharpe addressed my concerns stating "there has been an initial response that has been forwarded." But of course there was nothing sent, or published.

5. St. Petersblog reports Jan. 9, 2012. Monday, that Sec. of State Kurt Browning will resign. They report the decision was made on Jan. 5. The very day I appeared and harangued the Hillsborough County Commission.
The secretary of state's office immediately vehemently denied the secretary was stepping down. Here. But then, oopsie, next day Jan. 11, the Governor himself confirmed that this was precisely what was happening.

Meantime I never received anything in the way of a 'forthcoming" initial report about the Hillsborough Glitch. Remember. This is the crux of the entire issue. I am looking for a single piece of paper with words on it confirming there was a machine foul up on election night, and they won't do this.


So I went back to Hillsborough County.

6. I appeared again, Jan. 19. I come in at 0:31:10 I feel I put a decent lick on them. Wake up! "When elections are stolen in Florida people die!" I mean, certainly they heard that, right? Oh yes, I know they heard that because the Commission Chairman Ken Hagan said "appreciate you comments, sir." So, that means he heard them, right?

7. No. Apparently not. No response forthcoming. So Tuesday I sent a follow up email, which was bounced by the commission administrator's office. Essentially their response was "seek ye the office of SOE" which I had done in July.

8. So, fed up, I sent back this email of mild lambaste reminding them of all I had been through (I mean..!) She sent me a response stating she was immediately directing this email to Ken Hagan, chairman of the board. I sent back "outstanding". I mean, obviously now they are going to get to the bottom of this, they are going to ask the questions I have been asking, right? I mean, come on, they know I mean business and I have a serious concern, right?

9. Next bloody day, February 8, the commission brings in all players in the SOE and an attorney before the board. I mean this is next day! (Look I can't drive over to every single meeting of the Hillsborough County Commission. I couldn't be there! I wish I had! But, essentially being an out of work underwear blogger dependent in a one salary household, it was my duty to drive the kids to and fro to all their whatnots and schools.)

Mr. Lennard comes in here at 1:53:4

Comm. Les Miller District 3

Commissioner Les Miller who represents the very district (3) and the African American community in which the early voted ballots were "glitched," says he had called Lennard there to discuss changes in the voting laws which affect thousands of voters. At the beginning of the meeting, Miller had discussed the NAACP and Black History Month, February.

"There's been as you all know much concern about the election law." He said, and asked for the "good, the bad, the ugly," if there is any.

Lennard and his team then discussed everything but the machines that will count the votes. He certainly didn't discuss the last general election. He glazed over changes to the voting laws. Bobanic and Latimer - heir apparent for Lennard's position after he steps down at the end of the 2012 election, were there and said nothing.

No one commissioner; certainly not Mark "heads should roll" Sharpe, certainly not Ken "appreciate your concerns" Hagan nor even Les "African American community I represent you" Miller dared mention the glitch that ate 38,000 votes.

But they aren't alone. Alex "wanted to be governor" Sink has never addressed this issue either. And as a resident of Hillsborough County who lives in Thonotosassa, you would think she would be very concerned about the glitch and in need of answers.

Not so much.

Why?

No one will say.

Where is the media in all of this?

No one knows.

Contact the Hillsborough County Commissioners through their website by CLICKING HERE. Strongly urge them to get rid of Dominion voting machines, and put pressure on the supervisor of elections to produce a report on the election fiasco of 2010. Something in writing.

Contact the Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections BY CLICKING HERE,   demand that they complete, release, publicize a written report - be it a paragraph, be it a book - on the Glitch that erased 38,000 votes on election night 2010.

Or don't. Yeah, too much trouble I know. Continue believing you are participating in democracy by going to the same parties you've been going to with your other buddies in whatever political party you belong to. Get your picture taken with Barack, or DWS, or Alan Grayson again, and delude yourself that all is well.

..that your vote is being counted.