Readers of this blog know that for the last two days I posted about Enid Santiago, and her loss in the June 2nd primary election to Peter Schweyer. Although Santiago lost by 55 votes, she has been claiming election fraud and corruption. The county election board granted her a hearing yesterday to consider her complaints. Center stage, as mentioned in previous posts, was Ev Bickford darkening some ovals that were too faint for the scanner to read. Santiago was also complaining of several people, including her mother, who were turned away from voting. Santiago explained that Puerto Ricans use hyphenated and/or double names and/or multiple surnames, and that the poll workers should allow for every possible combination. It appeared as if the board entertained every possible irregularity that she could throw at the wall, and with each subsequent complaint becoming more frivolous, they allowed her lawyer to drone on for five hours.
In 1997 Emma Tropiano lost the Democratic primary by one vote. Although she was very upset, and pursued appropriate challenges, she made no allegations of stealing an election by systematic rigging, fraud, and corruption. Worse yet for Allentown's future, is the cast of so called leaders who support Santiago's failure to accept that she lost the election. Even the local Republican party, ever trying to ingratiate themselves closer with the hispanic community, petitioned the DA to investigate irregularities on her behalf.
At the end of the hearing Ev Bickford was sacrificed on the alter of wokeness by the Election Board, with their recommendation that she be investigated by the District Attorney and the Penna. Attorney General for violations of the election code.
If Chief Election Clerk Tim Benyo thought he had a problem getting people to work the polls for the primary, wait until November.
The future of local politics in Allentown looks indeed bleak.
Bernie O'Hare also posts on the hearing
The future of national politics in America also looks bleak, and for similar reasons. Personal responsibility, morality, and ethics in this age has taken a rapid decline. As a result, confusion leading to conflict will only grow.
ReplyDeleteI fear we are not prepared for the fuzzy actions we will see through the November Election. Even worse, we are also not prepared to do anything about foul play after it happens.
Somewhat like we found ourselves defenseless from mishandling of data concerning COVID-19. Our economy has been seriously injured, business shuttered, due to loosely gathered and reported numbers. I would go so far as to say, in some instances, like Pennsylvania, weaponized numbers for political reasons.
Does anyone really believe the next election will be ‘straight’ and go down easily?
So the local republican committee is doing this for political purposes? News flash: There hasn't been a Republican on city council in over a decade, and I don't think they have anybody on the school board either. The registration numbers in Allentown aren't even trending their way. More importantly, they don't have a candidate in the Schweyer/Santiago race, and Santiago and her supporters are so far to the left that they're never voting republican.
ReplyDeleteI suspect that the local republican party's motivation is to ensure that there are fair elections. Cheating affects races at the local, county, state, and national levels and shouldn't be tolerated. I would have thought that's a premise that everyone could support, but after reading this post, I suppose not.
For a NINE-YEAR election judge to be committing a felony offense by altering ballots is inexcusable and should be prosecuted.
The majority of poll workers are hard working and follow the rules. If Benyo now has trouble attracting the election workers that want to commit felonies, I'd say we're all better off.
WOW! Mike, You write; "Even the local Republican party, ever trying to ingratiate themselves closer with the hispanic community," . For years the Republican Party has been accused of ignoring urban areas and the minority populations. For this they were rightly criticized both inside and outside the party. More recently the GOP both nationwide and locally has begun effective minority outreach and you label it "ingratiate". Mike, why not congratulate the Republicans for again fielding candidates in the city? Why not congratulate the Republicans for fielding Latino candidates? Why not congratulate the Republicans for supporting a minority Democratic candidate in the city who appears to have been screwed by the local controlling Democratic Machine? Perhaps what the Republicans are doing is exactly what they should be doing, reaching out to build connections and trust with a very important constituency and fight potential voter fraud. Voter fraud is a front burner issue here and nationwide ahead of a very important national election. Ordinarily Mike you call balls and strikes better than most, in this case one is left to shake their heads at how you saw the pitch.
ReplyDeleteanon@7:55 and scott@7:59. I agree that there is nothing negative about the Republican efforts for a larger tent. I also believe that the discourse this issue caused within the Democratic party doesn't upset the Republicans :). As for a "felonie", I believe that Bickford was only trying to make the existing choice by the voter more scanner readable.
ReplyDeleteMM -
ReplyDeleteIt's a felony-level offense. It's not up to you (or me) to determine his intent.
That's where a jury (and DA/AG) come in.
P.S. - Why did you place "felonie" in quotes at 8:54? I believe "felony" is the singular and "felonies" is the plural. I'm not an English major, so I'm seriously asking.
Mike, I agree with you on Everett, that said, Allentown Latinos have learned the Democratic Machine that claims to be their champion is really treating them as chumps.Of course they are correct, the seat Shwierer holds was created especially to be a Latino Seat. The Democrats gave the Latinos the back of their hand and instead filled the seat with one of their loyal and obedient White, Male, councilmen. I could go on, but the anger we are witnessing with this challenge has been building for some time in the latino community here in Allentown.
ReplyDeleteScott, as I asid earlier the Republicans are enjoying the conflict, and that is another reason why their petition to Martin was filed... they can use their claim for election fairness on someone else, I don't buy it. As for the Latino seat: although mentioned when the 22nd was formed, the notion now that a seat is limited to or intended for a certain ethnicity has come and gone.
ReplyDeleteUnknown, felonie was a typo, the quotation marks because, again, I do not believe that there was any "intent" on Bickford's part. I do understand that I'm neither judge or jury.
Mike, I am an election judge. It sounds like this Judge was collecting ballots, reviewing them, and altering them. Each act is a crime. You cannot collect ballots from voters. You cannot review them. You cannot alter them. Do you think this is Iraq or the old Soviet Union?
ReplyDeleteThe November Election could be a real nightmare all across America. Several new doors to vote fraud have been opened.
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