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 For Immediate Release
Dec 17, 2000 Contact: Press Office
202-646-5172


JUDICIAL WATCH PRESIDENTIAL “BALLOT COUNT” TO SERVE AS ANTIDOTE TO JESSE JACKSON AND OTHER PARTISANS

Will Be Inspecting Broward Ballots On Monday, December 18th, And Miami-Dade And Other Counties Thereafter

Goal Is To Ensure Impartial Analysis Of Voting Patterns and Problems

(Washington, DC) Judicial Watch, the public interest law firm which investigates and prosecutes government abuse, was the first to file requests under the Florida Public Records Act at Florida Statute § 119.07 for access to the disputed ballots in 67 counties. Indeed, it was Judicial Watch’s inspection of ballots in Palm Beach County which generated great notoriety at the height of the election contest, when it was discovered that the disputed ballots were in no condition for an accurate recount, unless special considerations were taken into account. Indirectly, the U.S. Supreme Court referred to Judicial Watch’s discovery in its recent opinion of last Wednesday.

Since Judicial Watch is nonpartisan and did not favor either Vice President Al Gore or Governor George W. Bush in the election contest, it hired a Certified Public Accounting firm, Johnson Lambert & Co., to work with its 500-plus volunteers throughout the state of Florida to analyze the disputed and other ballots. A copy of the preliminary accountant’s report concerning Palm Beach County can be found at www.JudicialWatch.org.

With the close of the election contest period, and the ascension of Governor Bush as President-elect, numerous leftist groups, such as Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow Coalition, have pledged to rewrite the results of the election by doing their own vote count. While Judicial Watch recognizes Reverend Jackson’s right to do this under law, Judicial Watch will accelerate its efforts to inspect the ballots in all 67 counties, with a certified report by its accountants, to counteract the partisan demagoguery of “The Left,” which potentially seeks to present a false picture of what happened.

“Judicial Watch’s inspection and count of the ballots will simply classify the ballots by physical characteristics into various groups and sub-groups. Unlike Reverend Jackson, we will not seek to pick a winner or a loser but, instead, present an accurate and fair picture of what occurred in the various Florida counties. This will be useful not only for historical purposes, but will enable Judicial Watch to make recommendations so the flaws in the nation’s voting system can be corrected,” stated Judicial Watch Chairman and General Counsel Larry Klayman.

“The demagoguery of Reverend Jackson and his allies will be countered with the hard numbers,” added Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.


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