Conyers, Jesse Jackson vow to continue Ohio vote probe
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A Democratic congressman and Jesse Jackson said Wednesday they will continue to investigate complaints of election irregularities in Ohio, but they won't call for a delay in the official certification process. Ohio officials declared President Bush the winner of the state's 20 electoral votes Monday after the ballot count showed a 118,775-vote lead over Democratic Sen. John Kerry. The Electoral College meeting is scheduled for Monday, despite a recount starting as early as next week. Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, convened a hearing to examine accusations of voting problems in Ohio. Many of the election complaints, such as disparities in vote totals and a shortage of voting machines in Democratic-leaning urban precincts, have already been cited and explained. Conyers promised that Democrats on the committee will review each problem even though the Government Accountability Office has said it will study the 2004 election. He plans to hold a session in Columbus, Ohio. "The legal challenges cannot stop. There should be a debate in Congress about what happened," said Jackson, a former Democratic presidential candidate. He brushed aside questions about whether a delay in Bush's inauguration next month was warranted. [more]
