ELECTION: Rotten through the core

Lisa and I have filed a motion asking the District Court to allow us to be become personally involved in the Coeur d’Alene election contest. We applaud Jim and Christine Brannon’s courage and character in standing firm for honest elections in Idaho. We want to stand with them.

After reviewing the poll books, absentee ballot reports, and other publicly-available material, we see irrefutable evidence that illegal voters were allowed, and even in some instances encouraged, to vote in the City election. Sloppy election administration and specific unlawful acts nullified our legal votes. We will not accept that.

We feel it is improper that both the City of Coeur d’Alene and Kootenai County have taken positions of advocacy for Mr. Kennedy rather than maintaining neutrality in the election contest.  The City and County ought to be seeking a competently and honestly administered election, not advocating in favor of one contestant over the other. Their focus should be only on ensuring the integrity of the election, not on who won. To us it appears the City and the County have done nothing but impede Jim’s efforts to uncover all the facts giving rise to the election contest while at the same time cooperating fully with Kennedy’s attorneys.

We are disgusted that persons supporting the election contest have been threatened with fines and penalties by City Attorney Mike Gridley and Assistant Chief Deputy Attorney General Brian Kane. We believe it was unprofessional and unethical for those officials to try to intimidate and dissuade supporters of the statutorily permitted election contest.

Kootenai County Clerk Dan English often claims he wants more electors to vote. If so, then he needs to clean up his election administration operations. Every person who votes legally must be assured his vote will not be nullified by an illegal vote. Failure to preserve the integrity of the voting process here and now in Coeur d’Alene will only increase the seemingly prevalent attitude of “why bother voting” among citizens. That will increase the lack of  turnout and influence the outcome of local, state, and federal elections. Voter apathy starts locally and spreads nationally.

The most powerful force in our republic, unlike in many other countries, is the ballot. Every lawfully registered elector gets one and only one vote. As electors, Lisa and I will not stand idly by while our votes are being stolen by illegal voters with the complicity of public officials.

BILL and LISA McCRORY

Coeur d’Alene