Kerry Not Joining Objection To Formal Electoral Vote Count The Washington Times (1/6, Fagan) reports Sen. John Kerry "said he won't be joining a small band of House Democrats today in trying to spoil President Bush's formal election before Congress by objecting to what they say are voting irregularities in Ohio." A group of House Democrats, led Rep. John Conyers, ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, "will object to the counting of Ohio's electoral ballots before a joint congressional session today, because of what they say are massive voting irregularities and voter disenfranchisement there." But they "need at least one senator to join them in order to temporarily stop the process and force the House and Senate to formally debate their complaint. Mr. Kerry said he won't be that one senator." Kerry said, "I will not be taking part in a formal protest of the Ohio electors. Despite widespread reports of irregularities, questionable practices by some election officials and instances of lawful voters being denied the right to vote, our legal teams on the ground have found no evidence that would change the outcome of the election." CNN's Inside Politics (1/5, Woodruff) reported Kerry has sent an e-mail to supporters "saying he will not take part in a formal protest of the Ohio electors, despite what we he calls widespread reports of irregularities." The New York Times (1/6, Stolberg) reports Conyers "issued a report saying there were 'ample grounds for challenging the electors from the state of Ohio,'" and Kerry "said he would draw on the Conyers report to make voting rights one of his 'top agenda items' this year." The Frontrunner January 6, 2005 Pictured above on 1/10/05: Former U.S. presidential candidate Senator John Kerry, an election observer, leaves the office of Mahmoud Abbas, in the West Bank city of Ramallah in this January 10, 2005file photo.[more]Pictured left: Here he is sipping Arabic coffee in the ancient Omayyad Mosque in old Damascus on Saturday, Jan. 8, 2004, the day after the election challenge. Kerry toured old Damascus following his talks in the Syrian capital regarding Iraq , the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the U.S.-Syria strained bilateral relations.[more]
Pictured above on 1/10/05: Former U.S. presidential candidate Senator John Kerry, an election obs
erver, leaves the office of Mahmoud Abbas, in the West Bank city of Ramallah in this January 10, 2005 file photo.[more]
Pictured left: H
ere he is
sipping Arabic coffee in the ancient Omayyad Mosque in old Damascus on Saturday, Jan. 8, 2004, the day after the election challenge. Kerry toured old Damascus following his talks in the Syrian capital regarding Iraq , the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the U.S.-Syria strained bilateral relations.[more]