Voting Machine Problems in Arizona Fuel Right-Wing Fraud Claims
After a vote results are tabulated, some are saying there are problems.
The machines are having problems in at least one of the state’s U.S. Senate races, according to one Democratic candidate. Republican David Dewhurst is claiming that a machine he uses on Election Day is malfunctioning, and Democrats are taking a look at them. But the Republican could be onto something bigger than the Senate race.
The problem is a Republican-friendly blog that appears to spread right-wing conspiracy theories and has been spreading fake election results for months. The site is called DailyKos, and has a number of followers, many of whom are from out of state.
Daily Kos claims on its site to be nonpartisan. It argues that Democrats are rigging the elections. And it goes on to produce a host of outlandish theories, including that a secret pedophile ring has infiltrated the Democratic National Committee and Democrats are trying to bring out the black vote.
The site claims that Dewhurst has been cheated out of votes, and that his campaign is being manipulated by a Democratic computer expert.
The Republican has been investigating the site, and one week before the Nov. 2 election, he told ABC’s “The Week in Politics” that he is sure the site is being misused. He also said he will release a list of its followers when he has enough proof that the site is actually manipulating them.
“These are just, you know, just weirdos who are using the site to spread crazy and ridiculous things they’ve heard,” Dewhurst said on national television.
On the Web
The site has been generating traffic, and has had a number of supporters from out of state with the site’s “Kos” in the link. These individuals claim to have no affiliation with the site and post things online that seem to support these theories. One example:
Another blog called “American Free Press” has a number of supporters, including Democratic U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer in California, and Sen. Tom Harkin, a Democratic Iowa lawmaker. The group claims to be nonpartisan and claims that it is non-partisan.