Pappas Takes Election Fight into Criminal Territory

Pappas is heading in the right direction. Unquotable sources so far will soon be able to substantiate his claims.

Go Pappas Go!

I recall someone saying that Pappas is reasonable. Perhaps so and we shall see with this investigation. But I do not think I have noticed anyone prominent in the republican party as reasonable. Caldwell, Armendariz, Secord, Firestone, Stoker, Gandrud, Francisco and Hotchkiss are all dogmatic to the point of being unreasonable crazier than Sarah Palin types. It is as if they have no capability of reflection, introspection and responsibility. Independents like Self and Ebenstein are really republicans but for some reason are in the closet about it. A little off topic, but at the national level, when are we going to hear from our newly installed house of representative republican majority in the form of a jobs bill. They all seem to be doing anything and everything they can to kill jobs and the financial recovery that was underway until recently.

At this point Pappas and Crawford-Hall are desperate, and it is showing. There is no longer an argument as to whether or not Pappas has to pay Farr's attorney fees, the court of appeals has already found that Farr's defense served the public good and therefore Pappas must pay. All this is about now is how much Pappas owes. All the rest of this stuff is a red herring intended to confuse and delay the inevitable. There is no evidence of election fraud. While zealous voter registration folks, who registered record numbers of new voters for a very exciting election, may have made some procedural errors, the fact remains that there is no evidence that those errors resulted in a single fraudulant vote. Who can blame Pappas though for trying to wiggle out of a $500,000 attorney bill. That's got to hurt even someone as rich as Crawford-Hall.

"There is no evidence of election fraud."

The News-Press reported that voter turnout in nine Isla Vista precincts was 102% of the total number of registered voters. That compares with 62% voter turnout nationwide. Sure sounds like fraud to me.

The News-Press ???

"The News-Press reported that voter turnout in nine Isla Vista precincts was 102% of the total number of registered voters. That compares with 62% voter turnout nationwide. Sure sounds like fraud to me."
-- zorro

I don't take anything reported by the News Press at face value anymore given its owner's penchant to mix facts with opinion. And there's Wendy McCaw's history with Judge Lafferty as well ... we all know how she uses her paper against her enemies.

Nevertheless, assuming the 102% number is correct, that isn't necessarily a smoking gun. IV voters are dominated by students who typically register at the last moment, especially in presidential elections as in 2008. It could be the 102% number was arrived at using numbers not counting the large number of last-minute registrations (some of which Pappas & benefactor Nancy Crawford-Hall are contesting). The devil is in the details and I wouldn't put it past McCaw and the News Press to fudge the numbers to favor their opinion.

It was also reported that the tainted registration drive was funded by the public employees' union, SEIU. The money was channeled through Farr's campaign, so she or her people may be complicit.

Before everyone gets infected by Crawford-Hall's paranoid delusions of a vast communist conspiracy, let's all take a deep breath and think logically. Regardless of any issue with the registration cards, the only salient question is: Is there evidence that a person voted twice (under the same name or different names) or is there evidence a person who was entitled to vote was unable to vote due to problems with his or her registration? These are the two classic vote fraud scenarios, i.e., ballot box stuffing and vote stealing. Claiming that someone is not entitled to vote because their voter registration card was not filled out correctly (as Pappas is claiming) is disenfranchising and the courts have thrown out such silliness. Pappas has not presented any evidence that a person who wanted to vote did not get to or that ballot boxes were stuffed with fraudulant ballots. Therefore, there was not fraud. This has all been such a waste of time and money. Pappas (and Crawford-Hall, if she doesn't leave poor Steve swinging in the wind) should have to pay as a lesson to other would be filers of frivolous lawsuits.

"It was also reported that the tainted registration drive was funded by the public employees' union, SEIU. The money was channeled through Farr's campaign, so she or her people may be complicit."
-- zorro

Got a link to that report? Complicit in what exactly?

If an organization conducts a voter registration drive, then submits the forms late because of the huge turnout, is that "tainted"?

As Eckermann says, the courts have always looked unkindly at attempts like that of Pappas & Crawford to disenfranchise voters.

Soon I expect a petition from Pappas to allow students only 2/3 of a vote!

Don Zorro, you lost us at "The News-Press reported...".

I've heard wild stories of voter fraud in IV, when I'm north of the Mountains. Down here in IV usually befuddled students wander into the wrong precinct, and do a provisional ballot.

A huge gap between the viewpoints.

The odd part is Pappas worked hard in IV and his group did as much as any to stimulate voter turnout. He did way better than Firestone in IV.

Voter fraud in Isla Vista! Unbelievable. Maybe the good Queen Lois can shed some light on this troubling claim.

Remember Tom Watson also suggested possible voter fraud in IV. Maybe there is something there ..

Anyone who thinks that voter fraud was organized and implemented by a county supervisor is an idiot.

Not only would it be impossible to design and orchestrate there is absolutely no logical motive that would justify this type of fraud let alone a method for implementing.

Pappas is the poster boy for a sore loser. This guy defines the word loser. I cannot wait for him to be filing bankruptcy to pay for his insanity.

Well... if BOTH Pappas and Watson claimed voter fraud, it must be true.

Or, voters there just do not like them. And the other side worked harder, a lot harder.

Pappas. Should be renamed Pompous as in pompous ass. I am glad to see him wasting his time and money. Keep it up fool!

Let's see now. The News Press reported info that disagrees with tabatha, so the News Press must be lying. Right, Don?

John Locke, the problem with the News Press story is that it contained no reporting, it was just a rehash of Pappas' press release. There was not any attempt by the reporter to dig into the story, discover facts that either support or refute Pappas' statements and allegations, and analyze the facts discovered. A newspaper has more responsibility than simply not lying (or not reporting lies), it rather has the solemn responsibility to seek the truth. That task requires skills and abilities that do not appear to exist on the staff of the News Press these days.