I remain skeptical about the charges of voter fraud in Ohio, but this is hardly the kind of development that will help inspire confidence in the system.
Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell has requested a protective order to prevent him from being interviewed as part of an unusual court challenge of the presidential vote.
Blackwell, in a court filing, says he’s not required to be interviewed by lawyers as a high-ranking public official, and accused the voters challenging the results of “frivolous conduct” and abusive and unnecessary requests of elections officials around the state.
This won’t do. Several dozen Ohio residents have challenged the election results with the Ohio Supreme Court, pointing to instances of alleged fraud. The charges are based on circumstancial evidence, but they raise serious questions that deserve honest answers from their elected officials.
Instead, Blackwell, Ohio’s Republican secretary of state, has decided he simply does not want to even consider those questions. Lingering doubts about the integrity of the state’s voting system should remain, as far as he’s concerned, lingering.
Whether he likes it or not, Blackwell is at the center of a real controversy, which, despite his intentions, has not yet faded from view. He’s engaged in a fair amount of his own election shenanigans — including blocking new voter registrants before the election and “locking down” all voter records from public view after the election — and how does Blackwell respond? By deciding he doesn’t want to talk about it.
If there’s a better way to bolster a conspiracy theory, I can’t think of it.