American Democracy Hangs by a Thread in Ohio

Ohio continues to be the source of troubling revelations regarding the integrity of the final count. This article has a pretty good summary of the state of affairs as things stand - any claims by the Ohio Sec. of State that he will ensure fair elections in his state have been given the lie by his unconscionable behaviour over the past few weeks.

It's not that a recount will definitely show Kerry is the winner - it's that there is enough ambiguity in the results, and there are enough troubling accounts of misdirection, computer malfunctions, and outright fraud to make a full inquiry the only acceptable course of action, even if it delays the anointment of Bush's next four years. This is nothing to do with Bush vs Kerry... it has to do with a basic accountability in the election process that is being undermined by the prevalance of partisan hacks being responsible for the administration of an election.

Of course, some of the testimony suggests that the actual tallies have been compromised also, meaning that a recount will be meaningless - the fight now isn't for a recount, the fight is for there to be a full, non-partisan investigation into the process. It seems like those responsible for justice in Ohio have little interest in pursuing the truth behind these worrying stories.