Ohioblog: A Swing State Journal

Attention fraud ferreters: Here's on offer you can't refuse 

HypoSpeak is putting its money where its blog is. Now that the Summit County challenges have been deep-sixed, HypoSpeak is seeking proof of the Kerry campaign's ```massive and systematic voter fraud' that...Bob Bennett and the Ohio Republican Party have so regularly claimed in the past two weeks.'' It will hand over a $100 reward to anyone in the press who can provide the same. Ethics (yep, journalists have 'em) would not allow acceptance of the money, but clearly the gauntlet has been thrown down. Anyone want to do something about it? If so, So here are HypoSpeak's rules:

1. You must be a full or part time journalist/reporter with a daily circulation or listenship greater than 25,000 (or the equivalent for weeklies).
2. There must be substantial evidence that (the fraud) was initiated in Ohio.
3. There must be substantial evidence that it occurred in Ohio.
4. This is about ``massive fraud,'' not the work of some deranged loner. A few anecdotes won't make the cut.
5. This is about ``systematic'' fraud - that means it is rooted in a known organization and evidence exists that some one in a paid position of significant authority in the organization was aware of it. This excludes the work of front line volunteers and temps. In other words, you can't collect the reward by reporting on the isolated work of a few idiots
(read ``Defiance crack heads'').
6. This is about fraud for political gain, not the schemes of con men who worm their way into a job with some campaign or 527 or PAC for personal gain.
7. You must report on the evidence and claims in your publication or on your show.
8. The reward will be paid via a $100 gift certificate to Trader Joes.
9. Any disputes will be settled by the Chair of the Journalism Department of the Ohio State University (whoever he or she may be - we haven't a clue.)
10. Deadline for submitting a claim for the reward is midnight Nov. 2, 2005 (this is not a typo).

Does this mean that HypoSpeak expects the election to still be unsettled a year from now? George Washington help us all.

posted by Ohioblog: A Swing State Journal at 8:01 AM