US election rigged?
In this context, it may be pointed out that Republican Senator Richard G. Lugar, who went to Ukraine as an election observer, found discrepancies between exit polls and final results and called for an investigation. Senator Lugar may be reminded that during the 2004 U.S. presidential election, the same happened in Ohio and Florida.
Why did the exit polls show Kerry winning the election, but the results proclaim that Bush had won? The statement by the New York Times on Nov. 5 that there was no widespread voting fraud was more like an afterthought, which assumed that the election results were correct and therefore, exit polls must be wrong.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. But this happened in Florida and Ohio, states that used unverifiable paperless electronic voting machines. Is it a mere coincidence that Walden O'Dell, CEO of Diebold, the maker of these voting machines, is also a prominent Republican fundraiser?
It is very scary to think that George W. Bush & Co created or suppressed millions of American votes. But after what had happened in the 2000 Florida race -- in which thousands of African-American voters were disenfranchised by partisan Republican electoral officials -- vote rigging in 2004 election cannot be ruled out.
Although a Canadian citizen, I supported Mr. Bush for the 2000 race, thinking he would be a change from the scandal-ridden Clinton administration (I have a letter of thanks from presidential candidate Bush to prove it). But after what happened in 2000 and 2004 presidential races, I am deeply disappointed. It is time for a thorough investigation.