Tulsa County Election board verifies voting records

Tulsa County's Election Board secretary has started a review of voting records that he says so far has found them to be 100 percent accurate. <br/><br/>It's in response to a dispute over whether

Wednesday, March 1st 2006, 10:37 am

By: News On 6

Tulsa County's Election Board secretary has started a review of voting records that he says so far has found them to be 100 percent accurate.

It's in response to a dispute over whether Tulsa mayoral candidate Kathy Taylor voted here - and in Florida - in the 2000 election. Election records show she did, Taylor says she didn't - and reporter News on 6 reporter Emory Bryan explains why both may have a point.

Tuesday's charge and counter charge between two mayoral candidates is now part of their advertising. McCorkell campaign ad: "Apparently lawyer Kathy Taylor thinks she's above the law." Kathy Taylor: "Don McCorkell is attacking me because he's a politician and that's what politicians do."

McCorkell accuses Taylor of voter fraud. Taylor accuses McCorkell of going negative, but she also questions whether Tulsa Countyâ€™s Election Board really knows if she voted, as their records indicate. "I can't explain to you what's behind the records because I've asked for backup records and nobody has been able to give those to me, they tell me they do not exist."

The Tulsa County Election Board secretary says he takes any suggestion of sloppy record keeping seriously. Gene Pace says it's possible Taylor was mistakenly given credit for voting - but not probable. "Since we're human beings, the best I can do is say we're 99.65% accurate or 94% or whatever it is.â€

Pace doesn't know the exact figure - but said every record is checked and double checked. Each paper precinct book, where voters sign to show they received a ballot, is transcribed by a clerk. That's what Judy Arndt does after each election. "And we double check it and check the book again." She described a methodical process of matching names and signatures, and the number of voters with the number of ballots. Everything has to match and she doesn't believe there is a mistake. "It bothers me because we work very hard to be right."

In the end, because an error is possible, only Kathy Taylor knows the truth, and she says she didn't vote twice.

In questioning the records of the election board, Taylor also suggested the election board secretary has a conflict of interest. Secretary Gene Pace and his wife donated $250 to McCorkell's campaign. Pace said Wednesday, his wife was also active in the campaign, but he was not, and that a personal political donation had no relation to his performance with the election board.