Ground war at ground zero - The importance of every vote

Michael Douglas - Oct. 17, 2004

How much does your vote count?

Republican operatives in Summit County and elsewhere across the state have answered emphatically in recent weeks. They have begun to organize squads of ``challengers'' to be deployed at polling places in Ohio. They point to a 1953 state law, rarely if ever used, a relic of the past, echoing dark and ugly days in the South, when whites did practically all they could to deny blacks the right to vote. The law permits designated representatives of the political parties to challenge a voter on the basis of his or her citizenship, residence or age.

Republicans insist they are pursuing a wholesome activity.

[...] At the very least, Republicans understand the dynamic in Battleground Ohio. Democrats have registered roughly 500,000 (or more) new voters in the state, an estimated 50,000 in Summit County. Republicans have reaped a far smaller number. George Bush won the state by 166,735 votes four years ago. If those newly registered Democrats actually cast ballots, the president will be looking for 20 electoral votes elsewhere, attempting no less than to defy recent history, Republicans absolutely needing Ohio to capture the presidency.

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