Democrats raise tally of illegal votes to 544

SEATTLE – Democrats are now claiming that 544 felons voted in the 2004 governor’s election.

Democrats have been looking for felons who voted illegally to offset felon voters identified by the Republicans in their legal challenge to the election of Democratic Gov. Christine Gregoire.

Republican Dino Rossi challenged Gregoire’s 129-vote election victory. Rossi won the first two counts, but Gregoire won a final, hand recount. Republicans say they’ll prove in court that Rossi was the true winner once illegal votes for Gregoire are subtracted.

The election challenge trial is scheduled to start May 23 in Wenatchee.

Republicans have identified 946 votes they say were cast by felons whose voting rights have not been restored.

The state Democratic Party, which intervened on the side of the state to defend Gregoire’s election, has complained that the GOP list has many errors. But last Friday the Democrats disclosed that they’re trying to beat Republicans at their own game by introducing evidence of 432 illegal felon votes in Rossi-leaning areas. This week they upped that total to 544.

Friday is the deadline for Democrats to finalize their list of illegal votes.

At a pretrial hearing on Monday, Chelan County Superior Court Judge John Bridges set a high bar for both sides to present evidence about illegal felon voters. He said they will have to show that the voter was convicted of a felony, not a misdemeanor; was convicted as an adult, not a juvenile; was not given a deferred sentence; didn’t have his or her voting rights restored; and voted in the November election for governor.

“I recognize that it may just simply be impossible to come up with all of these elements I have referred to,” Bridges told lawyers, adding, “come up with all you have.”