Absolutely true and that’s where you should have ended your post.

The president of the company I retired from had a poster in his office. It said, “Never get into a mud wrestling contest with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig likes it.”

Good thing to remember, Steve. And thanks for all the things I learned from your posts on this blog. I almost wish I lived in Contra Costa County so I could vote for you. Almost.

However, I have to share with you my experience today.

Somehow, today, someone, extremely frustrated, because he could not find the answer to his question, dialed (or was referred) to me. It was apparent that the caller was troubled. Long story short, he had been picked up in (a west county city) under 5150, was transported to Martinez, and was ultimately released.

His simple request to those who returned him to his home was to drop him off a few blocks away, as he understood what a stir it would cause if he was seen being dropped off by “authorities”. This was the behavior of someone with some connection to reality.

So, let’s not go too far into this experience. The caller wanted to find out how he could avoid being picked up in the future. He had found a web site with County contact info., but nothing that could help him. Try as I might, there was nothing I could do for this person. I don’t just “blow” people off, I try to assist them, even if it is not my ‘department”.

In my previous posting, I indicated that we had 482 precincts in this past election, thus 482 journals. At no time did I say that we had 482 vote-by-mail ballots rejected by Inspectors at our poll sites.

Sorry for anyone who is drawing a parallel to my West County “constituent”…no inference intended. But my frustration in trying to facilitate some meaningful understanding of where we are in this election is the same.

Again, my apologies for not just letting this go.

The purpose of our journals is to assist us in balancing a precinct if there is a discrepancy ie: someone signed the roster, took the ballot, and did not deposit it into the scanner (thus, we would be sort a ballot). When I was approached about a problem in a Concord precinct, a concern that multiple vote-by-mail ballots were being returned without the presenter being asked about the ballots, I asked that person to identify the precinct so I could read the journal to see if there was anything about rejecting vote-by-mail ballots. That precinct was never identified. I have 482 precincts, 482 journals. Knowing the exact precinct would vastly improve my chances to see if there was anything in that journal that could help me.

Who said 1% (1.1% actually) was a mandate? It is statistically beyond the point where the losing candidate normally looks for reasons to question the outcome.

We’re all thrilled that you got the answer to your questions and that your posing them in the first place was just out of curiosity rather than calling into question the integrity of the election (and, by implication the volunteers and paid people who conduct them). Happy O’Day!

I never once accused Steve Weir of any wrong doing. I also never accused the poll workers. I just asked how many were rejected. That’s it. That’s all I wanted to know. And now, I finally do know.

Why it took him so long to answer I have no clue.

Oh, and a one percent win is hardly a mandate.

There is no question in my mind of his dedication and integrity.

Ms. O’Day is acting like a conspiracy loving, tin hat wearing, partisan hack. I am more than positive that Ms. O’Day would be silent had Harmer won, no matter what she heard.

This is a joke of the highest degree. The people have spoken, the mandate given, stop being a poor loser.