Fraudulent notions of fraud

I couldn’t disagree more with Quico’s basic premise in his lazy cat metaphor. Particularly, I dislike this phrase: “The evidence of fraud, if fraud did happen, is already...

I couldn’t disagree more with Quico’s basic premise in his lazy cat metaphor. Particularly, I dislike this phrase:

“The evidence of fraud, if fraud did happen, is already in the thousands of paper-based hand-tally  reports from the “hot audit” now in the hands of opposition witnesses all over the country.”

That statement … is absolutely false, and it relates to an incredibly limited idea of fraud.

If opposition witnesses are kicked out of voting centers and the doors are locked while the machines are tallying the votes and the audits are being conducted – that’s fraud. It won’t show up in the paper tallies, and it calls for voiding the results from that table.

If opposition witnesses are threatened and intimidated to the point where they have to leave the center, that’s fraud. It won’t show up in the paper tallies, and it calls for voiding the results from that table.

If opposition voters complain about the tables being open after 6 pm with no people in line, and in response they are told that they are waiting for the government to bring in voters, and if they keep complaining they will be shot in the head, that’s fraud. It won’t show up in the paper tallies, and it calls for voiding the results from that table.

If opposition witnesses see chavista activists accompanying voters to the voting machines and instructing them how to vote Maduro (see video above), and upon complaining they receive death threat, that is fraud. It won’t show up in the paper tallies, and it calls for voiding the results from that table.

All of these things happened on Sunday, according to the Capriles camp. There are thousands of stories like these. All of them are being documented, and they will be presented to the CNE.

If these things happen in one or two voting centers, it’s not such a huge deal. Making things right would not change the election results. But what if the sum of votes “affected” by these practices is 500,000? 600,000?

So no, it’s not just the paper tallies. Even if the paper tallies were to show no inconsistencies (I have no idea what they have at this point), there are serious allegations of fraud in this election.