More election fun

[Eric Morris]

> The ballot was approved by reps of both parties. The ballot has been used
> before (and a relative of  Bush wasn't even running). The instructions are
> clear and there was MUCH prior notice. If a mistake was made, the voters
had
> 3 chances to get new ballots and try again (before they drop it in the box
> of course). Hey millions and millions of people got it right. What does it
> say about the few who CLAIM they got it wrong.

This was not a state-wide ballot, so the assertion about millions needs to
be
modified.

There are several anecdotes about individuals who were told they could NOT
get a new ballot when they pointed it out to election officials. Some
stories
included an election official pointing at the Buchanan hole as being the
Gore
hole and the forcible removal of a ballot from a voter's hand to place it in
the box. A little harder to rationalize these practices, isn't it?

If there is anyone in Florida who KNOWS
> they voted wrong (wrong candidate, double punch, or incomplete punch) and
> then still put the ballot in the box, they shouldn't get their vote
counted.
> There ought to be some modicum of standard for voting eligibility (like
> being able to follow instructions).

Do you agree that your objection is inapplicable in the above cases I
mentioned?

Do you feel that the "poll test" of minimum standards to vote should be
different from one county to another?

> In California, the ballot instructions VERY clearly state that the voter
> should carefully check their ballot to make sure that: You have cast your
> ballot for the candidate you intended, you have not punched any extra
holes
> in the ballot, and that the holes have been punched completely. If you
left
> a chad, you did it wrong..... Come on, this is not rocket surgery folks.

If you feel this way, you should support a recount to exclude previously
counted ballots where the machine may have counted it but the chad
didn't completely fall away.

What about ballots that stick together?

What about missing ballots (such as the 320 that showed up in Volusia
that Harris apparently intends to refuse to count).

>
> So, my question to all. At what point do the voters (and all of us
> spectators) start taking some responsibility for our actions and stop
> blaming our inattention and stupidity on a right-wing conspiracy?

Which ones of my actions are you referring to, or is this comment directed
at people not on the list?

>
> And for those who will assume more conspiracy in my post, I did NOT vote
for
> Bush. I have been supporting Nader for a while now (which some will no
doubt
> claim means I voted for Bush...........  Sheesh). I am just tired of
people
> blaming somebody else for their own screwups.

See above.