Voting machine problems in Florida, again.
Published Mon, Nov 20 2006 9:46 AM
Technorati Tags: News and Politics, Elections
From the Olympian...
SARASOTA, Fla. - Touch-screen voting machines were supposed to be the answer, a response to the chaos of the 2000 presidential election.
Instead, the discovery of about 18,000 electronic votes recorded as blank in a tight race for Congress has created a new black eye for Florida elections.
A paper trail might have provided clues to what happened Nov. 7, but Florida officials have balked at requiring such backup. The state Legislature repeatedly has killed measures to require a verifiable paper trail, and neither Gov. Jeb Bush nor the secretary of state's office has pushed the idea.
So six years after late-night comedians joked about "bringing democracy to Florida," the state still has not found a way to hold elections without controversy.
The latest totals in Sarasota County show Republican Vern Buchanan leading Democrat Christine Jennings by 369 votes in the District 13 congressional race. But the election has been plagued by questions as to why so many of the county's voters skipped the race.
Comparatively, only about 1 percent of all Sarasota County voters did not make a selection in the senator and governor's race. These are called "undervotes."
Computer problems are suspected, but finding an answer has been difficult.
I'm starting to notice a pattern here. If you're a Democrat and you lose a race in Florida there must be a problem with:
- The ballots (butterfly ballots).
- The software (Clinton Curtis).
- The voting machine.
On the other hand, if you're a Republican and you lose a race anywhere the Democrats raised questions about the voting machines prior to the election you accept it.
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