No easy touch for 134 voters in Broward [Florida voters can't find touch screen]

Miami Herald ^ | Jan 8, 2004

[george wythe]

Three years after helping render punch-card voting systems obsolete, Broward County voters have proven that no election system is foolproof.

In Tuesday's special election to fill state House seat 91, 134 Broward voters managed to use the 2-year-old touch-screen equipment without casting votes for any candidate.

How so many happened to cast nonvotes remains a riddle. Unlike with punch cards or paper ballots, there's no paper record with electronic voting that might offer a clue to the voter's intent.

[cake_crumb]

"How so many happened to cast nonvotes remains a riddle. Unlike with punch cards or paper ballots, there's no paper record with electronic voting that might offer a clue to the voter's intent"

Well...the reason they couldn't use a touch screen is probably the same as it is for those whose meager intellect was defeated by chads and pencil dots : STUPIDITY. Yes folks, there you have it. The true, UGLY story. We disenfranchize STUPID PEOPLE.

[Republicus2001]

it's Bush's fault

[Still Thinking]

I once heard a saying that went something like: "There is no such thing as a foolproof system. The minute you think you've invented one, the universe comes up with better fools."

[Kozak]

Good, a way for the votes of stupid people to be deleted. If they are too stupid to figure out a touch screen voting machine, they shouldn't be trusted with the responsibility of helping to choose our leaders. (Furthermore, that most likely means fewer democrat votes as STUPID people clearly vote democrat about 70% to 80% of the time.)

Imagine how much you could improve the QUALITY of the election if to unlock the machine to vote you had to answer say 2 simple constitutional questions:

" What document defines the government of the United States and specifies it's powers and organization ?
" The government of the United States consists of (blank) independent and equal branches?"

Then again most of the SCOTUS would flunk that simple test...

[george wythe]

And statistically, every vote NEVER counts, because you won't ever get a 100% count. That's why the sensible thing to do is to count the votes and live with the result. End of story.

Very sensible comment.

I'm also tired of the "every vote must count" mantra

[monocle]

I wouldn't be surprised if the nonvotes were Democrats rehearsing for their planned fraud charges in November.

[OXENinFLA]

I got it right last time.(I think)

[george wythe]

"There is no such thing as a foolproof system. The minute you think you've invented one, the universe comes up with better fools."

"Better fools," huh? LOL!

Btw, we go the extra mile to import fools into Florida, especially the Northeastern "true-blue Democrats"

[Spok]

Another stolen election! And the Democrats are quick to argue that it's predominantly Democratic voters that suffer brain cramps in the voting booth. Curious.

[Sarastro]

It is beyond me why these machines were not designed to print a receipt showing how the voter voted. A receipt for them and a copy to be kept inside the machine.

The receipt for the vote should not indicate the names or parties of the candidate(s) voted for, though it could, for example, say the voter did cast a vote for races a, b, & c, but not d. Otherwise, people could be pressured (Boss: "Bring me your voting receipt before I determine your bonus") or paid off (dim to bum being loaded on bus to polling place: "Bring me your receipt showing you voted for the dims before I give you your pack of cigarettes") for their votes.

[Procyon]

It is beyond me why these machines were not designed to print a receipt showing how the voter voted. A receipt for them and a copy to be kept inside the machine

The reason why we don't get receipts for secret ballots to show how we voted is because that would invite voter fraud: selling of votes. Back in the days of paper ballots the first paid voter could slip out of the polling place with his blank ballot uncast. The precinct boss would then fill out the ballot and have the second voter take it in and cast it and bring out his blank ballot, etc.

[longtermmemmory]

How? The answer is simple, the poll workers did not tell the voter they did not press the BRIGHT FLASHING LIT RED BUTTON at the top of the pad. It is not a touch screen button it is a 1 inch oval at the top of the screen.

It is impossible to MISS the BRIGHT FLASHING LIT RED BUTTON.

There was pathetic turnout for this odd day election.

There is no reason for someone not to have noticed the BRIGHT FLASHING LIT RED BUTTON.

The purpose of the workers is to make sure this does not happen their job includes looking for the BRIGHT FLASHING LIT RED BUTTON.


Granted these 134 people are wrong for not noticing the BRIGHT FLASHING LIT RED BUTTON.

but it is not difficult because once you see the final page with the person you vogted for, it does look like you have finished. Except for that BRIGHT FLASHING LIT RED BUTTON.

Too bad there is no hardcopy.

Prepare the court hearings. 134 votes would have made the difference.


BRIGHT FLASHING LIT RED BUTTON.

[xp38]

Pray for a landslide.

[george wythe]

Hanging Chad?

Dimpled Chad?

Pregnant Chad?

Bulging Chad?

Can you name them all?

[longtermmemmory]

The vote button has a flashing light. After each voter leaves a poll worker has to reset the machine. They should have noticed the BRIGHT FLASHING LIT RED BUTTON.

This is why you have poll workers.

As for the shock at a republican only election (in BROWARD!) Each and every candidate had the "Rep." next to all their names. That is a bogus claim.

[longtermmemmory]

Which is why you have a two part reciept generated by the machine. One for the voter, the other for the records. No different than a cash register with a running tape.

[george wythe]

I take it you've visited Broward and Palm Beach counties and noticed the "true blue Democrats."

The red button was confusing; the voters were expecting a "true blue" button ;-)

[MontanaBeth]

lol, I love that!

[MontanaBeth]

lol, I love that!

[Florida_Freeper]

I need to step out of the gutter....Elmo and Cookie look like they're having too much fun in that picture!