Florida's Elections [FL's new Sec of State responds to a NYT Editorial re Touch Screen Voting]

The NYT - Letters to the Editor ^ | March 26, 2004 | FL SEc of State Glenda Hood

[summer]

Florida's Elections

Published: March 26, 2004

To the Editor:

A March 14 [NYT] editorial makes references to our elections process that hold Florida to a different and, in one case, impossible standard.

You say, "There is still time before the November vote to put printers in place." In fact, no manufacturer has submitted printers for required certification, and the manufacturers of the Florida equipment have testified it would not be ready.

Your insistence that Florida employ printers when no other state has ever provided a voter-verified paper trail sets an unfair standard. But when such new technology is fully developed, we stand ready to work with the vendors.

You complain of a "stunning lack of transparency" around the state. In fact, Florida has one of the broadest public records laws of any state, and the public is regularly invited to witness the logic and accuracy testing that is conducted on every voting machine before every election.

The problems you cited were not the result of equipment failure, but of human error. In fact, we have not received any reports of equipment malfunction since this technology was put into place in 2002.

Florida is well prepared for this year's elections cycle. Our voting equipment delivered accurate, secure and trustworthy elections in 2002, and we expect no less in 2004.

GLENDA E. HOOD
Secretary of State
Tallahassee, Fla., March 24, 2004

[summer]

The subject NYT editorial dated March 14 made it sound like FL would be a disaster in terms of this year's national election. But, I do not recall it mentioning FL had a statewide election in 2002 (and Gov Bush won by a landslide 14%); and, no one questioned those results.

In this response, above, by FL's new sec of state, Glenda Hood, I was very surprised to hear that machines do not yet exist to produce a paper trail for the new touch screen voting machines. I think the NYT should have mentioned this fact in its editorial, before slamming FL the way it did.

BTW, I happen to believe FL is far more sensitive to election criticism than any other state. And, it is very true that FL goes out of its way via its broad public record laws, to ensure voters know what will be on a ballot and how that ballot will look, long before election day. Finally, to lurkers who may be fans of Al Gore -- even Mr. Gore eventually praised the voting reforms instituted by FL Gov Jeb Bush following the 2000 Election, as reported by the NYT way back when.

[summer]

PS The NYT is running a series of articles about FL in these months prior to Nov 2004, as explained in the NYT here:

Fighting for Florida

Articles in this series will examine electoral issues raised by Florida’s role in the 2000 presidential stalemate and the way the political parties are focusing on the state as they approach the 2004 election.

Below I will post an excerpt of an article they ran today.

[xrp]

Stupid government. It would have been easier, and cheaper, to train voters how to vote, rather than replace everything with computerized (hackable) voting booths.

[Bahbah]

The NYT is getting geared up to charge voter fraud when Kerry goes down in flames, if he manages to live so long. Here is a headline in the KC Star today: "From Texas, aide rides to Bush's rescue." I thought this was a bit transparent, even for the Star, and then I noticed it was a pick up from Bumiller and Stevenson of the NYT. So the drumbeat of the agenda continues.

[summer]

Excerpt from today's NYT, front page:

FIGHTING FOR FLORIDA
Disenfranchised Florida Felons Struggle to Regain Their Rights

By ABBY GOODNOUGH

Published: March 28, 2004

...Although the Democratic Party here has not made fighting the ban a priority since 2000, to the frustration of civil rights groups, Scott Maddox, the [FL Dem] party chairman, said he had followed the issue closely and believed the governor and legislature supported the ban for partisan reasons.

"It's amazing to me that these Republicans that keep quoting the Bible seemingly don't believe in redemption and forgiveness when it comes to restoring civil rights," Mr. Maddox said through a spokeswoman.

Florida is the largest of the seven states that permanently take away the voting rights of all felons. While other states have scaled back similar bans in recent years, Governor Bush and the Legislature call their law a necessary consequence for citizens who commit crimes, and point out that many are eventually granted clemency. "The governor believes this is a fair process," Jacob DiPietre, a spokesman for Mr. Bush, wrote in an e-mail response to questions about the ban. He pointed out that more criminals were getting their rights restored without hearings under a smoother process set in place by the governor.

....

"Jeb Bush is not responsible for this problem," said Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida. "It's more than 100 years in the making under both Democrats and Republicans.[...]"

---------------------------

My comment on above: I thought it quite interesting how the FL Dem Party chair and the FL ACLU exec director differ in their interpretation of who is to "blame" for this situation. I give the ACLU guy some credit for acknowledging the long history that exists behind this law, and understanding this situation did not come into existence the day Gov Jeb Bush took office -- and that Dems have also governed FL.

[summer]

Yes, I read that article, too. I also read Frank Rich's article today. I don't know why he is published in "Arts & Leisure." He is writing these longwinded editorials against GW that really ruin any enjoyment I once had in reading the Arts & Leisure section of The NYT.

[CFC__VRWC]

I'm glad to see someone in our state government firing back at the Slimes. I'm getting more than a little sick and tired of seeing a bunch of sneering, one-sided, alarmist commentary from this POS rag that treats everyone in Florida as nothing but a bunch of corrupt, inbred rubes. What makes it even worse is that the Slimes so obviously hasn't a clue as to what's really going on down here, and furthermore openly disdains trying to learn, like they're afraid they might dirty themselves by actually talking to a REAL Floridian (one that lives north of Palm Beach County, anyway).

[summer]

bttt

[summer]

FL does train voters how to vote. I have never had a problem voting in this state.

[I still care]

It's the Demos that need to educate their voters.

When the buses come in, they need to say, "Everyone look for the big D!" instead of just "Everyone punch the 2nd hole!"

[summer]

ROTFLMAO because you're right - that is exactly what several drivers of elderly Dem voters reportedly instructed these Dem voters ("Punch such and such hole" or whatever).

[I still care]

Punch the 2nd hole. But because of the butterfly ballot, the second hole was Pat Buchanan.

[AmishDude]

What is this New York Times you speak of? It sounds like it might be a newspaper.

[CFC__VRWC]

ROTFLMAO because you're right - that is exactly what several drivers of elderly Dem voters reportedly instructed these Dem voters ("Punch such and such hole" or whatever).

Maybe this time these people will accompany these elderly voters in the booth, to "assist" them with voting -

"Touch the screen right THERE, Millicent. No no, tell you what, I'll just touch it there for you dear, how's that?"

[CFC__VRWC]

What is this New York Times you speak of? It sounds like it might be a newspaper.

Once upon a time it actually was. Now it's just a broadsheet tabloid that parrots DNC propaganda. The Weekly World News has more credibilty, and at least its Bat Boy stories are somewhat amusing.

[AmishDude]

Has Bat Boy issued an endorsement yet?

[xrp]

Explain 2000?

[samtheman]

What the RATS always ignore in any discussion of Florida is that the voters had a change in 2002 to register a protest vote against the Republican Party --- if they really felt that there was something to protest --- and they most decidedly did not do that. You'll never hear about THAT on the evening news.

[summer]

Re your post #17 - Thanks for your question, but I don't think I would know enough to answer it. If you want to ask FL's current sec of state, here is her contact info from the state's web site:

Hood, Glenda, Tallahassee
E-Mail Address: gehood@dos.state.fl.us
phone: 850-245-6500

Perhaps you could also email her the URL of this thread, and tell her you'd like to post her response here.

[summer]

Re your post #18 - Yes, I agree with you. And, the fact the National Dem Party continuously threw more and more money into FL against their "#1" target, Gov Jeb Bush, during the 2002 FL gov race -- often to the complaints of other Dem candidates in other states. So, it was not for lack of money that they lost that year. The voters rejected their complaints, though you're right - they do not spend a whole lot of time mentioning that.