Posted on 09/27/2004 7:27:50 AM PDT by Phlap
WASHINGTON (AFP) - A repetition of problems that plagued the 2000 US presidential election is likely, former US president and veteran elections monitor Jimmy Carter said, charging that "basic international requirements" for a fair vote are missing in Florida.
Reforms passed in the wake of the debacle have not been implemented due to lack of funding and political disputes, Carter observed in a hotly-worded opinion piece in Monday's Washington Post.
"The disturbing fact is that a repetition of the problems of 2000 now seems likely," he said.
"Some basic international requirements for a fair election are missing in Florida," including non-partisan electoral officials and uniformity in voting procedures, he said.
Florida's top election official four years ago also chaired the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign in the state, and her successor is showing "the same strong bias," Carter charged.
"A fumbling attempt has been made recently to disqualify 22,000 African Americans (likely Democrats), but only 61 Hispanics (likely Republicans), as alleged felons," he said.
Florida Secretary of State Glenda Hood has also appeared eager to get independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader (news - web sites) on this year's state ballot, "knowing that two-thirds of his votes in the previous election came at the expense" of Democrat Al Gore (news - web sites), Carter went on.
"She ordered Nader's name be included on absentee ballots even before the state Supreme Court ruled on the controversial issue," Carter said.
Florida's governor, President George W. Bush (news - web sites)'s brother, has "taken no steps to correct these departures from principles of fair and equal treatment or to prevent them in the future," he said.
"It is unconscionable to perpetuate fraudulent or biased electoral practices in any nation," Carter wrote.
"With reforms unlikely at this late stage of the election, perhaps the only recourse will be to focus maximum public scrutiny on the suspicious process in Florida."
The Carter Center has monitored more than 50 international elections, most recently in Venezuela and Indonesia.
Carter, a Democrat, led a bi-partisan commission charged with recommending changes to US electoral processes following the 2000 vote, ultimately decided by the US Supreme Court, which halted recounts of contested ballots in Florida after a weeks-long draw.
It was an elected position.
Governor Jeb Bush appointed Orlando Mayor Glenda Hood as Secretary of State effective February 2003. She leads the Department of State as it transitions from an elected constitutional office to an appointed Governor’s agency.
http://oss.dos.state.fl.us/background.html
It better not be close, but I think the threat will linger and manifest itself. They train people to hate.
Jimmah needs to shut his UN-American mouth. What a d!@k.
Please, all who read this, do yourself and the world a favor: ignore Jimmy Carter.
Whether or not the SoS position in Florida is appointed or elected is immaterial. Someone who's job it is to conduct an election in a non-partisan fashion should not hold a partisan job in that election.
Well who should be then?
Who would not be partisan?
Whomever lost?
Good, I guess. The Dems will have plenty of propaganda footage. I don't want to think about it anymore. Stay well Old Sarge.
That's certainly not unfair by Carter's standards. Jimmah apparently thought the Venezuelan election fair despite the fact that:
1. The Chavez government bought a little Venezuelan software company and had it write the software that tabulated Venezuelan votes, replacing six-year old American software2. The government's software company would not release its vote counting software for public scrutiny
3. The Chavez government would not allow inspectors into the central place where votes were tabulated
4. Two-way communications between the central vote counting place and the polling places were allowed allowing possible vote-altering instructions to come from central command
5. Exit polls of three independent firms, including one that did exit polling for Clinton, found Chavez' opponents had won by a landslide
6. The Chavez government would not allow inspections of the great majority of the voting machines
Perhaps if the Florida Democrat party were allowed to do something like Chavez did, then it would be a fair election by Carter standards.
Harris was SOS during the national election.
Jebb was already Gov. and not running for anything.
Harris had no connecton to G.W.s election campaign.
She was constitutionally elected to her position.
Jebb couldn't have removed her if he wanted to.
Not good enough. In order to vote, EVERY VOTER should be required to show PICTURE ID---not Social Security card (fake cards being "dime a dozen" commodities. I wouldn't be averse to this being a change to the "motor voter" legislation. In addition to issuing "drivers licenses", when you register to vote, you must be issued a "voters license" along with the voter registration. You then have to show that ID every time you vote. If you change residences/polling places, then you have to get an update sticker issued for the card.
While I agree with you on this, I disagree with the complacency in the rest of your post. I think our election procedures are the subject of very valid complaints. We do very little in the way of verification, polling places are often set up in a haphazard fashion, etc.
Florida is a great example because the votes were well within the margin of error of our systems. The big problem is that our margin of error is, frankly, much greater than it should be. It's also hard to correct politically because both parties have (or at least, believe they have) competing interests in the polls. Democrats want to push the turnout as high as possible, Republicans want solid verification - which correlates with lower turnout.
Still, difficult or not, I think our election procedures should get some federal attention (and money, those go together.) Our current procedures are embarrasingly sloppy, and another election like the last one will - not might, will - cause us significant disruption. Mind you, I'm hoping it's not at all close this time around, but it is at least possible it will be.
Drew Garrett
How can anyone ever forgive Carter for granting amnesty for all those who fled to Canada to avoid Vietnam? There is no more unforgiving action than fleeing your country during wartime to avoid service.
That is even worse than K coming out aganist the war when he returned. (His (K's) action is not far behind though.
Those who fled should NEVER EVER have been allowed back in the USA.
I'm not talking about Jimmy Carter and his activities. I'm talking about conflict of interest on the part of a public official, whether appointed or elected.
And I'm not talking about having Jeb remove Katherine Harris from her position as SoS. I'm saying that the top election official in a State (in this case and at that time, Katherine Harris) should not be an official, or even working, in an election in a partisan capacity that said official is overseeing. It's her job in the 2000 Bush-Cheney campaign that she should not have held.
Certainly Ms. Harris would have a partisan opinion in that election. Anyone would. But actually heading up an election committee is a far cry from just having an opinion. I consider that an immoral conflict of interest, regardless of whether or not it's legal.
"Harris had no connecton to G.W.s election campaign."
The article quoted above said she did. Or did I read it wrong? Or are they wrong?
"Not good enough. In order to vote, EVERY VOTER should be required to show PICTURE ID---not Social Security card (fake cards being "dime a dozen" commodities. I wouldn't be averse to this being a change to the "motor voter" legislation. In addition to issuing "drivers licenses", when you register to vote, you must be issued a "voters license" along with the voter registration. You then have to show that ID every time you vote. If you change residences/polling places, then you have to get an update sticker issued for the card."
Yeah but... but... but you are violating my right to privacy. /sarcasm off
For your Whine.
Translation: we're getting ready to lose BIG and we need an alibi to rally the faithful (aka Bush-haters) in 2008.
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