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.
Reportedly, the rats already have an army of lawyers ready to spring into action in Florida.
Behold the second of the two DNC talking points, for November:
One: Iraq = Vietnam.
Two: Bush Stole The Election.
NOTHING about the present. All about the past.
This makes it official. Bill Clinton is NOT our worst president ever.
Florida's top election official four years ago also chaired the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign in the state, ...
Is this true? Seems to me that there's a basic conflict of interest with an election official being involved in an election campaign. Regardless of party.
Will the real Jimmy Carter please shut up!!!!!
Florida voting officials have proved to be highly partisan, brazenly violating a basic need for an unbiased and universally trusted authority to manage all elements of the electoral process.
Duh! And the counties with the most problems are the Dem ones where they tortured every recounted ballot until it confessed a vote for Gore.
One difference I've seen between our elections and many foreign ones that need to be observed is that the foreign ones often require thumb- or fingerprints with an indelible ink to prevent multiple votes and provide proof of ID. The election officials can't even ask for a $%##^ ID from a voter, much less a thumbprint. If we were to have ID requirements, that would cut into the Dem vote fraud so Jimmah won't even discuss that.
Isn't there a hammer calling this guy somewhere?
It seems Cahtuh is throwing a tantrum because convicts' and non-residents' illegal votes are thrown out in Florida.
Carter is banking on his undeserved reputation as a moderate, conciliatory, and unbiased mediator. In truth he is as partisan as they come. With this editorial he wishes to do nothing but stack the deck in favor of the Democrats and bemoan superficial complaints about Republicans having an unfair (implying illegal) advantage in Florida.
if?
The Democrats are cracking up! Everything they talk about is negative bordering on paranoia. I really think this party is on the way out. It is disgusting that they would even promote him as a leader of the party. The worst president of the 20th century!
Jimma is the eternal hypocrite: screaming for democracy all over the planet, but in favor of restricting people like Nader from getting on the ballot in Florida. Of course, we all know why he wants Nader off the ballot: because he might sap votes from his fellow lefty, Monsieur Kerry.
Jimma's botched foreign policy in the late 70s leaves us a legacy of Iranian-based Islamic fundamentalism (which led to 9-11), along with the forthcoming birth of Iran as a nuclear power. He was and is a disaster.
Jimma, stick to building houses and stop trying to bring yet more harm to this nation and to the world.
I still haven't figured out what the problem was with those punch-card ballots. We use them in Illinois all the time, and while we certainly have some interesting elections, I've never heard any of their problems attributed to the ballot design.
Someone's trying to "jimmy" the election process. I wouldn't be surprised to find one of our x-presidents behing the CBS debacle. With this outrageous statement, Carter just put himself as a questionable player in the fraudulent docs at CBS.
Back when he was president I used to think that Carter was a well-intentioned fool.
Since then I have concluded that he is a malignant fool.
He never saw a dictator he didn't like.
He gave North Korea the Bomb.
He gave Iran to the Ayatollahs.
He tried to ensure that Saddam would get Kuwait and that the Sandanistas would still rule in Nicaragua. It's not his fault that he failed to do it. He tried very hard.
democrats are planning on cheating again? Why is this news?
My Carter-To-English dictionary says:
"Unfair Vote" = "Bush Victory Outside The Democrat's Ability To Manipulate It".
Carter is just sad.
John Fund said to me at the RNC that if this election is close then look for the liberals to contest the election in key states.
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