Posted on 09/29/2004 5:31:38 PM PDT by Vision Thing
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - International observers predicted problems in the U.S. presidential election with new voting machines and warned the result could again be delayed, four years after a disputed count determined who won the White House.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation (news - web sites) in Europe observers issued a report this week on preparations for the Nov. 2 vote, after a visit earlier this month.
The group highlighted concerns over the machines, voter eligibility rules and allegations of intimidation aimed at lowering the turnout of ethnic minorities.
"In general, the nationwide replacement of voting equipment, inspired by the disputes witnessed during the 2000 elections, primarily in Florida, may potentially become a source of even greater controversy during the forthcoming elections," the group said in the report which was posted to its Web site (www.osce.org/odihr).
Many new machines do not produce a paper ballot that would be needed in the case of a manual recount, the observers, who were invited by the Bush administration, said.
Uneven application of rules on provisional ballots -- which can be cast even when the voter's eligibility is unclear -- "may cause post-election disputes and litigation, potentially delaying the announcement of final results," they added.
In 2000, voters split down the middle in Florida, which was ridiculed worldwide as it spawned court battles over whether and how to count imperfect ballots. The U.S. Supreme Court (news - web sites) eventually ruled George W. Bush won the state by 537 votes, and the decision gave him the presidency.
With polls showing this year's election between Bush and Democrat John Kerry (news - web sites) could also be tight in several states, civil rights groups have raised concern that voters could be disenfranchised and the 2000 debacle could be repeated.
The OSCE (news - web sites), which groups 55 countries, will publish an unprecedented report of its observations after Nov. 2, although it will not judge the overall fairness of the vote.
"We are very proud of our election system ... we are happy to open up our elections for people to observe, comment, offer advice maybe even learn something," a senior State Department official said.
While Democrats have welcomed the OSCE mission, Republicans have been quick to note the limitations on the group, which did not make recommendations to help avoid election-day problems.
"This type of report is not binding. You can criticize and comment all you like but the constitutional authority over our elections rests with Congress and the states," Laura Zuckerman, spokeswoman for Rep. Steve Buyer (news, bio, voting record), an Indiana Republican who sponsored an amendment this year to ban federal officials using money to invite U.N. observers.
Yeah, there'll be trouble if they don't keep their international noses out of our national affairs!
You mean International Observers like those from Cuba, North Korea and Iran? Sure, there will be trouble for them in our election cause their guy Kerry is going to lose no matter how much fraud and hysteria they try to drum up.
In 2000, voters split down the middle in Florida, which was ridiculed worldwide as it spawned court battles over whether and how to count imperfect ballots. The U.S. Supreme Court (news - web sites) eventually ruled George W. Bush won the state by 537 votes, and the decision gave him the presidency.
Best to just pencil in Kerry for them and save everybody the bother.
Who dat?
Personally, I'd like to "observe, comment and offer advice" to the OCSE "observers."
I still do not know why the U.S. is even allowing this travesty (political, of course) to take place in our country. Absolute insanity in a free country....or is it??
"International observers predicted problems in the U.S. presidential election with new voting machines and warned the result could again be delayed"...
Predicted ?
We don't need no yahoos observing our votes, thank you very much!
No, they don't.
Headlines writers are bizarre.
. . . until they get the result THEY want.
Isn't this whole observer thing unConstitutional? I have always felt like a free person walking to my polling place, voting and walking out. Now, I don't. Not with a bunch of foreigners spying on me and my fellow citizens.
Thank you, Comrade Powell.
" The U.S. Supreme Court (news - web sites) eventually ruled George W. Bush won the state by 537 votes, and the decision gave him the presidency."
Ummm, scuze me, but the way I remember this is that the Florida Supreme Court tried to change the rules for counting ballots *after* the election, which is a clear violation not only of common decency but of the law, and the US Supreme Court told them that no, they weren't free to shred the law and substitute their own whims.
Where from that do you get, "Eventually ruled George W. Bush won the state by 537 votes"?
This is a blatant lie in the service of rewriting history and substituting fiction. I urge, I beg all of you to contradict and combat this mendacious version of events wherever it shows its hideous visage.
The counting of the ballots under Florida law resulted in a victory for Bush. All the Supreme Court said was, "No, you can't go that far in cheating for Gore."
All that, of course, overlooks the thousands of absentee ballots--many of them military--that were fraudulently excluded by democratic operatives in the Florida bureaucracy.
The intent of the Dems was to "recount" their way to victory, fraudulently, as they have done so many times in so many places. Ballot boxes found in trunks of cars, dims eating chads by the handful, chads scotch-taped back in place, Republican observers forceably ejected from counting areas and locked out...now is not the time to forget the skullduggery these moral lepers get up to, because they're gearing up to do it again.
Nor does this vicious, evil lie take into account that every post-election study has shown that Bush would have won any honest recount. The media slugs went wild trying to come up with credible grounds to assert that Algore would have won a recount, but the facts slapped them down every time.
Thank God for Katherine Harris, and thank God the Supreme Court acted properly.
Just let them continue their tactics. Let their party be the one responsible for doing their damndest to make our Country look like some third-world banana republic during the actual voting process.
That should just about do it for them, in the eyes of anyone who cares at all about their Country. If that is their plan, then I'll venture that it will lose them even more membership in their pathetic party.
This is just a smoke screen. Muddy the waters first so nobody can believe anything. Then cry "disenfranchisement" when your side loses even though they cheated. Sounds very "democratic" to me.
If George Bush were to yank the lease on the UN and other so-called international organizations he would win in the largest lanslide in U.S. history. These groups like the UN and OSCE are filled with so much corruption, graft and pin-headed Eurocrats that they have no business taking up our space, our tax money, and getting away with millions of parking tickets. Throw them all out and let them see how Paris or Geneva feels about having them as tennants.
Amen
Right!
Trouble = Bush Win
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.