Vote-Less Ballots Worry Broward Democrats

TBO ^ | Mar 13, 2004 | AP

[NautiNurse]

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - There weren't many choices to make in Broward County elections last week, but 169 ballots without votes in the Democratic presidential primary are causing some worries.

Nearly half of the ballots without primary votes were in precincts with large elderly populations. Democratic Party leaders are concerned it's a sign of trouble for November.

At the rate seen in Tuesday's primary, about 4,000 ballots would go without votes in the general election in a Democratic stronghold beset by election problems since the 2000 presidential election.

"That's a frightening statistic," Mitch Ceasar, chairman of the county's Democratic Party. "We have a large number of folks who are elderly and not comfortable with these machines."

Senior-only communities accounted for four of the top five polling locations with the heaviest undervoting, according to a representative sampling by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. While the countywide average undervote was about 1 percent, the rate in retirement community precincts ranged from 2.9 percent to 5.7 percent.

"That's too many undervotes," said Amadeo "Trinchi" Trinchitella, an 87-year-old Deerfield Beach city commissioner who represents the sprawling retirement community of Century Village East. "Some of our people are elderly, sick, whatever. But it doesn't matter. We have a right to vote, and I think there should be every safeguard."

[Vigilanteman]

I used to skip judge contests (mostly uncontested contests) for the same reason. Then I started writing in "Judge Roy Bean."

We could use a few more like him. As corrupt as he was, at least the criminals got their due.

[bayourod]

Yes exactly. They were sending a message. Maybe lots of different messages. Here is one suggestions:

"They told us at the retirement home that if we didn't get on the bus and come vote that we wouldn't get ice cream for a week.

[I still care]

They are just setting up a scenerio so that Kerry will have an excuse to put Florida though hell again this year.

[nmh]

It's becoming painfully clear that only the dumbest of dumb will vote for Deomncrats.

[NautiNurse]

Kerry can't do a damn thing if Democrats don't/can't/won't press a button or screen, or pop out a flipping chad. The primary actually is a blessing in this respect. It demonstrates the caliber of the Democratic party.

pass the popcorn...it's gonna be a fun show.

[mware]

Does this mean they are going to ASSUME what the voters meant, like they did in 2000?

[NautiNurse]

Well, uhhh...yep...unless someone calls them on their criminal acts.

[I still care]

Oh, they'll figure out something to give us heartburn. Isn't it amazing that they are so dependent for votes are people that seem too clueless to know how to push a button.

In an intelligent world, people would connect those dots, but no, the press just spews out that Republicans must be "dienfranchising" "disabled, elderly, and minority" voters.

[Katya]

I am a registered democrat and always vote in their primaries. It give me the opportunity to vote out the true losers and have some fun.
I often leave some or many categories empty..I guess in Florida that would make me old.

[oldironsides]

Democrats did use absentee ballots in 2000. They used them in New Jersey and New York and then went to the polls in Dade, Broward and Palm Beach and voted again. That little tidbit of info never reached the media. The numbers were enough to tip the election. They wanted to make sure it counted.

[ArmstedFragg]

They wanted to make sure it counted.

....and counted....and counted.

Do you suppose some sub-set of that group with a sense of morality (okay, an admitedly small one), recognizing that they'd already voted in the national races, just cast ballots in the local races? That would produce.... gasp!... an undervote.

[ApplegateRanch]

For crying out loud, give us a paper ballot, a marker, and a plce to put an "X", and quit trying to be so "modern!

Any one who complains it is beneath them to do so because it is "too old fashioned" or "too difficult", can stay home and forfeit their ballot.

BEST SOLUTION: Give the voter the choice of using which ever they are most comfortable with: electronic, or paper.

[ApplegateRanch]

Do you suppose some sub-set of that group with a sense of morality (okay, an admitedly small one), recognizing that they'd already voted in the national races, just cast ballots in the local races?

We resented highly the fact that while owning comperable-value property in two states, and splitting our time between, we could only vote in one. BOTH would typically have measures affecting our state & local taxes, but there was no provision to be taxed AND represented in both.

Being possessed of a sense of morality, we compromised, and kept ONE of us registered in each state. Not the best solution, but the best legally available.

And, NO; neither state was Florida.

[Hank Rearden]

Just how hard would it be to add "None of the Above" to every race on every ballot in every election.

It's not hard. It's revolutionary.

And that's why it'll never happen until we toss Big Stupid Government out the window.

[sweetliberty]

Sounds like a dry run to me....to determine how many blank ballots they will have to play with come the general election. Of course, we know that all those people would vote for the democRAT. < /sarcasm >

[ladyinred]

They can rig these machines even easier than their butterfly ballot. This is just smoke and mirrors folks.

[xm177e2]

Well, they can't blame it on pregnant, dimpled, hanging chads this time.

They can't blame it on Republicans either; this was a DEMOCRATIC primary.

[sweetliberty]

"They are to damned stupid to vote."

.