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.
He just wiggles those scary eyebrows up and down and spits out his leftists pablem. He and John Kerry (who can't wiggle anything above his eyes) are the same guy.
The problem with the ballots is that Democrat poll workers spoiled a bunch of Bush votes by pushing long, thin rods through Dole's chads, and then pretended that the poor, ignorant Democrat voters hadn't understood how to use them.
Never mind that Democrats designed the ballots and controlled the voting booths.
He is pathetic.
Here's the truth...Florida did not have any more voting irregularities than are prevalent in all states.
It's just that ALgore decided to make Florida his battleground.
Anybody that uses any machinery to vote has under and overvotes.
The people counting the votes and the dems decided that everybody ALWAYS votes properly and that is simply not the case.
The Dems will be able to find the same problems in any state they want to contest...it's just the nature of voting...it's always been this way, but not until Algore and the Dems decided to make an issue of it did it become the "norm."
And from then on, contested elections will be the norm. Even the Dems in their primary in Florida had irregularities and that had nothing to do with disenfranchisement or partisan politics. There is no such thing as a perfect election or EVERY VOTE BEING COUNTED.
Mr. MALAISE opens his stupid mouth yet again. Keep it up Jimmuh
Anyone want to fathom a guess what the MSM's reporting would be like today if such drivel had poured forth from the mouth of Bush-41?
Ballot access restrictions are one of my biggest pet peeves. They are routinely used to eliminate legitimate competition and limit people's choices in political candidates.
I realize there needs to be some safeguard to keep Bob the plumber from getting his name, along with 2,000 other also rans, on the presidential ballot, but a candidate like Nadar should in no way be barred from the ballot. He is a legitimate candidate and people should have the opportunity to vote for him.
That the Democrats are putting so much energy into keeping him off ballots, only in the interest of improving their own candidates chances, shows how little respect they have for voters or the electoral process in America.
It's all about them.
Yes, I'm dreaming. But it can be done if enough people get tired of having non-citizens and non-producers vote themselves ever-increasing shares of OPM. <./rant>
Did they have that same army of lawyers ready when Jeb Bush won by 14%?!
he's referring to Katherine Harris, then FL Secretary of State, who served also as FL Chair of the Bush-Cheney campaign. Nothing unusual in that. If you look across the country at who the various state chairs of the respective campaigns are, you will likely see elected officials from the canddiates' parties in those roles.
"Some basic international requirements for a fair election are missing in Florida," including non-partisan electoral officials and uniformity in voting procedures, he said."
We saw the dems demostrate this on national TV last Nov. 2000.
To shout "every vote counts" and then to slyly maneuver to prevent Nader votes from counting is pure hypocrisy...and very typical of Jimmy Carter and liberal/socialist democrats.
Come to think of it, Kerry is about on a par with Bill McBride, isn't he?
Carter has the trademark character defect for membership in the Democratic party, whining and crying.
Waaaaah, it's unfair! It's unfair!
because in illinois, even our voters who are dead know how to properly punch out a chad
He is a seriously misguided, self rightous individual, who, with astounding ideogically driven hubris, thinks the rest of us are fools.
When I read the article, I thought it was a parody, or just simple sarcasm. Did Peanut Brain really make these statements? If so, Evad, the man is DELUSIONAL!
I do believe that just as we have a "barf alert" posted on certain headlines, we need to institute a "waah alert" as well!
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