Computer Glitch gives Kerry an extra 8,400 votes in Florida

Orlando Sentinel ^

[BigRedState]

Sometimes the problem is that votes were miscounted. That's what happened, officials say, with precinct-by-precinct results posted on the Orange County elections office Web site showing that Democrat John Kerry beat Republican President Bush by 9,227 votes in Orange.

That was off by 8,400 votes. Officials working for Bill Cowles, the Orange elections supervisor, said the correct totals, available elsewhere on the site, showed that Kerry bested Bush in the county by only 827 votes.

[asgardshill]

Was it wrong that I used an account on DU to announce that Florida's polls would open on November 3 instead of November 2 due to their wanting to be careful this time?

[MattAMiller]

Yet more evidence that Bush really won Florida.

[StJacques]

Dang! got to register to read this.

I'll be back.

[ambrose]

Reinforces the notion:

If it isn't close, they can't cheat...

[elizabetty]

Recount in MI and PA!

I agree 100% AND they need to county every single absentee Military ballot

[nonkultur]

Kerry & Castor tried to steal Florida? I just can not believe that!

[LdSentinal]

I can't wait for Monday when Keith Olbermann covers this story.

/s

[jimfrommaine]

This is just too good. I want to go county by county, precinct by precinct, and find all the voter fraud. Let's email Nader, the Green and Libertarian candidates. Let's get a recount going so every single vote counts. If one county in Florida could have such a clossal error, think of the problems in PA, Wisconsin, New Mexico. Well, joking aside there are real problems in NM. But I want to hear Petter Jennings, Dan the Man Rather, Tom Brokaw implore the mases to investigate the voter fraud. Jim

[Mo1]

But the next day, workers failed to account for the glitch while posting precinct results online. When absentee-ballot totals exceeded the limit in one precinct, the software caused additional votes to be subtracted from Bush's total

[BigSkyFreeper]

Of course, a few days ago, there was a story that said Republicans were trying to hack the computers before the election. None of these stories coming out of Florida even jibe from day to day.

[uMayBeRight]

It's too bad that our elected officials have not shown greater competence in establishing accounting standards and procedures to avoid this kind of thing. These irregularities only give the left the chance to discredit the election, our candidates, and the veracity of the entire system. We should demand more from the people on the election boards of this country, because someday, we may find ourselves on the losing end, wondering whether or not the system was rigged against us. Demand competence, don't take it on faith.

[StJacques]

GUYS, READ THIS! I THINK IT IS ONE VERY POORLY-WRITTEN ARTICLE

What are they writing? Did this work to Bush or Kerry's advantage?

". . . Sometimes the problem is that votes were miscounted. That's what happened, officials say, with precinct-by-precinct results posted on the Orange County elections office Web site showing that Democrat John Kerry beat Republican President Bush by 9,227 votes in Orange.

That was off by 8,400 votes. Officials working for Bill Cowles, the Orange elections supervisor, said the correct totals, available elsewhere on the site, showed that Kerry bested Bush in the county by only 827 votes.

The cause of the error, Orange officials said Thursday, was a software program that could not tabulate more than 32,767 votes in a single precinct. On election night, officials anticipated the problem and adjusted for it, deputy election official Lonn Fluke said Thursday.

But the next day, workers failed to account for the glitch while posting precinct results online. When absentee-ballot totals exceeded the limit in one precinct, the software caused additional votes to be subtracted from Bush's total.

A similar discrepancy affected vote totals posted online for the U.S. Senate race between Republican Mel Martinez and Democrat Betty Castor. But neither online counting problem made it into the real totals sent to Tallahassee, election officials insist.

"The election results we certified to the state are correct," Fluke said. The presidential and U.S. Senate absentee results posted online were "garbage."

Neither miscount was enough to influence Bush's or Martinez's Florida victories. But the conflicting data was not removed from the Web site until Thursday.

Similar counting problems were reported in Broward County and in Greensboro, N.C.

The Orange County Canvassing Board meets today at noon. Final county election totals will be tallied and sent to Tallahassee. Across the state, counties will do the same thing, adding late-arriving overseas absentee votes to the previously certified totals.

Those totals become the official election results."

There is no substitute for clear writing and this article is one of the worst examples I've seen. It says the results posted online were "garbage" but it earlier made clear that both sets of results were posted online. So which set of results is it?

[BigSkyFreeper]

When absentee-ballot totals exceeded the limit in one precinct, the software caused additional votes to be subtracted from Bush's total

This was happening 3 years ago when they were testing the system!!! This was one of the problems they were supposed to FIX!

[paul51]

THOSE PEOPLE WERE DISENFRANCHISED. WE MUST COUNT ALL THE VOTES THIS TIME!!! what? they were bush votes? .......never mind

[West Coast Conservative]

Just sent this to Drudge. Next is Keith Olbermann...but I have a feeling good ol' Keith won't be putting this story on his countdown of crappy stories.

[Howlin]

I think you understand completely!

[StJacques]

Well why not:


BUSH WON CALIFORNIA!


Hey, if the Dems can do it, so can we.

[Mo1]

Well .. looks like they still have problems

[BigRedState]

It clearly says that Kerry got an extra 8400 votes.

[nopardons]

Quick...let's all go over to DU and throw a hissy fit...NOT! LOL