Florida still can't count all the votes

The Boston Globe ^ | November 24, 2006 | Mark K. Matthews

[Zakeet]

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Touch-screen voting machines were supposed to be the answer, a response to the chaos of the 2000 presidential election.

Instead, the discovery of about 18,000 electronic votes recorded as blank in this month's tight race for Congress has created a new black eye for Florida elections.

A paper trail might have provided clues to what happened Nov. 7, but Florida officials have balked at requiring such backup. The state Legislature repeatedly has killed measures to require a verifiable paper trail, and neither Governor Jeb Bush nor the secretary of state's office has pushed the idea.

[Zakeet]

As the great American philosopher, Yogi Berra, once said, "It's deja vous all over again."

[Nitro]

I work for the New York Mets and so I know a little about the Yog and Casey Stengel and Gil Hodges.

And baseball is all about nre beginnigs and fresh starts and next summer and why isn't body surfing respected when that redhead walked away from me for a board surfer?

[Blue_Ridge_Mtn_Geek]

I have regularly cast ballots with blanks for some of the offices, including US President,when I disapprove of all of the listed candidates, and had no decent choice to offer as a write-in. Perhaps it is simply the case that roughly 18 thousand voters in Florida have similar voting habits?

I wonder how the voting system in Florida would distinguish between a voter like me and a system glitch (or some sinister manipulation of the system)?

[BurtSB]

This radical left wing rag always think its a problem when a dem lost . If the dem had won then the story would not exist in the leftist press. God I am sick of these DNC operatives with press passes.

[bill1952]

Ah, screw you, globe.

We are tired of the MSM in the cobalt blue states crying about how horrible everything here is.

What are your state income taxes and property taxes compared to here? Having been raised in the NE, all I can say, other than the fact that you have sunk into a semi socialist miasma, is that you just plain suck.

[Socratic]

...and why isn't body surfing respected when that redhead walked away from me for a board surfer?

Maybe it has something to with your body vs his board. (Backing away, mindful of the need for self-protection).

[deport]

I have regularly cast ballots with blanks for some of the offices, including US President,when I disapprove of all of the listed candidates, and had no decent choice to offer as a write-in. Perhaps it is simply the case that roughly 18 thousand voters in Florida have similar voting habits?

---

This one county seems to have a higher blank rate than the others which makes it a little suspecious I guess..... They are going to test 10 of the machines, five that were standby and five that were actually used.

Click
The state test is aimed at finding out why no votes were recorded in the congressional race on about 18,000 ballots cast in Sarasota County. That resulted in an undervote rate about six times greater than in the district's other four counties.

[BurtSB]

the article was written by a Orlando Slantinel (Sentinel) writer which is the local DNC newsletter. The Chicago Trib bought the paper and sent it over to the dark side. Please feel free to look up the DNC operative on the Slantinel web site and call or email him a message about his work or should I say DNC fax. The god news is the Slantinel readership is in a massive free fall .

[BurtSB]

It was a very very nasty race with massive amount of negative ads by the Dems and the out of town left wing crack pot groups like Moveon .org were out in full force at the polls. The older population of sarasota does not care for this type of nonsense. I grew up there.

[deport]

I hope negative ads, actions, etc. by the the democrats didn't suppress voters for Buchanan. If so then the dems win either way.

[RNO1]

The reason for the high under vote is Republican supporters of one of the other candidates stayed home....Sarasota has more registered Republicans than Democrats....This was a very verbal race between Republicans and allot of hard feelings...I voted for Vern.....Now the individuals who are crying foul are a group of Democratic activists here in this area.....Quite simply folks did not vote....Yet Jennings is going to do her best to steal this election...

[RNO1]

What I was referring to was the primary....Lots of hard feelings between Republicans and they stayed home and did not vote for Vern .

[MadIvan]

Spoiled and incomplete ballots have been a feature of every election since elections began. Complaining about it now is foolish.

Regards, Ivan

[atom99]

A fix for the under vote would be to put in every race a choice of "No Vote" or "None of the Above". Then it could be determine that the voter made a choice, rather than it didn't register or they missed it.

[LibLieSlayer]

NEW HEADLINE FOR TRUTH:

"dims in FLORIDA CANNOT COUNT VOTES, EVEN USING THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY THAT STATES LIKE MISSISSIPPI ARE USING WITHOUT EXPERIENCING ERRORS!"

LLS

[longtermmemmory]

how about idiots who push the big vote button FIRST.

This is the boston globe upset over a republican win. Where are the upset about the republicans that lost? no where.

[deport]

If they stayed home then they wouldn't show as an undervote, would they?.... I understand the undervote to be from voters who voted in other races on the ballot but didn't register a vote in the Representative race...

I agree the democrats will attempt to win at all cost.... Buchanan needs to fight this with all he can muster....

[RNO1]

They voted but not for this particular race....In other words....It was such a dirty race that allot of folks did not vote for either......Look for the Dems to try and steal this seat before it is over...So far though the courts have ruled against them....They tried to get the codes for the voting machines....Nice try but it did not work....

[samantha]

I agree that the reason that there were 18,000 undervotes is because Tramm Hudson trashed Vern Buchanan as a guy who ran out on business and left them bankrupt and that the IRS was on his heels in Michigan when he fled to Florida. The reason he (Hudson) lost the race was he was so vicious and brutal in his ads, and the Conservative Primary Republican voters bounced him out. Then Jennings, the tax and spend cronish liberal did the same thing in her ads. The Majority republican district did not want to vote for a tax and spend nasty liberal, but did not want to vote for a sleazy Buchanan so they left that slot blank. The Dirty Dems are so obvious here. If everyone of them voted for Jennings, and all the Republicans voted for Buchanan she would have lost by a huge margin. They are making themselves look really stupid. I hope Buchanan has competition in the 2008 Primary.

[RNO1]

I think there is going to be a re vote in this race before it is over...I do not think the Dems in the house are stupid enough to just give it to her......I do not like Vern but held my nose and voted for him.....Time will tell how all this turns out but it stinks to high heavens...All the Dems claiming they did not vote right is total bull....They are Democratic activists in this area....