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National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Demands Investigation [FL and Reno]
www.commondreams.org ^ | Sept. 10, 2002 | National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

Posted on 09/12/2002 6:10:15 PM PDT by summer

Home > Progressive Community > NewsWire > For Immediate Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SEPTEMBER 10, 2002

CONTACT: National Gay & Lesbian Task Force
Miami Action and Media Center: Jubi Headley of the NGLTF,
202-320-1869

Ballot Debacle Again in Florida Election: National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Demands Investigation Into Apparent Voter Fraud

MIAMI - September 10 - In today's Miami-Dade election that featured a historic gay rights ballot measure, registered voters have once again been denied the right to cast votes. Rampant breakdowns in new touch screen voting machines, failure to open polling places in a timely manner, untrained personnel, and refusal by election officials to provide paper "provisional" ballots when voting machines have malfunctioned have left voters and observers alike stunned and angered.

Worst of all, numerous complaints have been registered by voters who went to the polls to vote NO on the anti-gay ballot measure, but were prevented from doing so. In some precincts, there was no ability to vote on any initiatives. In others, voters have complained that when they voted NO on the anti-gay ballot measure, YES votes appear to have registered instead. Many polling places were not operative until after 1 p.m., more than 5 hours later than the scheduled 7 a.m.

"In 2000, African Americans in southern Florida were denied the right to vote and to have their votes counted. In 2002, the gay and Jewish communities are facing the same inexcusable fate," said Lorri L. Jean, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

While irregularities have been reported in precincts countywide, Miami's Jewish and gay communities have been disproportionately hit by voter machine malfunction and other irregularities. These communities represent some of the strongest opposition to a measure on the ballot that, if passed, would remove discrimination protections based on sexual orientation from the County's human rights ordinance.

"How many times must historically oppressed communities be denied the right to participate in elections under the watch of Jeb and George W. Bush?" demanded Jean. "Hundreds and potentially thousands of people in Miami-Dade have been unable to vote today because of malfunctioning machines and then have been provided no alternative means of voting. This is not a partisan failure, this is a leadership failure."

"After the last Florida voting fiasco, Jeb and George Bush promised the American public that they would make every vote count," Jean continued. "They have had two years to create a system that guaranteed full participation in the democratic process to all people and, as we now know, they have failed to deliver on their promise."

Therefore, NGLTF is demanding that the Governor employ all available communication devices and personnel at the state's disposal to let voters know that voting hours have now been extended until 9 p.m. and to encourage them to return to the polls.

"Further, we are demanding full and immediate investigations by the Governor's office and the U.S. Department of Justice into the failures of the Florida election system so that the gay community and indeed all Floridians will never again be denied that opportunity to vote and have those votes counted," Jean concluded.


TOPICS: Front Page News; Politics/Elections; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: flgayvoters; flgovrace; gayamendment; reno
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To: jackd
LOL...My pleasure. :)
61 posted on 09/12/2002 7:19:29 PM PDT by summer
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To: summer
bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
62 posted on 09/12/2002 7:20:22 PM PDT by LiteKeeper
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To: LiteKeeper
LOL...
63 posted on 09/12/2002 7:20:38 PM PDT by summer
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To: summer

I sent guns to Elian I will send my gay task force on everyone cause....waaaaaaaaaaaaaaa call a waaaaaaaaambulance...I did not win.

64 posted on 09/12/2002 7:36:49 PM PDT by TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!
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To: sunshine state
They are just mad since they can no longer manufacture the ballots themselves....
65 posted on 09/12/2002 7:42:58 PM PDT by RasterMaster
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To: summer
I'm no Reno fan by any stretch of the imagination, but this strikes me as odd too. Can poll workers just not show up and polls not be open when they should be and THERE ARE NO CONSEQUENCES? In this case, it's big fun for Republicans and interested bystanders to watch the fiasco unfold, but I can't believe that they can just certify the election and be done with it. This is all very corrupt. Thank God I don't live in Broward County anymore.
66 posted on 09/12/2002 9:28:40 PM PDT by sunshine state
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To: RightOnline
Yet more voting machines that can automatically detect gays, Jews, or blacks.

Actually... I was rather surprised with the speed of these new machines. They were annoyingly slow, kind of like they were programmed in an interpretive language which had to be compiled depending on which choice the voter made.

The "Cast Ballot" function also took 2+ seconds and I thought I heard the sound of a card being punched

67 posted on 09/12/2002 10:12:09 PM PDT by OReilly
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To: summer
The reason this failed to pass was that it wasn't on the ballot in November.

Voter turnout in the County was about 37%, with the Hispanics voting about 75% against, the blacks 50% and the non-hispanic whites pushing it over the edge in Pinecrest, Coarl Gables and South Miami.

That this issue and others would be scheduled for a vote on what in effect was Democratic primary day is one more example of the fraud that is the Dade conty elections board.

68 posted on 09/12/2002 10:28:00 PM PDT by Rome2000
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To: summer
Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund Caught Defrauding Donors
69 posted on 09/12/2002 10:32:24 PM PDT by Southack
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To: Dimensio
Well it's technically accurate.

So is Clinton's statement about being "alone" with Monica Lewinsky. The president in the Oval Office is never really "alone."

The implication is that the Bush brothers conspired to prevent black voters' ballots from counting in the elections. That's a crock, and I hope -- for your sake -- you know that.

70 posted on 09/12/2002 11:19:42 PM PDT by L.N. Smithee
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To: summer
POLLS MISLEADING

A poll conducted for The Herald and NBC 6 last week showed the repeal being defeated by about 20 percentage points -- a wider margin than the apparent 6 percentage point difference on Tuesday.

Bias and wishful thinking in action, no doubt.

71 posted on 09/12/2002 11:24:06 PM PDT by L.N. Smithee
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To: sunshine state; OReilly
Florida REPUBLICAN Primary Comment Thread. Tell the press OUR side here. Check out Janet's 3 "problem" counties at post #41...a few more hours and she may have pulled it off. (^:
72 posted on 09/13/2002 9:37:20 AM PDT by Ragtime Cowgirl
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To: summer
So the Liberals are now split again.

Last election we had Dems and Greens

Now it's Dems, Greens and Queens

73 posted on 09/13/2002 9:43:30 AM PDT by N. Theknow
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To: L.N. Smithee
I do know that. I'm just pointing out that the media does not really lie as often as some thing -- they just omit important facts and give a completely inaccurate impression by giving factual information in a misleading way. It's how they can claim to have honesty (though any claims of integrity are false).
74 posted on 09/13/2002 10:59:34 AM PDT by Dimensio
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To: summer
Summer, I no longer live in Miami. I am now in beautiful Brooklyn, NY. I had a feeling that the repeal wouldn't pass, as the Gaystapo had TONS of money pouring in from all over the country and only Democratic voters went out to vote.

Hope all is well in Napoli. :-)

75 posted on 09/13/2002 12:36:47 PM PDT by Clemenza
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To: summer
The Democrats didn't hijack the primary. I know some of these guys, they couldn't pour water out of a boot with the instructions on the heel. Reno lost, not by much, but she still lost. Her gay supporters are, I'm sure, very upset that McBride won the primary. As you and I have discussed before, McBride is attmpting to make inroads in North Florida and the Panhandle - both areas Bush has taken for granted. Needless to say, a Gay agenda wouldn't be helpful.
76 posted on 09/14/2002 5:30:24 PM PDT by caltrop
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To: caltrop
Her gay supporters are, I'm sure, very upset that McBride won the primary.

I agree with you on that, and I am wondering if she could have won had it not been for these local foul ups in the most populous DEM counties....
77 posted on 09/15/2002 2:21:13 PM PDT by summer
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