Reno Update: Broward County Now Reports Uncounted Votes

AP ^ | 9/15/02

[11th Earl of Mar]

By Associated Press

September 15, 2002, 5:32 AM EDT

MIAMI --

Election workers in Janet Reno's stronghold of Broward County have found uncounted votes from last week's primary, though officials didn't say how many.

The votes were found Saturday in a precinct that first reported no votes, said Willie Weslie, project manager with Election Systems & Software Inc., which made the touchscreen voting machines used in the county.

That precinct, with 832 registered voters, was among 247 that Reno has asked officials to review in her battle with Bill McBride for the Democratic nomination.

"I don't know what happened in every case. I just know 1/8poll workers 3/8 had procedures and didn't follow them," said Weslie.

Weslie said poll workers in the precinct should have inserted a cartridge in the machines, which would have collected the votes when polls closed. But they did not, he said, so the empty cartridge made it appear that no votes were cast.

Workers examined touchscreen voting machines until shortly after 7 p.m. Saturday, and were expected to continue Sunday. The deadline for counties to report official vote tallies to the state is 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Election Supervisor Miriam Oliphant's office would not discuss the uncounted votes.

"Once the process is complete, the supervisor of elections will have a statement with respect to that and every other issue her office feels is necessary to assure the voters of Broward County that every vote will be counted," said spokesman Rick Riley.

Reno trailed McBride by 8,196 votes in unofficial counts from the state. The 247 precincts she asked to be reviewed have 15,841 voters.

Reno has also asked Miami-Dade County officials to check for lost votes. Officials there found more than 1,800 uncounted votes from four precincts Thursday, and were reviewing touchscreen voting machines to determine if more were unreported.

Miami and Broward counties used the same touchscreen machines made by Election Systems & Software.

Copyright © 2002, The Associated Press

[TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!]

If even I believe somebody truly failed to turn on the voting machines properly and use windex (on brand new equipment) and black (any) voters were truly turned away,it is the Fla. Democratic party's fault, PERIOD.

[marajade]

"it was JEB'S fault the machines' didn't work"

Which isn't true because the state gave each county the money and each county procured their own machines...

[pabianice]

Is she counting the 83 absentee ballots from Waco?

[TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!]

Yeah.... President Bush paid off his brother Jeb (in cowboy hats and beef jerky... with some cash...) to make sure none if the Winn Dixie's or Publixs' or any grocer any where in any store in Fla. sold any type of windex to the democrats. Only republicans were allowed windex.

Oh dear Lord, did I just give them a new idea? How much more ludicrous can they get?

[TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!]

In the long run all of this DNC propaganda will not gain McBride the election it will only serve to put south Florida in the Guiness Book Of World Records for being the most brain dead people in the world. AND the democrats will take the world record for "most repeated, worn-out, rubbish of propaganda---thought to be believed."

[TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!]

Very good question.

[Goldwater Girl]

You can believe it- because that -and more- happened in the Democrat controlled counties. It was chaotic beyond belief.

Ask yourself why the Tallahassee Democrat headline reads "Blacks feel Left Out" instead of "Black voters Disenfranchised in Dade & Broward".

If I show up at the polls ready the vote, and the doors are locked- I am disenfranshised.
If the legal vote I cast is not counted, I am disenfranchised.

Last Tuesday, in Dade & Broward counties, this occured all over- but disporportionatley in minority precincts. And the democrats which control these counties are telling them it is more important to get on with the election than to get an accurate vote tally.

[marajade]

Did you hear about the worker who drove around town all day Wed with the machines in his car before being able to turn them in? Unbelievable...

[11th Earl of Mar]

Touch screen machines suffer from the buildup of smudges as more people vote that create inaccuracies

But this only happens in counties where people's hands are smeared with Afro-Sheen? They need to be reminded that in all the other counties that used the machines, there were no problems.

[Goldwater Girl]

That was sarcasm, marajade. The democrat machine is trying to blame Jeb for their own incompetence- and the goofy media is dutifully publishing every stupid accusation.

[windchime]

Dari Alexander, Fox News, just said 5 arrested with Al-Qaeda ties were REGISTERED DEMOCRATS. If they keep busting them, maybe NY politics will improve. Maybe they need to look more closely in Florida!

[TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!]

Are you sure you typed your last sentence with the right party afiliation?

Polls were indeed CLOSED...not open.....locked? WHY? Who did not report to open them?

[seekthetruth]

They may have done it intentionally..........for you must understand that the National Democratic Party did not want Reno to win the Democratic nomination for Governor in Florida! They know she does not have a chance to win against Jeb Bush! GO JANET - COUNT EVERY VOTE!!

[Goldwater Girl]

I love it! How about bumper stickers that say:
"Vote democrat--Al Qaeda does!"

[marajade]

sarcasm... okie dokie...

[TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!]

LOL-- now mind you, in the wealthy republican towns; dippity doo, Jhiramack, Tressome' and Adorn hair spray's and gels were all over the screens yet they managed to vote correctly.

[windchime]

Love the idea!

Will be interesting to see how far this information is disseminated by the media.

[Goldwater Girl]

Yes, I'm sure. McBride and his DNC cohorts are telling them it's more important to beat Jeb than get the count right.
As for the closed polls- hundreds of trained poll workers just DIDN'T SHOW UP on election day. More than 40 polling places were not open at 7am in Dade, at least that many in Broward. In one precinct in Dade (the one mentioned in the story from the Tallahassee paper)- it did not open until 1pm.

Because of this unprecedented mess, Governor Bush issued an executive order to keep the polls open 2 hours longer (until 9pm)-- but many poll workers refused to stay- and just locked the doors at 7 and left. Voters who had been turned away earlier, returned after 7 and found polls locked up.

Like I said- chaotic beyond belief.

[Goldwater Girl]

Other than FoxTv and the Washington Times, I wouldn't count on it getting much play.
How's this for a recruiting tool?..... Join the Democrat party, home to felons, terrorists, deviants, socialists, marxists, feminazis, envirowackos, media elite and limosine liberals. Help us redistribute the wealth and grow government!

[windchime]

I think you got just about all of 'em! (that we know about)