1.9 million black votes didn't count in the 2000 presidential election

[gldstwmn]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/06/20/ING2976LG61.DTL

In the 2000 presidential election, 1.9 million Americans cast ballots that no one counted. "Spoiled votes" is the technical term. The pile of ballots left to rot has a distinctly dark hue: About 1 million of them -- half of the rejected ballots -- were cast by African Americans although black voters make up only 12 percent of the electorate.

This year, it could get worse.

These ugly racial statistics are hidden away in the mathematical thickets of the appendices to official reports coming out of the investigation of ballot-box monkey business in Florida from the last go-'round.

How do you spoil 2 million ballots? Not by leaving them out of the fridge too long. A stray mark, a jammed machine, a punch card punched twice will do it. It's easy to lose your vote, especially when some politicians want your vote lost.

While investigating the 2000 ballot count in Florida for BBC Television, I saw firsthand how the spoilage game was played -- with black voters the predetermined losers.

Florida's Gadsden County has the highest percentage of black voters in the state -- and the highest spoilage rate. One in 8 votes cast there in 2000 was never counted. Many voters wrote in "Al Gore." Optical reading machines rejected these because "Al" is a "stray mark."

By contrast, in neighboring Tallahassee, the capital, vote spoilage was nearly zip; every vote counted. The difference? In Tallahassee's white- majority county, voters placed their ballots directly into optical scanners. If they added a stray mark, they received another ballot with instructions to correct it.

In other words, in the white county, make a mistake and get another ballot; in the black county, make a mistake, your ballot is tossed.

The U.S. Civil Rights Commission looked into the smelly pile of spoiled ballots and concluded that, of the 179,855 ballots invalidated by Florida officials, 53 percent were cast by black voters. In Florida, a black citizen was 10 times as likely to have a vote rejected as a white voter.

But let's not get smug about Florida's Jim Crow spoilage rate. Civil Rights Commissioner Christopher Edley, recently appointed dean of Boalt Hall School of Law at UC Berkeley, took the Florida study nationwide. His team discovered the uncomfortable fact that Florida is typical of the nation.

Philip Klinkner, the statistician working on the Edley investigations, concluded, "It appears that about half of all ballots spoiled in the U.S.A. --

about 1 million votes -- were cast by nonwhite voters."

This "no count," as the Civil Rights Commission calls it, is no accident. In Florida, for example, I discovered that technicians had warned Gov. Jeb Bush's office well in advance of November 2000 of the racial bend in the vote- count procedures.

Herein lies the problem. An apartheid vote-counting system is far from politically neutral. Given that more than 90 percent of the black electorate votes Democratic, had all the "spoiled" votes been tallied, Gore would have taken Florida in a walk, not to mention fattening his popular vote total nationwide. It's not surprising that the First Brother's team, informed of impending rejection of black ballots, looked away and whistled.

The ballot-box blackout is not the monopoly of one party. Cook County, Ill., has one of the nation's worst spoilage rates. That's not surprising. Boss Daley's Democratic machine, now his son's, survives by systematic disenfranchisement of Chicago's black vote.

How can we fix it? First, let's shed the convenient excuses for vote spoilage, such as a lack of voter education. One television network stated as fact that Florida's black voters, newly registered and lacking education, had difficulty with their ballots. In other words, blacks are too dumb to vote.

This convenient racist excuse is dead wrong. After that disaster in Gadsden, Fla., public outcry forced the government to change that black county's procedures to match that of white counties. The result: near zero spoilage in the 2002 election. Ballot design, machines and procedure, says statistician Klinkner, control spoilage.

In other words, the vote counters, not the voters, are to blame. Politicians who choose the type of ballot and the method of counting have long fine-tuned the spoilage rate to their liking.

It is about to get worse. The ill-named "Help America Vote Act," signed by President Bush in 2002, is pushing computerization of the ballot box.

California decertified some of Diebold Corp.'s digital ballot boxes in response to fears that hackers could pick our next president. But the known danger of black-box voting is that computers, even with their software secure, are vulnerable to low-tech spoilage games: polls opening late, locked-in votes, votes lost in the ether.

And once again, the history of computer-voting glitches has a decidedly racial bias. Florida's Broward County grandly shifted to touch-screen voting in 2002. In white precincts, all seemed to go well. In black precincts, hundreds of African Americans showed up at polls with machines down and votes that simply disappeared.

Going digital won't fix the problem. Canada and Sweden vote on paper ballots with little spoilage and without suspicious counts.

In America, a simple fix based on paper balloting is resisted because, unfortunately, too many politicians who understand the racial bias in the vote- spoilage game are its beneficiaries, with little incentive to find those missing 1 million black voters' ballots.

Greg Palast is the author of "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy."

[CarneVaca]

Oh damn, there goes that Ralph Nader spolier theory!

[gldstwmn]

Oh damn, there goes that Ralph Nader spolier theory!

That's another story. This should be a happy day for you-what with the news of his running mate and all.

[gldstwmn]

Kick! :woohoo:

[dissention]

Kick! :woohoo:

Thanks. ;)

It really is rather sickening, IMO. African Americans fought for the right to vote decades ago and now it's slowly being taken away from them again so that their votes don't count. It's sick.

[Johnny Stew]

Another very eye-opening article. Thanks, goldy!

Sometimes I wish I can print out some of these articles, and hand them to some of our patrons at the library. The ones who read all of the O'Reilly & Coulter books, and think our President is God's gift to the nation, and couldn't possibly be involved in anything shady.

But unfortunately I always have to keep my opinions to myself... though, trust me, when I get a chance to say something in a non-confrontational way, I take it!

[gldstwmn]

Another very eye-opening article. Thanks, goldy!

Sometimes I wish I can print out some of these articles, and hand them to some of our patrons at the library. The ones who read all of the O'Reilly & Coulter books, and think our President is God's gift to the nation, and couldn't possibly be involved in anything shady.

But unfortunately I always have to keep my opinions to myself... though, trust me, when I get a chance to say something in a non-confrontational way, I take it!

Good for you! :woohoo:

[gldstwmn]

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/breaking_news/9080831.htm

Questions over felon `purge list' threaten Florida governor

BY MARC CAPUTO

Knight Ridder Newspapers


TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - (KRT) - As thousands of Floridians learn that a state list could wrongly bar them from voting, Democrats have found a rallying point for the November elections and proof, they say, of long-held suspicions that Gov. Jeb Bush's elections machinery is rigged against them.

More than 2,100 people, many of them black Democrats, remain on the list of potentially ineligible ex-con voters despite winning clemency - and the right to vote - after their crimes, The Miami Herald reported Friday.

Democrats and activists call it a "purge list" - a phrase that deeply irks the governor.

That phrase, and the sinister plot it suggests, is rapidly becoming an article of faith among some Democrats, already fired up by the sensational "Fahrenheit 9/11" conspiracy film that begins with Florida's voting woes four years ago.

"They had four years to fix this, and apparently they're asleep at the switch. It's either the most egregious neglect, or something else at play here," said Tony Welch, spokesman for the Democratic National Committee. "News flash to Jeb Bush: It's your job. If there's one responsibility this time around, it's to make sure it all goes smoothly."

Unlike in 2000, when tens of thousands of blacks and Democrats were likely prohibited from voting, The Miami Herald's analysis of the list's potential flaws has surfaced long before the November elections, giving activists the chance to object - and, perhaps, to sue.

The American Civil Liberties Union said it will file a challenge in federal court to have the names of voters with clemency removed from the state's database.

"If the state insists on continuing to throw up these bureaucratic obstacles for no material reason, then we will file a suit under federal law to have those names removed," said Randall Marshall, legal director of the ACLU of Florida.

More than a third of those from South Florida who are on the state's list despite receiving clemency voted in the 2000 presidential election, a Miami Herald analysis found.

Bush wouldn't comment when The Miami Herald story was published Friday. He hustled away from the spotlight at a public event, not to be seen again by the news media.

A spokeswoman for Bush's secretary of state, Glenda Hood, issued a public statement decrying the accuracy of the Herald story, but provided few specifics and wouldn't return calls.

On Thursday, when a Tallahassee judge demanded that Bush's administration release the list, the governor said he wouldn't fight the ruling. Bush said he was happy the judge commended his administration for following the now-unconstitutional law - which he signed - that kept the list from the public.

Bush didn't want to discuss the high number of blacks and Democrats on the list.

"I haven't done the analysis," Bush said. "It doesn't matter to me."It matters to black lawmakers, however. Among them is Bush-critic-in-chief Kendrick Meek, a Miami congressman who led a sit-in protest in Bush's office after the governor ended some aspects of affirmative action.

"If the state of Florida cannot manage to identify which felons they have restored voting rights to and which they have not, then the governor should step to the plate, and end this racially biased program of disenfranchisement, an act he could do by executive order," Meek said in a written statement.

Meek was a force behind the "arrive with five" movement that brought an historical number of blacks to the polls in 2000.

Incoming state House Minority Leader Chris Smith, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said the analysis of the new data will help Democrats recruit voters and remind them that they just need about 600 more votes to count this year.

"They stole this in 2000. We've now got proof of what we've been saying for a while. The list is rigged. It's rigged against certain communities," said Smith, who represents the African-American core of central Fort Lauderdale.

There, in the 33311 ZIP Code, The Miami Herald found the highest concentration in the state of voters who had their rights restored but are on the state's list. About 50 of them are on the list.

"The darkest part of the most Democratic county has the most people disenfranchised," Smith said. "Gee, surprise, surprise."

His constituent, Jeffery Rogers, isn't shocked.

"It's real sneaky," said Rogers, 37, who was convicted in 1988 of cocaine possession and received clemency for the crime in 1989. "You think it's a mistake? The world is so crooked, so nothing surprises me. The bad thing is, they get away with it."

Bush said last week there's nothing sinister with the law barring felons from voting, which is a vestige of past administrations. He points out he has restored rights for more people than any of his predecessors. Still, he said, he's not going to grant across-the-board clemency.

"Some people believe that felons should have the right to vote. I don't. So I'm not in discomfort with this law. And we will carry it out," Bush said.

To underscore his efforts in "reaching out" Bush pointed to a settlement with the NAACP, which sued the state over its felons list. The state agreed to quickly reinstate the voting rights of those convicted of felonies in other states that don't require a clemency process. It also agreed to clean up its database that caused so much controversy in 2000.

The secretary of state's office cited its work with the NAACP in a Friday press release that questioned The Miami Herald story's accuracy. The main complaint: 1,647 of the 2,119 people found by The Miami Herald had registered to vote before getting their rights restored, and therefore have to re-register.

A lead attorney in the NAACP lawsuit, Elliot Mincberg, said that was "bureaucratic, nitpicking." He also said that, contrary to the Bush administration's claims, it has been dragging its feet in clearing people from what he calls the "purge" list.

Bush said he expected criticism of his administration, and said it disappointed him.

"There are cynics out there that view people in public life to be motivated by something they're not," he said.

"And sadly I think it's motivated by what they read in the papers sometimes and that's disturbing. What I can tell you is the truth - that we adhere to the law. And we are carrying out the law. And that is exactly what we're doing."

---

[darklinensuit]

Thanks. ;)

It really is rather sickening, IMO. African Americans fought for the right to vote decades ago and now it's slowly being taken away from them again so that their votes don't count. It's sick.

We agree!

- Jake

[strandinthewind]

Glitches Resurface in Fla. E-Voting Machines

Thursday, July 08, 2004



MIAMI — With less than four months to go before the November presidential election, Florida officials are once again hovering over voting equipment. This time, they’re worried about a software glitch in their touch-screen machines.

Last year, a Miami-Dade (search) elections employee discovered that weak batteries caused the voting machines to jumble serial numbers — a serious technical blip that officials say could delay an audit of all votes if there’s another close election as there was in 2000.

Critics say that possibility is unacceptable.

The company that designed the machine, Electronic Systems and Software (search), reportedly knew of the problem more than a year ago, but never notified state officials. The company says the flaw doesn’t affect the equipment’s ability to correctly record each vote.

Touch-screen machines are being used in 11 of Florida’s 67 counties. Miami-Dade alone spent $25 million on more than 7,000 machines. County officials stand by the equipment, but admit that correcting a software glitch so close to the election makes for bad public relations.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,125005,00.html

[gldstwmn]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/07/08/bush.naacp.ap/index.html

Thursday, July 8, 2004 Posted: 11:40 AM EDT (1540 GMT)

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (AP) -- President Bush declined an invitation to speak at the NAACP's annual convention, the group said.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People expects more than 8,000 people to attend the convention, which opens on Saturday.

Democratic challenger John Kerry accepted an invitation to speak next Thursday on the final day of the convention, the NAACP said.

Bush spoke at the 2000 NAACP convention in Baltimore when he was running for president.

NAACP spokesman John White said Wednesday that Bush has declined invitations in each year of his presidency -- becoming the first president since Herbert Hoover not to attend an NAACP convention.

The NAACP received a letter from the White House three weeks ago declining the invitation because of scheduling conflicts and thanking them for understanding.

The letter was signed by presidential scheduler Melissa Bennett.

White House spokesman Jim Morrell said Wednesday that the president has spoken about "equal opportunity and equal rights for all Americans" in many public places.

[strandinthewind]

I know - I read that. Rove is not ABOUT to let W go anywhere where he cannot control the crowd's reactions. The NAACP would likely jeer at him :shrug: So, he sure as hell a'int going there for that video byte.

[dissention]

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/breaking_news/9080831.htm

Questions over felon `purge list' threaten Florida governor

BY MARC CAPUTO

Knight Ridder Newspapers


Bush didn't want to discuss the high number of blacks and Democrats on the list.

"I haven't done the analysis," Bush said. "It doesn't matter to me."It matters to black lawmakers, however. Among them is Bush-critic-in-chief Kendrick Meek, a Miami congressman who led a sit-in protest in Bush's office after the governor ended some aspects of affirmative action.


It doesn't matter to him?!?! Jesus christ! How can anyone support such politicians???

[gldstwmn]

It doesn't matter to him?!?! Jesus christ! How can anyone support such politicians???

I know. I was floored. He's basically thumbing his nose at them. He really has no right to refuse, IMO. Just like he refused to answer questions about Lay today. He works for us, damnit. :mad:

[Johnny Stew]

President Bush declined an invitation to speak at the NAACP's annual convention, the group said.

Why does he need to speak at an NAACP convention?
After all, he knows half of their votes will be thrown out anyway. :mad:

[strandinthewind]

I know. I was floored. He's basically thumbing his nose at them. He really has no right to refuse, IMO. Just like he refused to answer questions about Lay today. He works for us, damnit. :mad:

It is so funny to me - as a lawyer I go - they have the burden!!!!!!

As a human (which is VERY diff. ) - I go what a butthead :mad:

[gldstwmn]

It is so funny to me - as a lawyer I go - they have the burden!!!!!!

As a human (which is VERY diff. ) - I go what a butthead :mad:

It's about accountablility though. :shrug:

[dissention]

If Dumbya persihes in November, that spells doom for Jeb. He shouldn't even bother trying to run for re-election, he'll croak.

Did you hear what John Leguizamo said at the Kerry concert last night?

"Latins for Republicans? Yeah, Roaches for Raid."

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[strandinthewind]

Did you hear what John Leguizamo said at the Kerry concert last night?

"Latins for Republicans? Yeah, Roaches for Raid."

:lol: :lol: :lol:


True, but a great number of the Floridian Cubans will NEVER forgive the D party for Elian Gonzales - that is their sole issue. Sad, but true.

[dissention]

True, but a great number of the Floridian Cubans will NEVER forgive the D party for Elian Gonzales - that is their sole issue. Sad, but true.

Yeah, because we all know a Republican would've moved heaven and earth to let him stay. :rolleyes:

[strandinthewind]

Yeah, because we all know a Republican would've moved heaven and earth to let him stay. :rolleyes:

Well, someone has to do their yardwork :laugh:

Tasteless I know - but also sarcastic, funny, pithy, and perhaps a little bit true about how some of R's think :cool:

BTW - what did Jeb say about it?

[dissention]

Well, someone has to do their yardwork :laugh:

Tasteless I know - but also sarcastic, funny, pithy, and perhaps a little bit true about how some of R's think :cool:

BTW - what did Jeb say about it?

:laugh:

Jeb was advocating that Elian stay for three years on a work visa. :lol:

[strandinthewind]

:laugh:

Jeb was advocating that Elian stay for three years on a work visa. :lol:

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I think Jeb put that "child of God" :rolleyes: on a raft because he knew Clinton would have to give him back to the father and the Cuban community would HATE the D's for it. Can you say conspiracy theorist!!!! :laugh:

[dissention]

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I think Jeb put that "child of God" :rolleyes: on a raft because he knew Clinton would have to give him back to the father and the Cuban community would HATE the D's for it. Can you say conspiracy theorist!!!! :laugh:

Conspiracy theorist or not, you're 100% right. :nod:

[strandinthewind]

A good thing by Jeb!

from www.nytimes.com
_______________________________________

July 11, 2004
Florida Won't Use a Flawed Felon List
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

IAMI, July 10 (AP) - Florida elections officials said Saturday that they would not use a disputed list that was intended to keep felons from voting, acknowledging a flaw that could have allowed Hispanic felons to cast ballots in November.

The problem could have been significant in Florida, which President Bush won by just 537 votes in 2000. The state has a sizable Cuban population, and Hispanics in Florida have tended to vote Republican more than Hispanics nationally. The list had about 28,000 Democrats and around 9,500 Republicans, with most of the rest unaffiliated.

Gov. Jeb Bush said that not including Hispanic felons on the list "was an oversight and a mistake." He added, "We accept responsibility, and that's why we're pulling it back."

Governor Bush said the mistake occurred because two databases that were merged to form the disputed list were incompatible.

When voters register in Florida, they can identify themselves as Hispanic. But the felons database has no Hispanic category, which excluded many people from the list.

Secretary of State Glenda Hood said elections supervisors would find other ways to ensure that felons were removed from the rolls.

The decision to scrap the list was made after it was reported that of the nearly 48,000 people on the list, created by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, only 61 were classified as Hispanics.

The purge of felons from voter rolls has been a thorny issue since the 2000 presidential election. A private company hired to identify ineligible voters before the election produced a list with scores of errors, and elections supervisors used it to remove voters without verifying its accuracy. A federal lawsuit led to an agreement to restore rights to thousands of voters.

Florida is one of only a few states that do not automatically restore voting rights to felons once they have completed their sentence.

[strandinthewind]

From

http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/o...nists/27166.htm

Interesting and food for thought!!!
_______________________________________________________________

MOORE'S MYTHS

By JOHN R. LOTT, JR. & BRIAN BLASE

July 12, 2004 -- AMONG its many errors, Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" is poisoning our political debate with its fictional account of the Florida vote in 2000.
Perhaps his distortions have gone unremarked because they've been repeated so often. (Jesse Jackson, for one, still speaks of Florida as "the scene of the crime" where "[blacks] were disenfranchised. Our birthright stolen.") But still, Moore's "documentary" seems to set a new record for political dishonesty.

Consider a few of the movie's assertions:

The Fox News Channel played a major role in Bush's victory in Florida: The film shows CBS and CNN calling Florida for Gore, followed by a voiceover uttering, "Then something called the Fox News Channel called the election in favor of the other guy."

First off, Moore leaves out the fact that Fox first called Florida for Gore — and didn't call it back until 2 a.m.

Indeed, all the networks, Fox included, helped Gore by calling the Florida polls as closed at 7 p.m. Eastern time — and quickly declaring a Democrat the winner of the state's U.S. Senate race, before also saying the state had gone to Gore.

In fact, polls in the 10 heavily Republican counties in the state's western panhandle, located in the Central time zone, were open until 8. But why bother trying to vote when a trusted newsman says the polls are closed and you've already lost?

After surveying voters, Democratic strategist Bob Beckel claimed that the early call cost Bush a net loss of up to 8,000 votes. Another survey conducted by John McLaughlin and Associates, a Republican polling company, put Bush's net loss at about 10,000 votes.

"Under every scenario Gore would have won" the Florida vote if the U.S. Supreme Court hadn't stopped the count. In making this claim, Moore chooses to ignore the most definitive post-election examinations of the ballots.

Two large news consortiums (USA Today and The Miami Herald headed one; the other included The New York Times) conducted massive recounts of Florida's ballots. Both reached very similar conclusions, and neither supported Moore's claim. To quote from the USA Today group's findings (May 11, 2001):

"Who would have won if Al Gore had gotten manual counts he requested in four counties? Answer: George W. Bush."

"Who would have won if the U.S. Supreme Court had not stopped the hand recount of undervotes, which are ballots that registered no machine-readable vote for president? Answer: Bush, under three of four standards."

"Who would have won if all disputed ballots — including those rejected by machines because they had more than one vote for president — had been recounted by hand? Answer: Bush, under the two most widely used standards; Gore, under the two least used."

Unless all these news organizations are part of Moore's vast rightwing conspiracy, his claim that the U.S. Supreme Court's reversal of the Florida Supreme Court's decision cost Gore the election is based only upon his own wishes, not facts.

Florida Gov. Jeb Bush stole the election for his brother by removing African-American voters, who were likely to vote for Gore, from the rolls. Again, Moore ignores documented fact.

Some background: Florida bans felons from voting (unless they've been granted clemency). Before the 2000 vote, the state hired Database Technologies to purge rolls of felons and dead people. Some non-felons were erroneously removed from the rolls — but the errors didn't "target" minorities.

The liberal-leaning Palm Beach Post found that "a review of state records, internal e-mails of [Database Technologies] employees and testimony before the civil rights commission and an elections task force showed no evidence that minorities were specifically targeted."

The law against felon voting does have a racial impact, since African-Americans make up the greatest share of felons (nearly 49 percent felons convicted in Florida). But the application of that law in 2000 skewed somewhat the opposite way — whites were actually the most likely to be erroneously excluded.

The error rate was 9.9 percent for whites, 8.7 percent for Hispanics, and only a 5.1 percent for African-Americans.

Michael Moore has been honest in one regard: He freely admits he hopes his film helps defeat President Bush this fall. It's hard to find much else that he's been honest about, however — including calling "Fahrenheit 9/11" a documentary.

John R. Lott Jr. is a resident scholar and Brian Blase a research assistant at the American Enterprise Institute.

[CarneVaca]

After surveying voters, Democratic strategist Bob Beckel claimed that the early call cost Bush a net loss of up to 8,000 votes. Another survey conducted by John McLaughlin and Associates, a Republican polling company, put Bush's net loss at about 10,000 votes.

But wait! I thought Nader lost the Democrats the election!?

[gldstwmn]

But wait! I thought Nader lost the Democrats the election!?

Record broken? :shrug:

[strandinthewind]

Electronic voting critics sue Diebold under whistle-blower law

SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- Critics of electronic voting are suing Diebold Inc. under a whistle-blower law, alleging that the company's shoddy balloting equipment exposed California elections to hackers and software bugs.

California's attorney general unsealed the lawsuit Friday. It was filed in November but sealed under a provision that keeps such actions secret until the government decides whether to join the plaintiffs.

Lawmakers from Maryland to California are expressing doubts about the integrity of paperless voting terminals made by several large manufacturers, which up to 50 million Americans will use in November.

The California lawsuit was filed in state court by computer programmer Jim March and activist Bev Harris, who are seeking full reimbursement for Diebold equipment purchased in California.

Issues cited by the case include Diebold's use of uncertified hardware and software, and modems that may have allowed election results to be published online before polls closed.

They are asking California to join the lawsuit against Diebold. The state has not yet made a decision.

State election officials have spent at least $8 million on paperless touchscreen machines. Alameda County, for one, has spent at least $11 million.

Under the whistle-blower statute, March and Harris could collect up to 30 percent of any reimbursement.

"This is about money now -- a case of the capitalist system at work," said March, of Sacramento. "The laws on voting products and processes are unfortunately unclear. But the law on defrauding the government is really, really clear. Going after the money trail is cleaner than going after proper procedures."

Diebold spokesman David Bear said Saturday the North Canton, Ohio-based company has not been served with the lawsuit and would not comment until it reviewed the case.

Election officials have until September 7 to decide whether to join the lawsuit, said Tom Dresslar, spokesman for state Attorney General Bill Lockyer.

Alameda County also has not yet decided whether to participate, said Elaine Ginnold of the county's registrar of voters office. She said Diebold has been "extremely responsive" in addressing problems with its system used in the March primary, which forced at least 6,000 of 316,000 voters to use backup paper ballots.

"I think we avoided a major crisis -- it would have been much, much worse had we not had those paper ballot backups," Ginnold said.

Earlier this year, California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley banned one Diebold voting system unless counties met a host of conditions, including precautions to prevent tampering and giving paper ballots to voters who prefer them.

In the March primary, 573 of 1,038 polling places in San Diego County failed to open on time because of computer malfunctions. A software bug in North Carolina's 2002 general election deleted 436 electronic ballots from six paperless machines in two counties.

Some people are critical of the use of the whistle-blower statute with its reward system for plaintiffs.

"I would like to see people support a real solution rather than just try to cash in," said Alan Dechert, founder of Open Voting Consortium Inc., whose voting system relies on nonproprietary software. "There are a lot of people who could be a tremendous asset, but they're grandstanding and reveling in the expose."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/07/12/electronic.voting.laws.ap/index.html

[CarneVaca]

Record broken? :shrug:

Could be. I just like to point out the irrationality of the Democrats' argument on this issue.

[gldstwmn]

Why does he need to speak at an NAACP convention?
After all, he knows half of their votes will be thrown out anyway. :mad:

It's the least he can do since their children are fighting his bull**** war for him. But then, he's never attended one funeral for them either.

[dissention]

It's the least he can do since their children are fighting his bull**** war for him. But then, he's never attended one funeral for them either.

Did you hear about the Amish girl and the whoopi pie? How absurd and heartbreaking for that little girl.

[CarneVaca]

Has Kerry attended any funerals? I don't know, just asking.

Maybe hd could come up with a new campaign slogan:

"Vote Kerry. He goes to funerals."

[dissention]

Has Kerry attended any funerals? I don't know, just asking.

Maybe hd could come up with a new campaign slogan:

"Vote Kerry. He goes to funerals."

:laugh:

Yes, he has. He went to two funerals in MA.

[gldstwmn]

Did you hear about the Amish girl and the whoopi pie? How absurd and heartbreaking for that little girl.

No darling. Do tell.