Re: {OT:} Why don't voting machines flip repugnican votes to democrats


"Scott in Florida" <MoveOn@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:uu3ng4l0oqd1tnsdhptoc46dfeinff4btq@xxxxxxxxxx
On Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:48:49 -0700, "Jeff Strickland"
<crwlr@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


"JoeSpareBedroom" <newstrash@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:fzJOk.12583$f_7.12095@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
===============

Shmuckland wishes everyone would forget history, rather than learn from
it. He reads no history and has nothing but disdain for learning.



You just go around making *** up! The history is plain, you lost. Several
times. Get over it.

If you want to debate the voting machines, I think the electronic
terminals
should be scrapped. We use then here and I like them. I think they have
sufficient security, but they ought to be tossed. I think we should be
using
the cards that have little bubbles that we fill in with a #2 pencil. If
you
need help to do this, then the poll workers should provide a person to sit
with you or allow you to bring somebody to help if you prefer that. I get
the whole secret ballot thing, but if you have health issues that preclude
you from holding a pencil, then I don't see that your vote is compromised
by
getting help from a poll worker or from your own helper.

I also like the punch card ballots, and accept the responsibility to make
sure I knock the chads off.

Voting is a right AND a responsibility. Voters should vote on the most
reliable system, not the easiest system. Voting should be in English only
because voters are required to have citizenship, and citizens are required
to speak Englilsh as a condition of getting citizenship. There is no valid
reason to provide a ballot in any language other than English.

Voters should be asked to provide identification at the ballot box. There
is
no reason a voter does not carry a driver license or some other form of
identification.

The vast majority of the tabulation problems in 2000 and 2004 were caused
by
voters themselves failing to mark the ballot card properly. This is the
single biggest cause of vote tabulation errors.

I would also suggest that there be NO MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE PRESIDENTIAL
RACE until after the polls close in the polling places furthest west.
Assuming Pacific time, the media should be completely and utterly silent
until California polls close. Obviously, Hawaii would be the furthest
west,
so we would have to wait 3 more hours after Calif. polls closed to hear
any
news of the presidential race. There are other ways to avoid tipping the
race through the media, and I'm not married to any one of them, I just
mentioned one to illustrate the point -- the media talks about the race
results through exit polls long before the largest state in the country
has
been to the polls. Due to the results that have been reported, the
reaction
of Calif voters can be swayed and the resulting outcome is then
affected --
voters might not vote because their guy has already won or lost and their
vote won't matter. Or, their vote might be perceived as mattering more
when
they would otherwise bail on the whole process. Either way, the vote is
changed because of media coverage.

You complain that a punch card ballot is too hard to work and this sways
the
results, but you don't say a word about sending millions of voters away
because the results in the East have already become history and reported
on.





We had the punch card system, that worked just fine.

then we spent a hell of a lot of money to get electronic machines.

I liked them, but there was no paper trail.

We had to scrap the machines and now we have a paper ballot that is
scanned in. Works just fine and there IS a paper trail.

NYS is still not in compliance with the mandated change-over in voting
machines. Works for me. AFAIK, there haven't been any majors problem
counting the votes via the lever machines in use here (does all of NYS use
lever machines?? Not sure...). I understand why the change was mandated -
who wants another debacle à la FL 2000?!, but... if a better & virtually
foolproof system/machine isn't available & agreed upon, then forget the idea
until it is. Why throw out a system which works reasonably well for one
which may be a disaster?

Cathy



btw we do not have a right to vote....

--

Scott in Florida


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