At 06:18 PM 11/8/00 -0700, Andrea wrote:
>I think a do-over in that county is probably the best option. Far
>from ideal, but I don't think there is anything ideal that we can do.
I simply cannot agree to this. A do-over would be unprecedented. Indeed,
it would set a bad precedent. An election is something that happens at a
specific time, by measuring voters opinions today, we are getting something
entirely different. Votes would almost certainly be affected by the
gravity of the situation. Turnout would likely be higher, this in a
district that leans Democratic. Suffice to say, it would be a royal mess.
>As I've commented before today, if this sort of thing happened in a
>Third World election that we were monitoring, there'd be little
>question that we'd ask for it to be done over. I don't think there's
>deliberate fraud in this case, but I *do* think it's a mistake and
>that people's votes were wrongly recorded, and that's serious enough
>that especially when it can determine the whole outcome it should be
>corrected.
As it is, the lady who designed the ballot is a registered Democrat who
voted for Gore. Moreover, the ballot was approved by the the county's
Democratic and Republican Parties. Unfortunately, there simply was
nothing malicious about the ballot - it was simply a mistake, and given the
number of mistakes in an election of nearly 6 million voters, it is hard
to single this one out for correction.
For example, there are allegations of ballot stuffing in the metro areas,
particularly Dade County. In central Florida there are some allegations
of intimidation. One thing which may prove to be crucial is that the
Florida panhandle, which is heavily Republican, is in the Central time
zone. There was some turnout that was supressed up there by the
ridiculously early call of the networks. At what point do our attempts at
correction end?
Ultimately, elections are imperfect systems. Nevertheless, an essential
aspect of the fairness of the system is that the imperfections are run by
the same rules for all players - and this means no do-over without
extraordinary circumstances, and I don't think that this mistake rises to
the level of extraordinary.
At best (for Gore), we are talking about 2,600 votes. But if the Reform
Congressional candidate really did get 2,500 votes for office, then there
really is no solid case at all that misinformed voters in Palm Beach had
any measurable effect on this election.
God willing, Gore will win the recount, or Bush will have a 3,000 margin of
victory after the recount, and West Palm Beach will simply be a historical
footnote.
JDG
_______________________________________________
John D. Giorgis - [EMAIL PROTECTED] - ICQ #3527685
"Now is not the Time for Third Chances,
It is a Time for New Beginnings."
- George W. Bush 8/3/00
******************VOTE BUSH / CHENEY 2000 *******************
