John D. Giorgis wrote
> Folks, I think Al Gore by rights should be ahead right now in Florida.
> There is no question now that the ballot in Palm Beach County was very
> poorly designed. The Presidential Candidates were listed in two columns,
> with a row of "arrows" down the center between them. The arrows are
> staggered between the candidates on each side.
>
> Thus, the first arrow is for Bush on the left side. The arrow directly
> below it is for Pat Buchanan on the right side. The *third* arrow is for
> Al Gore, the *second* candidate on the left side. How inane.
>
In one UK election an independant candidate stood under the name
of the literal party, clearly in the hope of confusing liberal voters. He
got more votes than the Conservative majority over the liberals.
As I recall, the result was allowed to stand on the basis that the
courts had no grounds to assume people voted in error. It is the
duty of the electorate to cast their votes with due care, and the courts
have no authority to impugn the competence of the electorate.
Subsequently people stood under the names of the Conversative
party and the 'Liberal Party Mark here to vote' but the practice has
now been banned.
There's also been a case where a MPs electon was declared void because
they spent too much on their campaign. At the byelection, they were
reinstated.
If the result of the Florida vote is not resolved before the electoral
college meets what happens?
Being English, I've got no real stske in the elction, but this does
look like the most interesting thing about it.
Robert
