At 01:38 PM 10/30/02, Alberto Monteiro wrote:
Erik Reuter asked: > >> Officials were also heartened by statistics indicating >> that the number of blank and spoiled ballots fell by >> nearly half, from 18.7 percent in the 1998 general >> election to 10.7 percent in the first round of >> voting. > > How can you have a "blank" or "spoiled" ballot on the > computer? Doesn't it check to make sure that you recorded > at least one vote, and that you > didn't mess anything up? What accounted for the 10.7 percent? > The voting machine has three buttons below the numerical keyboard: [Blank] [Correct] [Confirm]So, you have the explicit option to vote [Blank], and then [Confirm] it. Or you can enter an invalid number (say, 00 for President). It will tell you that you are voting "spoiled" ("null"), but you can [Confirm] it anyway. So, those 10.7% are people that _chose_ to invalidate the vote.
Is that anything like giving them a way to vote for "None of the Above"? (I.e., "I want to do my civic duty and vote, but I don't want any of these idiots and/or crooks.") If so, what happens if "None of the Above" happens to get the largest number of the votes cast?
Or does it mean that their vote doesn't count, just as if they stayed home?
--Ronn! :)
I always knew that I would see the first man on the Moon.
I never dreamed that I would see the last.
--Dr. Jerry Pournelle
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