Deb wrote:
> Point one: words like "crook" are unnecessarily >inflammatory, and bound
to inspire nasty retorts.
I was responding to a long series of questions Rev. Vince sent from the
Joplin list, questions which in every instance, baldly insinuate that the
Bushes are involved in something "crooked". My reply was just cutting to
the chase but I did not originate the insinuation.
> Point two: I'd love to see, in detail please, exactly what you >think the
Gore campaign set up and how they did it.
I didn't say they did anything. Does your following sentence imply it is
easier to commit fraud with punch ballots or with electronic ballots - it is
not clear to me. If it is easy to commit voter fraud - stuff ballots with
punch cards, then why is it the Democratic-controlled counties who still use
them in Florida?
> I just read a fascinating 1988 New Yorker article which >described how
easy it would be to steal votes in elections that use punch ballots. The
experts quoted in that article >endorsed hand counts as an antidote to
computer
> fraud. Hauntingly, the article stated that a presidential >candidate
probably could not manipulate the popular vote via >computer, but that in a
close election he could certainly >manipulate the electoral vote.
I've been reading a number of articles by statistical analysts which provide
some pretty compelling methodology to get to the bottom of the
double-punched ballots and other possible alleged ballot stuffing. For
instance, one could investigate the double-punched Buchanan/Gore ballots to
see how the voter punched on the rest of the card. Apprently there were
some Reform party candidates on the ticket. So if a card has other Reform
candidates and maybe other non-Democrat choices punched, it would likely be
a vote for Buchanan. What is interesting is that the media has been awfully
quiet on the fact that several thousand ballots in Florida contained double
punches for Bush/Gore, too. Likewise, one could look at the rest of the
choices punched and make an educated guess at the voter's intention. If the
rest of the ticket is primarily punched for Republicans, then most likely
the Bush punch would be the correct vote. Maybe one of the many watchdog
groups will eventually get around to scoping this out.
Kakki
