Voting Debaucle in Florida Again?

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-21-2004
Voting Debaucle in Florida Again?
18
Mon, 09-27-2004 - 11:37am

It looks like it could happen again:


 


By Jimmy Carter<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />


Monday, <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />September 27, 2004; Page A19


After the debacle in Florida four years ago, former president Gerald Ford and I were asked to lead a blue-ribbon commission to recommend changes in the American electoral process. After months of concerted effort by a dedicated and bipartisan group of experts, we presented unanimous recommendations to the president and Congress. The government responded with the Help America Vote Act of October 2002. Unfortunately, however, many of the act's key provisions have not been implemented because of inadequate funding or political disputes.


The disturbing fact is that a repetition of the problems of 2000 now seems likely, even as many other nations are conducting elections that are internationally certified to be transparent, honest and fair.


The Carter Center has monitored more than 50 elections, all of them held under contentious, troubled or dangerous conditions. When I describe these activities, either in the United States or in foreign forums, the almost inevitable questions are: "Why don't you observe the election in Florida?" and "How do you explain the serious problems with elections there?"


The answer to the first question is that we can monitor only about five elections each year, and meeting crucial needs in other nations is our top priority. (Our most recent ones were in Venezuela and Indonesia, and the next will be in Mozambique.) A partial answer to the other question is that some basic international requirements for a fair election are missing in Florida.


The most significant of these requirements are:


• A nonpartisan electoral commission or a trusted and nonpartisan official who will be responsible for organizing and conducting the electoral process before, during and after the actual voting takes place. Although rarely perfect in their objectivity, such top administrators are at least subject to public scrutiny and responsible for the integrity of their decisions. Florida voting officials have proved to be highly partisan, brazenly violating a basic need for an unbiased and universally trusted authority to manage all elements of the electoral process.


• Uniformity in voting procedures, so that all citizens, regardless of their social or financial status, have equal assurance that their votes are cast in the same way and will be tabulated with equal accuracy. Modern technology is already in use that makes electronic voting possible, with accurate and almost immediate tabulation and with paper ballot printouts so all voters can have confidence in the integrity of the process. There is no reason these proven techniques, used overseas and in some U.S. states, could not be used in Florida.


It was obvious that in 2000 these basic standards were not met in Florida, and there are disturbing signs that once again, as we prepare for a presidential election, some of the state's leading officials hold strong political biases that prevent necessary reforms.


Four years ago, the top election official, Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris, was also the co-chair of the Bush-Cheney state campaign committee. The same strong bias has become evident in her successor, Glenda Hood, who was a highly partisan elector for George W. Bush in 2000. Several thousand ballots of African Americans were thrown out on technicalities in 2000, and a fumbling attempt has been made recently to disqualify 22,000 African Americans (likely Democrats), but only 61 Hispanics (likely Republicans), as alleged felons.


The top election official has also played a leading role in qualifying Ralph Nader as a candidate, knowing that two-thirds of his votes in the previous election came at the expense of Al Gore. She ordered Nader's name be included on absentee ballots even before the state Supreme Court ruled on the controversial issue.


Florida's governor, Jeb Bush, naturally a strong supporter of his brother, has taken no steps to correct these departures from principles of fair and equal treatment or to prevent them in the future.


It is unconscionable to perpetuate fraudulent or biased electoral practices in any nation. It is especially objectionable among us Americans, who have prided ourselves on setting a global example for pure democracy. With reforms unlikely at this late stage of the election, perhaps the only recourse will be to focus maximum public scrutiny on the suspicious process in Florida.


Former president Carter is chairman of the Carter Center in Atlanta


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52800-2004Sep26.html?referrer=email


 

Donna

"Patriotism means to stand by the Country. It does not mean to stand by the President." -- Theodore Roosevelt.

Donna

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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-05-2004
Tue, 09-28-2004 - 1:22pm
You still haven't gotten it? Have you tried calling them or E-mailing? I'd bug the heck outta 'em till I got it. :\ XOXO.
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-05-2004
Tue, 09-28-2004 - 1:25pm
I'm glad you finally got it. :) XOXO.
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-18-2004
Tue, 09-28-2004 - 1:34pm

<>


Miffy - Co-CL For The Politics Today Board

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-02-2004
Tue, 09-28-2004 - 3:03pm
Donna, I live in Florida, we won a huge battle yestarday. Gov Bush has been trying to block people from going befroe judges in our state, trying to get paper ballots on with our elec machines. A judge in Atlanta stated that Gov Bush could no longer stop the due process of law, and all citizen have the right to be heard in a court of law. You can hear more about this on Airamerica.com Randi Rhodes transcripts. for yestarday. so hopefully we will get our paper ballots. Why are they trying to stop some thing that could be helpful? did thay not learn from thr recent debocal in California, with these diebold machines? there was an intresting PBS special on Diebold machines,A lady in ohio was able to google diebold,go to their web page and get into the main frame. she down loaded all of the computer speek took it to a computer analyist, he said that the system was flawed, and it was to open to have anyone break in and change the scores. he said a 12 year old could hack into their system.after this lady took this to the Ohio reps, they are not going to use the diebold system in most of the counties in ohio. I believe that 3 are still using them, the rest are going back to the old ways. Good for them at least their vote will count, unless they send Katherin Harris ( the wicked witch of the west) up there to mess it up. I hope and pray that the Vote we all cast in Florida is heard and counted.I hope that everyone who is registered to vote is allowed to and not turned away because their name is the same as someone who convicted a fellony, do you know that one of the pastors was turned away, his name was close to a convicted fellons. what a shame that they have to steal, and not win on their own merrit.
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-02-2004
Tue, 09-28-2004 - 3:07pm
Congrats!! Miffy!!! stand up and make a difference!!!! I hope it gets here on time and is counted like every Americans Should be reguradless of who you vote for. I live in Florida, its gonna be a mess here!!
Avatar for independentgrrrl
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 09-28-2004 - 3:45pm
<>

Methinks the military will get screwed on yet another presidential election. Where's the ACLU on this? Whoops! I forgot that some groups of people are more 'deserving' of their representation than others.




Edited 9/28/2004 3:46 pm ET ET by independentgrrrl

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-21-2004
Wed, 09-29-2004 - 12:14am
I hope you get your paper ballots. I read about the felony thing and that has happened to many there who are not felons and never have been and yet they cannot vote. There is a very good article in the new Vanity Fair October issue called "Special Investigation: 'The Path to Florida,' What really happened in the 2000 Election and What's Going Down Right Now." Read it if you can.
Donna

"Patriotism means to stand by the Country. It does not mean to stand by the President." -- Theodore Roosevelt.

Donna
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-18-2004
Wed, 09-29-2004 - 12:21am
Thanks!

Miffy - Co-CL For The Politics Today Board

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