Debra A. Reed voted with her boss on Wednesday at African-American Research Library and Cultural Center near Fort Lauderdale. Her vote went smoothly, but boss Gary Rudolf called her over to look at what was happening on his machine. He touched the screen for gubernatorial candidate Jim Davis, a Democrat, but the review screen repeatedly registered the Republican, Charlie Crist.But hey, that's just Florida, we already know they can't figure out how to vote.That's exactly the kind of problem that sends conspiracy theorists into high gear -- especially in South Florida, where a history of problems at the polls have made voters particularly skittish.
A poll worker then helped Rudolf, but it took three tries to get it right, Reed said.
KFDM continues to get complaints from Jefferson County [Texas] voters who say the electronic voting machines are not registering their votes correctly.
Friday night, KFDM reported about people who had cast straight Democratic ticket ballots, but the touch-screen machines indicated they had voted a straight Republican ticket.
Some of those voters including Lamar University professor, Dr. Bruce Drury, believe the problem is a programming error.
Saturday, KFDM spoke to another voter who says it's not just happening with straight ticket voting, he says it's happening on individual races as well, Jerry Stopher told us when he voted for a Democrat, the Republican's name was highlighted.
Stopher said, "There's something in these machines, in this equipment, that's showing Republican votes when you vote for Democrats, and I know Ms. Guidry's a nice lady, and she's working hard, but her theory that my fingernail was somehow over the Republican button is just unrealistic, my fingernail was not. The equipment is not working properly as far as I can tell."
Jefferson county clerk Carolyn Guidry says her office has checked the calibration of the machines and found no problems.
She says the electronic system is very sensitive.
Be vewy vewy quiet, I'm voting Democratic...
9 comments:
I don't believe there's a Republican conspiracy to rig voting machines, but it is darkly ironic that the stupid things are here because of concerns over paper ballots.
Now we're going to have even more election challenges and more people believing that somebody "stole" the election.
Just what we need.
PS -- Good use of the Elmer Fudd image.
I don't want to believe it, and mostly I don't, but at the same time:
"I deeply resent the way this administration makes me feel like a nutbar conspiracy theorist."
- Teresa Hayden Nielsen in 2003.
Seriously, how hard would it be to have a voting machine that spits out a receipt - you know something to keep track just in case? I mean, I know nothing could possibly go wrong in the absence of foul play - they're computers and therefore infallible.
Gah...
Electronic voting is one of the dumbest ideas that's ever been tried in this country. (Also, it's a good example the American obsession with using the VERY LATEST regardless of need or efficacy.) The optical scanning machines are the way to go for many reasons, and I don't understand why everyone doesn't use them. For once I'd be happy to use the federal government's power in a very broad way to buy the damn things for every voting precinct in the country.
Anyway, these machines just balance out all of the military votes that get tossed, all of the dead Dems that vote, all of the voter fraud in places like St. Louis, all of the snow birds that vote in FLA and their true home state, etc.
Truly, voting practices in this country are horrendous, and both parties are at fault. (And this is a long running problem, not something recent.) It's as though they don't want an honest vote. I've told Amba in the past that I think this would make a fine initial issue for a third party in this country. Voting reform and ballot reform (how people go about getting on the ballots in the first place) would resonate with a lot of people.
This is just the kind of mess you get when "something must be done!"
I think I heard a story on NPR how some of the companies responsible for the machines have been so overwhelmed that they are bringing in college kids with computer skills to help out with the programming. What could go wrong with that?
I am already dreading the post-election challenges, lawsuits, and outrage.
At least we haven't succumbed to electronic voting in Missouri. Hopefully we never will.
Just another example of the distortions and misrepresentations bloggers will make to prove a point.
The guy with the tinfoil? He's the one that proved that not only is foil ineffective, it actually increases the government's ability to control your brainwaves. Which is why I wear a bowler lined with lead. My neck muscles are ripped.
Pooh, you might want to get the number of Bill's haberdasher. Drudge's latest headline (no link yet):
SMARTCARDS GO MISSING IN TENNESSEE; CONTROL ELECTRONIC VOTING MACHINES
Here's the link.
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