Carl Hiaasen: In this election, nothing will go wrongg

[reprehensor]

snip

As Gov. Jeb Bush declared last week, ``Floridians can be confident our state is fully prepared for the upcoming election season and the ones to come.''

snip

After the 2000 mess, Florida was one of the first states to rush out and purchase touch-screen voting machines. These babies weren't cheap, either, even though we didn't spring for the top-end model that gives each voter a paper receipt.

You might have read recently about a minor problem with the new machines being used in 11 counties. Not to worry -- the bugs are being worked out.

Here's what happened. During two municipal elections in Miami-Dade, the touch-screen devices failed to provide a full electronic log of ballot activity. Simply put, the machines were unable to recreate a complete record of who voted and how they voted.

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[Philostopher]

1. God, I love Carl Hiaasen.

If I wasn't married, I'd stalk him. Just kidding -- he is a very attractive man, though. And brilliant.

[teryang]

2. Three ways to screw voters in Florida

Absentee ballots worked like a charm last time:

<To that end, the governor has signed a law abolishing the requirement that all absentee ballots must be witnessed by a third party.

You might recall that contested absentee ballots played a large role in George W. Bush's puny 537-vote margin of victory four years ago here in the Sunshine State.><snip>

<But by eliminating the witness requirement, our Legislature has generously made it possible for practically anyone -- living or dead, real or imaginary -- to cast an absentee vote in Florida.

<No more costly investigations of ballot brokers who prey on senior citizens and immigrants. No more embarrassing revelations of deceased citizens rising up to vote.><snip>

<More than 416,000 Floridians voted absentee in 2000, and the number will be higher this fall. Obviously, there aren't enough election workers to check the authenticity of every signature, which is the whole point.>

It's pretty obvious that the ruling class doesn't give a shit about voting or a constitutional government.

[Cha]

3. This makes my stomach queasy ,my heart leap ..like

deja vu ..

"Touch-free voting machines that leave no paper trail, absentee ballots that need no witnesses -- who says Florida's political leaders didn't learn anything from the debacle of 2000?

Just wait and see."..Carl Haisson

I knew he was a Democrat by reading his books.

[bklyncowgirl]

6. I love his books

I just finished Basket Case and am waiting for the new one that comes out in August just in time for my next vacation.

Can't wait!

[TexasSissy]

4. Is Florida going to use electronic voting?

[floridaguy]

5. I'm voting absentee

Why don't we all vote absentee? That way, there is a definite paper trail. Plus, it deserves them right to have to deal with millions of the damn things for not providing a print out.

[TLDHOME99]

7. Most Democrats I know in FL (me included) will be voting absentee

Nobody trusts the electronic voting machines.