All counts are assailable; but in conjunction with a machine count, a hand count can be less assailable. I once tried an OCR program that could read almost all the characters on a clean typewritten page, and convert them into digital format. It sometimes mistranslated about 10 percent of the characters where simple irregularities were present. Human faculties were required even to check the accuracy of the program. They were required also to correct the misread characters. Of course human intervention in this circumstance was not unassailable, but it was certainly less assailable than the computer’s 90 percent job. Accepting the close machine rendered vote in Florida without question is potentially analogous to turning in an unedited OCR rendered report to one’s boss. The vote, like the report, is generally complete, but if we want a finer, more accurate count, we will have to employ human faculty to get it. This is important where votes are concerned. 93 votes may be nothing out of several thousand, but when the vote is close, 93 votes can make the difference between accurately determining the will of the people or failing to do so.
If a machine claims 11 votes are processed, six for candidate A and five for B, it is possible that the machine's one size fits all method of evaluation did not proper account for the manifold subtle differences in writing found on the ballots. If a careful and impartial recount reveals twelve votes were actually submitted, with candidate B winning the vote, we are compelled to determine the source of the discrepancy rather than accept that machines are more accurate than humans. Gore found 93 additional votes in a certain district. If those votes are accurate, then the machines did not fully account for the votes in the district. Perhaps this is the case elsewhere. It would not matter had Bush resoundingly defeated Gore. But since the vote is close, another 93 votes here and there could win Gore the election (oh crucify the thought!)
I do not think hand counts should be uniformly adopted in the typical manner of course. But I think they should be allowed in cases where the vote margin is razor thin, as it is in Florida. I think we should allow ourselves a good opportunity to determine the will of the people where their elected officials are concerned. We’ll see how the Florida State judge comes out on it. |
