Yes. You are correct. It seems I was in error in my understanding of the nature of a chad and how it is created. A guy here named Vinnie clarified for me the particulars of the chad dispute. I think your point carries a great deal more weight than I thought, though I yet think my comments on the Florida Secretary of State stand fully.
I have a concern driving my position on the recount. I think a person should not lose his right to vote merely because by a twist of fortune he punched a hole (as required by the instructions) and the paper once covering the hole failed to fully detach from the ballot. I also think, since punching chads is not exactly a traditional method of human communication, it is a bit much to expect everyone to inspect the underside of his ballot to ensure there are no hanging chads, this, merely to accommodate the idiosyncrasies of a machine. I eagerly grant that in cases where multiple entries are made on a ballot for the same office, and where so-called “dimples” exist, we really cannot determine with a high degree of certainty the intent of the voter. But I think a ballot with a hanging chad is an obvious vote, and that since the vote machine ostensibly cannot count them, a manual recount is yet in order.
On the term “will of the people”: the term is used to denote only effective and accepted will as revealed by our majority rule system. Obviously it does not apply to an actual monolithic desire by all the people. When the effective will is clouded by a close machine processed vote, it seems reasonable to me that we afford ourselves opportunity to discover more exactly the true majority, employing our sense of reason where reason can be used, as opposed to relying upon results that are wholly dependent upon the eccentricities of a machine. Some people, perhaps due to age, may be less prone to check every punched little hole to ensure the paper is completely removed from a ballot. I think we ought not deny their influence on the collective will of the people where reason can allow us to confidently consider it. Punching holes is hardly a major, well-defined requirement for exercising American citizenship. |
