Dear JDN, If I agree with you that military ballots should be counted whenever possible, how can you offer any assurance that, without postmarks, that the ballots weren't slipped into the pile. What prevents someone from slipping their ballot into the mail on November 8th. What prevents someone from walking right up to the ballot pile on November 10th and slipping a ballot into the pile? There isn't any to assure that this didn't happen, so it simply isn't freasble to include ballots without postmarks. That would be a clear invitation to fraud.
With respect to "divining" as you call it, isn't that we do with every ballot? We take a ballot and look at marks that demonstrate the intent of the voter, otherwise known as a vote. In Texas, looking for dimples, pimples and any other mark that identifies a voter's intent is an acceptable vote. Bush signed this law, so he must have seen the merits in the process. Hand recounts are also preferred in Texas and hand counts are standard opertating procedure in areas that use punch ballots. There is nothing out of the oridinary with what is goung on in Florida.
Now let me ask you a question. How do you explain Mrs. Harris's change of position on the counting of militray ballots? In past years, only ballots that were postmarked on or before the date of the election were counted. Mrs. Harris has instructed that the counties include ballots that were postmarked after the election as long as the absentee dated the ballot on or before the 7th. How can you offer any assurance that a ballot dated by the absentee himself complied with the law? Again, you cannot. Harris seems to have some Sadomasochistic desire to have the Florida S.Ct. spank her up and down the Florida coast. Mrs. Harris wears her partisanship on her sleeve, maybe she should just declare herself Queen of the Florida. Pathetic.
Speaking of Mrs. Harris, the Republican counties have counted many ballots with no postmarks, contrary to the law that has been appled in Florida in all previous elections. This, by no means, is a point that will be lost on the Democratic lawyers. The Bush lead, considering the ballots that were illegally cast and counted in GOP strongholds, could amount to hundreds of votes. The Democrats will rightly challenge the GOP's selective application of Florida law. |
