Voter Intention
This is the biggest crock I've seen in about a month. I got to thinking about it last night.
voter:
one who votes
vote:
A formal expression of preference for a candidate for office or for a proposed resolution of an issue.
A means by which such a preference is made known, such as a raised hand or a marked ballot.
The number of votes cast in an election or to resolve an issue: a heavy vote in favor of the bill.
A group of voters alike in some way: the Black vote; the rural vote.
The act or process of voting: took a vote on the issue.
The result of an election or a referendum.
The right to participate as a voter; suffrage.
intent
Law. The state of one's mind at the time one carries out an action.(emphasis mine)
This is critical. The intent is defined as what was in one's mind at the time one carried out an ACTION.
The ACTION in this case is the ACTION of voting. Voting is the means by which an intention is made real in the physical universe, a formal expression of a preference.
Therefore, it could be argued that the physical act must occur or there is no way to divine the intention.
For example, let's take a criminal act. It is illegal to steal something. If someone steals something, there could be some circumstances where that act might not be considered a crime. The law might look at the person's intention and come to a conclusion that would mitigate the circumstances in some way. Self defense/murder is an obvious example.
Now, back to the word "vote". The mantra on Gore's side has been "count every vote". What he is really saying is "look at every ballot that was kicked out by the standard formal procedure by law in Florida and see if it was really a vote or if it wasn't."
This is NOT what Jesse Jackson is screaming about. I have NO PROBLEM with going after some a$$hole that stopped an African-American, or anyone else, from exercising his or her right to vote. That's a felony in my book.
But that's not what is being argued here. If you look at a BALLOT that for WHATEVER REASON does not define itself as a VOTE, (which is what these guys say they want to do) then how in hell can you figure out what the voter's intention was? The voter FAILED TO VOTE. There is NO VOTE. Now, after the ballot was not properly cast as a VOTE, it is NOT a vote, it is a ballot that is not a vote.
Who can say after this action does NOT occur what the voter's INTENT was, when the voter didn't vote?
Some guy gets mad and wants to kill some other guy. He plans it all out. He buys a gun, he stalks the other guy, but he NEVER DOES anything illegal. The cops walk up to him and see all this and arrest him for murder? He is guilty of murder because he INTENDED to murder?
This is "count every vote" crap is insane. Al Gore and David Boies are hoodwinking the public. This has nothing to do with counting votes. It has to do with CREATING votes out of ballots where there was no vote by trying to figure out what the voter meant to do BEFORE HE DIDN'T DO IT.
If anyone thinks I write this because I didn't vote for Al, they are wrong. I wrote it because it's the truth. |
