How do they know there are 10,500 of them?????
Doh!
I guess card reader just might have said, "Gee, here's 10,500 cards I cannot process. I guess you'll have to take a look at them!"
--fl
PS As a volunteer for the last 15 years, I've processed 15, 000 cards a year in a statewide math competition. It takes me about 100 hours over 3-4 weeks each year to complete my task. Every year 1500 cards cannot be read for a variety of very creative reasons. Each year I try make the program a little smarter but some problems just cannot be figured out by the machine like leaving off a id number, not using a #2 pencil, marking the cells to lightly, getting sticky stuff on the card, writing a flourish on your name and going into the optical timing track on the left edge of the card, and on and on.
I examine each and every one of these "undercount" cards because the focus must be the result not the method, which must remain transparent. I want to give the kid credit for their voluntary effort to participate - they are doing a good thing. Most difficulties are obvious problems but a small set are tough and overall I spend 40 of the 100 hours on these tough nuts to insure we get the most accurate view humanly possible.
In any case, in any election, when the number of machine unreadable cards might turn the outcome, I have no doubt that these "undervotes" must be inspected by a person in order to truly understand the state of the community sentiment.
The machines all have their own problems and limitations and we must not be held captive to them. The election proceedures in every precinct should reflect this philosophy and not just take the easy way out. Such rules are completely non-partisan as they apply to everyone's submission. |
