Dave, one of the main reasons machine are used in elections is because they are more accurate than manual counts. Not less. They are also an objective, unbiased measurement, where standards are in place to ensure uniformity.
If the machines fail, then certainly manual recounts could be more accurate. However, such has not been shown to be true in Florida. No one is asserting the machines were in error. Machines simply don't count votes which don't meet the criteria set forth in the rules governing their use. (e.g. remove all chad materials.)
When you have canvassing boards completely controlled by one party, (Democrats) and the canvassing boards have changed the standards at least three times during the count. Subjectivity and fraud can easily run rampant. We've had reports of ballots being dropped, chads popping out, chads taped over, chads eatin, and on and on. There is no way a process this tampered with can be more accurate than machines, which were tested less than a year earlier and found to have zero defects when voting standards were met.
In Palm Beach County three Democrats were totally in charge of the process. Which by the way, is against local statutes. Palm Beach Democrats enforced the voter rules for a decade, they didn't manually recount one election in which an African American Republican lost by 11 votes, because they said it wasn't necessary or needed. Now, for their hero Al Gore, not only did they want to recount and recount, they wanted to manufacture votes and try and determine "the intent of the voter", where no objective analysis is possible. It was only during this election, when Al Gore was affected that they changed the standards to assist him and started counting dimples, one corner, pregnant and other type of ballots. Why?? The answer is obvious, in order to help Al win.
In Miami-Dade county, Gore is saying "votes weren't counted". That is simply NOT true. As a matter of fact, it's a bold faced lie. Ballots were counted, twice. Some people simply didn't vote for President. That may shock and suprise Gore supporters, but it actually happens. People sometimes don't vote for either candidate. But instead of accepting that premise, Gore wants another ALL Democratically controlled canvassing board to look at the ballots by hand and manufacture more votes for Gore.
This is not reasonable, objective, or fair minded. And anyone such as yourself who asserts otherwise and claims independence from either candidate, I believe, is either misinformed, or kidding themselves.
Gore lost, he lost twice in the only objective measurement system possible under these circumstances.
Do you think machines only favor Bush or something? Do you think (as the Gore team apparently does) that chad material ONLY clogged the poor Al Gore vote hole or something?
It's preposterous, and flies in the face of objective reasoning.
Gore lost, and what Texas law says or doesn't say is irrelevant. Even though it doesn't say manual recounts are preferred over electronic ones.
Michael |
