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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: ColtonGang who wrote (67502)	11/9/2000 10:36:53 PM
From: ColtonGang	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

Ballotgate: Let the courts decide EDITORIAL Column: In the wake of one of the tightest presidential races ever, the plot grows thick. But this is no dime-store paperback. This is a momentous important constitutional crisis that needs to be resolved quickly and judiciously. The presidential election apparently has boiled down to a confusing, two-page ballot used by Palm Beach County -- the one county out of the 67 jurisdictions in the state that used such a maddening format. At stake are the 25 electoral votes that hold the balance of power of the U.S. presidency. The county's punch-card ballot numbering system didn't perfectly align the candidates' names with the punch holes. The result? Infuriated voters -- many of them senior citizens. Hundreds, if not thousands, have complained. Many suggest they may have mistakenly voted for a fourth-party candidate who didn't even carry 1 percent of the state vote. And, a day after the election -- almost on cue -- a lawsuit was filed alleging the county's punch-card ballot is illegal by state standards. Taken together, these elements seem fictional. But, no means are they. This is serious business. And the world is watching closely as this real-life drama of Election 2000 unfolds in Florida and in Palm Beach County. As Election Day spills into the post-election days to come, many critical questions deserve answering before either Gov. George W. Bush of Texas or Vice President Al Gore gets comfy at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Will the state's recount really do any good? Should the county's vote be invalidated because of the ballot design? Should a new county election be called? Should only those who voted Tuesday be allowed to vote if a new vote is conducted? Or should a new vote be open to all? What safeguards can be put in place for the revote? Would a revote be unfair? Would a new election be contested to the highest court in the land? And, probably most important, who, in the interim, would take up residence in the West Wing if the legal battle continues beyond Inauguration Day? The scenarios are innumerable. To many voters, they're unfathomable. But, at the end of the day, it's possible likely that a legal cause of action such as Wednesday's filing may ultimately determine the 2000 election. Thus, the only rational means to conclude this fascinating chapter in political history is to let a judge or a jury take up the issue. Unfortunately, the legal fight will be bitter. But, in the end, justice should prevail and hopefully the electorate will accept the decision of the courts -- whatever it may be. After all, nothing much is riding on this -- other than the future of the country, and of the free world. Originally published in The Palm Beach Daily News on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2000.

To: ColtonGang who wrote (67502)	11/9/2000 10:46:13 PM
From: MARK BARGER	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

There are errors in every election. There is no way any court would ever demand a revote of one county. What about the panhandle counties where voters didn't show up because the TV stations prematurely announced that FL was in the GOre column? You didn't hear Bush calling the ACLU to sue to recitify this. If you would step back you would see the absurdity of your argument. Just because the vote is close in FL doesn't mean that certain election screw ups (which are inavoidable in any election) are enough to invalidate a state election and cause for a revote. That's insane. These things happen and life goes on. You can't cry foul after the fact, because you lose the game. It's unAmerican.