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Politics : Why is Gore Trying to Steal the Presidency? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Carolyn who wrote (1162)	11/18/2000 11:55:35 PM
From: chalu2	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 3887

I am curious to know why you think that any ballots without postmarks should be counted? Isn't it Florida election law that they must not be? You'll notice from the transcript below that the Bush camp is calling in Rabbis to read Hebrew postmarks so as to challenge overseas ballots from Israel. Why can one side uphold the postmark rule, and not the other? SHOW: CNN SATURDAY MORNING NEWS 07:00 November 18, 2000; Saturday 7:28 AM Eastern Time Transcript # 00111803V28 SHOW-TYPE: ANALYSIS SECTION: News; Domestic LENGTH: 610 words HEADLINE: Are Overseas Ballots from Military Personnel Being Arbitrarily Disqualified? GUESTS: David Cardwell BYLINE: Bill Hemmer HIGHLIGHT: With all but one county reporting with their overseas absentee ballots this morning, the margin of difference is now 927 votes separating George Bush and Al Gore. But are ballots from military personnel serving overseas being unfairly disqualified? BODY: THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Seven-thirty local time here in Florida, the margin of difference now 927 votes separating George Bush and Al Gore. That is with all but one county reporting with their oversea absentee ballots this morning. Want to talk more about those ballots. David Cardwell, our elections analyst, now live from West Palm this morning, and David, we welcome you back. There are some who are saying these military ballots are basically cheating military officers from having their vote counted. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) from Senator John Warner in Washington yesterday. What happened with these ballots, sir? DAVID CARDWELL, FORMER FLORIDA STATE ELECTIONS DIRECTOR: Well, there is a federal law which allows for overseas citizens and in particular for military to cast ballots in presidential elections, and have their votes counted after the date of the general election because of the delays in their ballots being mailed back to the United States. In fact, Florida was the subject of a lawsuit brought by the Justice Department in 1980, which was finally concluded in 1984, that resulted in a consent decree and changes to state law which resulted in the -- this so-called 10-day waiting period for overseas ballots. And the requirements for an absentee ballot were loosened somewhat for overseas. Plus, military personnel, if they do not get their ballot from their county supervisor, they can go to a place on their base overseas and get a so-called federal emergency ballot right in the president and vice president they want to vote for and mail that in, and that's counted separate from the regular absentee ballots. HEMMER: Well, give us a bit more education into Florida election history, then. Is it typical for a number like this, a large number like this, to be thrown out of this race? CARDWELL: Well, customarily, these oversea ballots never get much scrutiny. They come in after the election, the elections have already been certified. There's typically not a close enough election for them to really matter. And the canvassing boards have, I would say, historically been very liberal in counting these ballots. This year, it got a little bit more tense and a little bit more strict in how to view them. I know one situation last night where they were examining the postmark of a ballot from Israel, and had to bring in a rabbi to read the postmark because it was in Hebrew. HEMMER: Wow. It is said here in Tallahassee that the overseas absentee ballots in many cases and many places in this country, not only Florida, but often they are not even opened. I wonder if you can verify this or not, simply because in many elections the margin of difference is greater than the of absentee ballot number that has been received. Are absentee ballots set aside in some cases and never opened? CARDWELL: Well, they customarily will be opened and the vote will be recorded so at least in the voter's history it will show that he or she voted in that election. But it may very well be that if the margin is not affected and the outcome of the election isn't affected, that the totals will not be reflected to amend the absentee ballots. That's a matter of practice and customs in each of the 67 county supervisors' office. HEMMER: All right, David, David Cardwell, our election analyst down there in West Palm. Again, thanks for your time this morning on this early Saturday morning.

To: Carolyn who wrote (1162)	11/18/2000 11:59:41 PM
From: Ellen	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 3887

> Comment #1: It is the law. Why shouldn't that be discussed in the open? Everything else seems to be. Your point? < First of all, I was the one bringing this up so obviously I think it should be discussed in the open. My point is that it is highly disturbing to me that the legislature could do this and totally supercede the vote, any vote. Doesn't that disturb you - or anyone else? What is the point of voting at all if the legislature can do whatever they want as far as assigning electors? > Comment #2: Gee whiz! 5, count them 5, received duplicate ballots according to a registered Democrat < Well, I don't think you read the whole article. There are more than five. [edit: I see you mean five people, not five duplicates] Elaine Gatley, 48, a civil service executive secretary stationed at RAF Mildenhall in southeastern England, said Thursday that she and four fellow Floridians who work in her office received two ballots in the mail from the state of Florida. That's ten (10). How many more may be out there? But she said that at least three of her fellow Floridians, all of whom are registered Republican, told her that they filled out and returned the second ballots as well. And these people filed, submitted duplicate ballots. And, oddly, the only duplicate ballots (that this person knows about) came from Florida! No one from other states with whom she spoke at Milden received more than one absentee ballot, said Gatley. No one else finds this, er, odd? > Comment #3; Odd, isn't it? Nothing so far that the Republicans have disqualified any ballots. From any county. Or from overseas. Yet the Democrats....... I rest my case. < Yet the Democrats....what? You are still assuming that only Democrats have disqualified absentee ballots. I still say: The number of absentee ballots said to have been disqualified IS disturbing. But why is everyone assuming they were all disqualified by Democrats? Has everyone assumed that the Republicans didn't disqualify a single one?