To: Neocon who wrote (96923 ) 12/1/2000 11:16:18 AM From: lawdog Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 769670 Neocon, I'd like to know what you think about 11 Republican controlled canvassing boards ignoring Florida Law with regard to absentee ballots so Bush could increase his margin of safety against Gore. In Santa Rosa, Duval and Escambia counties,ignoring Florida election law allowed the counting of ballots postmarked after Election Day. In Santa Rosa, five ballots that arrived after the 10-day post-election window allowed by the state were counted. In Clay County, bending the rules for Bush meant allowing in three ballots without a witness signature and two votes that arrived via fax. In all, the GOP controlled canvassing board increased Bush's lead by 115 votes by counting absentee ballots that were not part of the "disenfranchised military" issue. The GOP went on every news program and political talk show in America and accused Gore of systematically disenfranchising military men and women. The GOP talking heads decried the unfairness of rules that required postmarks when military mail frequently isn't stamped with such. I agreed with the Democratic Attorney General that these ballots should be counted. It's not a soldier’s fault that his mail wasn't stamped with a postmark. However, to allow absentee ballots with a postmark that is after the election, to allow an absentee ballot without a witnesses, to allow ballots that were received after the statutory deadline for absentee ballots is reprehensible. These acts amount to voter fraud. I know e-bill says anything that Bush can do to win is great, but how can you keep a clean conscience over this? Bush is arguing before the S.Ct. today that the Fl. S.Ct. changed the rules of the game, but that is exactly what these canvassing boards did.