In other words: A discussion of The Bush Administration
A citizen wants to vote
Think You Voted in Md.? Think Again
Getting elections right is Job No. 1 in a democracy. Maryland's new touch-screen system fails that test. The state is using machines that officials know will fail, and the burden is on the voter to correct those failures.
Last Tuesday I went to the polls early to vote in the Democratic primary. The good news is that, unlike in 2002 when malfunctioning machines created delays so long that many voters simply bailed out, there were no lines. The bad news is that the touch-screen voting machines don't always work.
...
I persevered long enough to persuade the technician on duty to check my machine. The technician confirmed that the machine was not presenting whole election contests.
At this point I demanded to vote again. But the senior election judge on site said, "Once you've pressed 'cast my vote,' that's it. You can't vote again." I pointed out that I had been denied the right to vote because I was never presented with the ballot for that race, and she said, "Well, you should have complained before you pressed the button." In other words, it's up to the voter to account for all the races and to make sure the machine doesn't malfunction.
...
The most amazing thing about this experience was something the administrator said to me. When I explained that a race had been dropped, she asked whether I had pressed the magnification button. I said that I had not even seen and fortunately did not need a magnification button. She said, "The reason I ask is that we know that this sometimes happens when you press the magnification button." So the election officials know that the machine will malfunction.
Now, in a larger sense, that's not exactly headline news. Computers and computer screens malfunction -- it happens to all of us at home and at work on a regular basis. But then why would we entrust our elections to patently flawed machinery with no paper backup?
To Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. and all of our county executives: Get in a room and fix this problem. The stakes are too high to fail anymore.
And Marylanders in November will be left scratching their heads "how the heck did we vote for Bush."
Thanks to Pa for the heads up on this letter.
- rob 11:57 AM - [PermaLink] -
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