AP, Networks Sue Over Fla. Exit Poll Law

[Judi Lynn]

AP, Networks Sue Over Fla. Exit Poll Law
By JENNIFER KAY , 09.30.2006, 11:57 AM

A Florida law that bars exit polling near voting places violates the press' rights under the First Amendment, a lawsuit filed by The Associated Press and five television networks alleges.

The lawsuit filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Miami contends that a 2005 amendment to state law that prohibits asking a voter a "fact" or "opinion" within 100 feet of a polling place is unconstitutional.

"We're asking the court to ensure they can talk to voters in Florida on Election Day within a reasonable distance from polling places," said Susan Buckley, the attorney representing the news organizations.

The lawsuit names Florida Secretary of State Sue Cobb and Miami-Dade County Elections Supervisor Lester Sola, as a representative of all county elections supervisors in Florida, as defendants.
(snip/...)

http://www.forbes.com/entrepreneurs/entrefinance/feeds/ap/2006/09/30/ap3056968.html

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

1. Yeah....You fight for us Fucking Corporate Media

I'm sure this will get real far.

Oh Boy, the media is on our side. LOL

[Cooley Hurd]

2. Exit polling needs to be re-established...

It's one of the few safeguards against widespread cheating.:thumbsup:

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

6. The Big Lie

Repeated endlessly after the 2000 Election was that the Exit Polls were somehow "flawed" because they called Florida for Gore and disagreed with the official tally by Katherine Harris and her Republican Elves in the Florida Secretary of State's office. The MSM (ironically) repeated this Big Lie without challenge from the pollsters who actually gathered the information. As we now know, the Exit Polls were astonishingly accurate -- it was the vote count in Florida that was wrong.

[Zhade]

10. Not elves - orcs!

</geek>

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

14. Arg! I do apologize...

No elf would ever be a party to something like that.

[applegrove]

16. Exit polls were off even in districts that had paper ballots. We don't

know why exit polls were so off. All we can do is speculate. I say "overly high expectations for Kerry" kept late Dem voters home at the end of the day.

[pooja]

3. Of course they don't want reporters near polling places... the

discrepancies are so huge.. Also, just food for thought.. Remember in the 04 elections when the talking heads blathered on about glitches in the voting machines within the minority community...Well in Miami, you happen to have a "minority" that is the majority. So the blathering, talking heads essentially admitted on air to the fraud. But most people aren't paying attention. They are thinking minority as a lesser of the population total. Its not true in Miami.

[Evergreen Emerald]

4. wow! Polling is historically one of the most accurate predictors

of voting results. Why would they want to make it illegal? Good God, every where you turn, they are destroying this country. This is another step towards taking away our right to vote. No paper ballots, no checks and balances.

How do we stop them?

[Whoa_Nelly]

5. Hey reporters! The Constitution and its amendments are dead

Get over it! :sarcasm:

[AX10]

7. Good! Exit polls are very accurate.

And of course Florida does not want them because without exit polls, the Repubs cans steal more elections.

[ldf]

8. how about....

i know that it is ridiculous to even suggest this, and the logistics would be a nightmare... BUT

how about every democrat who plans to vote list who they are going to vote for, their voting precinct, have it notarized, and mail or take copies to their democratic precinct office, BEFORE election day.

they could then be compared to the voting polls. it would be a record of who voted (to compare with the signature on the poll roster) and who they voted for. and it would bypass the "exit poll" law for preventing checking on the elections.

it may be just enough to SHOW manipulation, if that is the case.

a notary cost $2. The party could provide them gratis, if necessary.

it is a shot in the dark, but if we are not willing to go to some trouble to prove our vote, and how we voted (screw the secret vote concept), we will never be able to PROVE they are stealing elections.

just a thought.... we need ideas. ANY idea is a start.

:shrug:

edit to add that if necessary, each vote could be verified by contacting the voter. just they fact that there is a way to verify the votes could prevent vote manipulation from occuring.

[bunny planet]

9. Fuck it they won't allow exit polls this time out, I'm about to give up my

right to a secret vote and carry a big old sign that says exactly who I'm voting for. Not that it'll do a hell of a lot of good unless everyone does it, and hey its not legal proof. But I feel desperate. I'll be voting on the vapor not paper machines at my spot for the first time and I am dreading it. Especially in NJ, the state they are most likely to try and steal this election.

[SoCalDem]

11. I have always thought that an experiment is in order

Take random precincts, set up a table with a notary public, a lawyer, some blank affidavit forms, and have a big ole sign..

VERIFY YOUR DEMOCRATIC VOTE HERE..

People who voted democratic could swear to their votes and identify themselves..and as the results come it, it would be interesting to see what the "official" count showed..

If an electronic (fixed) vote showed that a precinct of say..200 people had 150 show up to vote and the split was 100 R and 50 D...but 125 signed affidavits showing they voted D...it could make for some interesting reporting, since there would be actual names attached to those votes..

[bunny planet]

12. Sounds like a great idea, wish it were in place for this election.

We need some of that sunshine disinfectant pronto.

[harpboy_ak]

13. Don't do it, vote absentee!

Just arrange to be "out of town" on November 7, and vote absentee by mail. They will have to mail you a paper ballot which you have to mail back, so you have to vote early, but at least you'll know that you voted a verifiable ballot.

[mhatrw]

15. No ballots + No exit polls = Cheatocracy n/t