Tight Florida House race reveals flaws in Broward voting machines

[Judi Lynn]

Tight Florida House race reveals flaws in Broward voting machines

By Jeremy Milarsky
Staff Writer
Posted January 13 2004

FORT LAUDERDALE -- A contentious battle for a coastal state House seat might have come an end Monday evening, but along the way, it proved there might be no such thing as a flawless election.

The Broward County elections canvassing board certified the results of the Jan. 6 special election for House District 91, which generally runs along the coast from southeast Boca Raton to Dania Beach. The result: Ellyn Bogdanoff, a Fort Lauderdale political consultant, won by a mere 12 votes. State officials might certify the election today, and Bogdanoff would take office Jan. 28. Her term ends in November.

The narrow victory was magnified in Broward by 134 undervotes, or cases in which voters showed up but cast no vote, even though District 91 was the only contest on the ballot. Palm Beach County had three machine-cast undervotes.

The scene reminded many of the 2000 presidential election, but instead of squabbling over hanging chad, politicians argued about how to perform a hand recount of computer ballots that are not made of paper and ink, but exist only in microchips of a voting machine.

(snip) Bogdanoff's closest competitor, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Mayor Oliver Parker, told Broward elections officials that the results of the election wouldn't be legal until they counted all the undervotes by hand. And since machine ballots can't be counted by hand, Parker said the voting machines in South Florida are illegal.
(snip/...)

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-crecount13jan13,0,3402508.story?coll=sfla-news-sfla

[JasonDeter]

1. Proud to be an American? Not since the election fiasco of 2000. eom

[truthspeaker]

2. BINGO!

"Bogdanoff's closest competitor, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Mayor Oliver Parker, told Broward elections officials that the results of the election wouldn't be legal until they counted all the undervotes by hand. And since machine ballots can't be counted by hand, Parker said the voting machines in South Florida are illegal."

That's the nub of the whole thing, isn't it?

[salin]

9. Boom!

the machines are illegal.

Duh. There can be no recount - because there is no record of the votes.

And when the machines record an "undervote" (voted but not in that race), when there is only ONE race (so why would someone show up and not vote????)... there is a problem with the equipment. And when it can't be 'hand counted'... its illegal.

So how many election officials are paying attention to this situation?

How many who 'pooh-poohed' the problem of NEVER being able to do a recount are realizing that they may have to BUY new machines, or pay to have new existing (but unverifiable) machines upgraded to include a paper record of the votes cast?

Maybe we should start sending copies of this article (and any other related ones) to our local and state election officials.

[LeftHander]

3. Since when did the law matter in Florida election?

eom

[brainshrub]

4. The very fabric of our republic is at stake...

this is an incredibly important story! What are we focused on: Spear's wedding.

[mithnanthy]

5. Exactly!

This infuriates me! The fact that the Dem candidates aren't talking about this at every turn, is troubling to me. What good will all this campaigning do, when the votes will be tampered with?

[ConcernedCanuk]

7. wedding ? - oh - I thot it was just a PhotoOp, - learning from Junior !!

.
.
. And if she wanted publicity - -

SHE GOT IT

- - - - - What can I say - - - ? ?



It WORKED ! !

[bushisanidiot]

6. Absolutely! We MUST Be Able To Verify Votes By Hand Counting

n/t

[ursacorwin]

8. jeebus kristoz!

bump!

anyone know the parties & groups getting in on this? is it even going anywhere?