Software problem imperils voting recounts (What a mess in Florida)

[trumad]

TALLAHASSEE - Five months away from a presidential election, state officials have learned that the touchscreen voting machines now used in Miami-Dade, Broward and nine other counties have a software flaw that could make it impossible to do manual recounts in close races.

The state Division of Elections and the makers of the machines, Election Systems & Software of Omaha, Neb., believe they have found a remedy for the problem -- which involves linking the voting equipment with laptop computers to extract the information.

But the lateness of the solution, and the state's certification of voting equipment that fails to perform as federal law requires, has created an election-year tempest that is prompting high-level handwringing about the paperless system.

U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, a Boca Raton Democrat, has asked state Attorney General Charlie Crist to investigate whether the head of the state elections division lied under oath when he denied knowing of the computer problem before reading about it in the media.

Ed Kast, the elections chief, abruptly resigned Monday, saying he wanted a change of pace. Kast was not available for comment Friday.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/8904999.htm?ERIGHTS=8127814262571752952miami::[e-mail]&KRD_RM=3pjmlsmkqrkrsnjjjjjjjjkjsj|b|Y

[Mnemosyne]

1. I am shocked!!

NOT!

[Forkboy]

2. Forget that boring stuff

there goes Nader!!!! -------------------->

[soup]

3. What did I miss?

I thought this was a done deal as far as no recount on the touch screen machines. I'm so confused.

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State rules touch screen ballots out of recounts
By Associated Press
Published February 14, 2004

TALLAHASSEE - The Department of State has notified elections supervisors that touch screen ballots don't have to be included during manual recounts because there is no question about how voters intended to vote.

While touch screen ballot images can be printed, there is no need and elections supervisors aren't authorized to do so, Division of Elections director Ed Kast wrote in a letter to Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Kurt Browning.

Florida law requires a manual recount of overvotes where too many candidates were chosen, and undervotes where no candidate was chosen in elections where the margin of victory is one-quarter of 1 percent of the vote or less.

But because the law states that the purpose of a recount is to determine whether there was a "clear indication on the ballot that the voter has made a definite choice," there is no need to review touch screen ballots, Kast said.
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/02/14/State/State_rules_touch_scr.shtml


Touchscreen ballots don't have to be recounted, official claims

>snip<
It is impossible to vote for too many candidates on a touchscreen ballot, and Kast said a "review of undervotes cannot result in a determination of voter intent as required by" Florida law.

Browning asked for the opinion after a Broward County Republican Ellyn Bogdanoff won a seat in the state House by 12 votes, a margin that triggered an automatic recount.

He said the election raised the question of whether paper images needed to be produced for the 134 undervotes in that race. He also said he supports Kast's opinion.

"There are no ballots to count, there are no ballots to recount," Browning said.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/2004-02-12-florida-counts-good-enough_x.htm

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A request for help here:
Help, Please. Florida Election Law change in recount rules question
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=1117568

and a follow-up here:
BBV: Florida Alert - Proposed changes in recount rules
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=1174456

[dusty64]

4. The mess certainly

isn't an accident. What surprises me is that they are being allowed to get away with this shit again. Not only get away with it, but have it being even worse and blatant again. Unreal.