Florida's Touch Screen Voting - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

stevo · 10-27-2004, 11:44 AM

One thing that confuses me a bit is why the counties in Florida that had trouble with the 2000 election have decided to use touch screen voting. Since they have change to touch-scrren we hear complaints of no paper trail and unreliable equipment.

In Leon county (Where the state capital is) there were NO disputed ballots in 2000. Why? The system. In Leon county we vote by scantron. Each voter gets their ballot, marks their votes with a black marker (Sharpie) and feeds the ballot into a scantron machine. Any mismarked ballot is immediately rejected and the voter gets a new ballot to correct the mistakes. An electronic record of the vote is made and a paper trail is already created by the use of the paper ballot.

I don't understand why the other counties in FL didn't look to the counties with no problems to see how they handled their votes. It would have been a lot easier to replicate a voting system that already exists and is proven to work than to invent a new one that is so prone to contraversy. But then again maybe it is contraversy they want.

Mephisto2 · 10-27-2004, 12:28 PM

The ability for each state (let alone each county, which is news to me) to decide how to implement their own voting systems sounds to me like a recipe for disaster.

I don't understand why you can't choose a consistent national system.

BTW, your scantron system sounds just like the Lotto machines they have in Australia and Ireland. Inbuilt error-checking rocks.

Mr Mephisto

MSD · 10-27-2004, 02:28 PM

Does it display your results on a screen for you to verify?

Optical machines are the best way to go. Other than that, I would support punch cards, with a request that people circle the name of each candidate they vote for in case of a recount or a Florida-type fiasco.

I'd rather my candidate lose in a fair election than win dishonestly.

cthulu23 · 10-27-2004, 02:31 PM

Electronic voting machines are one of those technologies that, if done right, make a lot of sense. Unfortunately, "right" doesn't appear to have anything to do with the machines currently being peddled.

hannukah harry · 10-27-2004, 02:52 PM

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/floridavoting.html

i think this video demonstrates florida's touch screen voting rather well...

quicksteal · 10-27-2004, 09:40 PM

What should happen is that the program should print out the results of your selections when you are finished voting, which can print a scantron-like sheet that's readable by another computer, and then you sign at the bottom confirming your selections and place the sheet in the bin. This way, you vot by computer (people love them), but also, you get to check your results, and the results are counted by another computer (why not, computers are great). They spent millions of dollars in Florida on a system that's worse than it was 4 years ago.

Paq · 10-27-2004, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hannukah harry

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/floridavoting.html

i think this video demonstrates florida's touch screen voting rather well...

BAHHAHAHAHHAHHAHAHHAHHAHH

EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!

Locobot · 10-28-2004, 12:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Mephisto

The ability for each state (let alone each county, which is news to me) to decide how to implement their own voting systems sounds to me like a recipe for disaster.

I don't understand why you can't choose a consistent national system.

We're kind of stuck with a really old Constitution for better or worse. It gives the right to each state to decide how they allot their electors. There doesn't actually have to be a general election at all. It wasn't all that long ago that the national senators from my state were elected by the state representatives. Past elections have excluded minorities, women, the poor, and non-landowners. I actually expect to see steps backward, to more indirect elections, in the near future as a move to consolidate power with one party or out of fear of the majority's will.

From Article II:

Quote:

Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a number of electors, equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or person holding an office of trust or profit under the United States, shall be appointed an elector.

To say, at this point, that the elections are deliberately being muddled to create an atmosphere of chaos in which they might more easily cease power would be conspiracy theory. We'll see in a few days if there's any evidence of this. Bush chose to not follow all of the recommendations of his own election commission that was specifically brought together to avoid another debacle like Florida was in 2000. Wait and see.

Harry Cox · 10-28-2004, 07:24 AM

You'll hear bitching about the system if Bush wins Florida again. (And no, I am not a Bush supporter. I didn't vote for him last time and I'm not voting for him this time.)

Harry- I've seen that before. Very funny!

10-27-2004, 11:44 AM	#1 (permalink)
stevo Rail Baron Location: Tallyfla	Florida's Touch Screen Voting One thing that confuses me a bit is why the counties in Florida that had trouble with the 2000 election have decided to use touch screen voting. Since they have change to touch-scrren we hear complaints of no paper trail and unreliable equipment. In Leon county (Where the state capital is) there were NO disputed ballots in 2000. Why? The system. In Leon county we vote by scantron. Each voter gets their ballot, marks their votes with a black marker (Sharpie) and feeds the ballot into a scantron machine. Any mismarked ballot is immediately rejected and the voter gets a new ballot to correct the mistakes. An electronic record of the vote is made and a paper trail is already created by the use of the paper ballot. I don't understand why the other counties in FL didn't look to the counties with no problems to see how they handled their votes. It would have been a lot easier to replicate a voting system that already exists and is proven to work than to invent a new one that is so prone to contraversy. But then again maybe it is contraversy they want.

10-27-2004, 02:52 PM	#5 (permalink)
hannukah harry Junkie	http://www.ebaumsworld.com/floridavoting.html i think this video demonstrates florida's touch screen voting rather well... __________________ shabbat shalom, mother fucker! - the hebrew hammer

10-27-2004, 12:28 PM	#2 (permalink)
Mephisto2 Junkie	The ability for each state (let alone each county, which is news to me) to decide how to implement their own voting systems sounds to me like a recipe for disaster. I don't understand why you can't choose a consistent national system. BTW, your scantron system sounds just like the Lotto machines they have in Australia and Ireland. Inbuilt error-checking rocks. Mr Mephisto

10-27-2004, 02:28 PM	#3 (permalink)
MSD The sky calls to us ... Super Moderator Location: CT	Does it display your results on a screen for you to verify? Optical machines are the best way to go. Other than that, I would support punch cards, with a request that people circle the name of each candidate they vote for in case of a recount or a Florida-type fiasco. I'd rather my candidate lose in a fair election than win dishonestly.

10-27-2004, 02:31 PM	#4 (permalink)
cthulu23 Banned	Electronic voting machines are one of those technologies that, if done right, make a lot of sense. Unfortunately, "right" doesn't appear to have anything to do with the machines currently being peddled.

10-27-2004, 09:40 PM	#6 (permalink)
quicksteal Crazy Location: Auburn, AL	What should happen is that the program should print out the results of your selections when you are finished voting, which can print a scantron-like sheet that's readable by another computer, and then you sign at the bottom confirming your selections and place the sheet in the bin. This way, you vot by computer (people love them), but also, you get to check your results, and the results are counted by another computer (why not, computers are great). They spent millions of dollars in Florida on a system that's worse than it was 4 years ago.

10-28-2004, 07:24 AM	#9 (permalink)
Harry Cox Insane	You'll hear bitching about the system if Bush wins Florida again. (And no, I am not a Bush supporter. I didn't vote for him last time and I'm not voting for him this time.) Harry- I've seen that before. Very funny!