| Author |
Message |
Link, the Hero of Time
Vice Admiral
Joined: 15 Sep 2001
Posts: 5581
Location: Kokori Forest, Hyrule
|
 Thu Oct 28, 2004 12:47 pm Florida Ballots go missing |
|
| Quote: | Florida ballot papers go missing
The result of the 2000 polls was delayed by a recount in Florida
Tens of thousands of postal ballots have gone missing in the US state of Florida, sparking fresh concern over irregularities in the poll campaign.
Authorities are investigating the apparent loss of 58,000 absentee forms in Broward County, north of Miami.
Florida was the centre of controversies which delayed the result in 2000, with George W Bush the eventual winner.
With five days until the poll, the presidential candidates are focusing their campaigns in crucial states.
The BBC's Rob Watson in Washington says Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida are seen as the most important of the 11 swing states - where either President Bush or Democratic challenger John Kerry could win.
The states are the most populous and therefore have the most electoral college votes, our correspondent notes.
The accepted wisdom is that whoever wins two out of those three states will win the election - and the latest opinion polls suggest all three are still fairly close, our correspondent adds.
'No blame game'
The missing ballots have fuelled an atmosphere of intense suspicion in Florida, with Democrats already backing nine separate lawsuits in the state, says the BBC's Justin Webb in Washington.
It looks like they're trying to steal the vote again
Diane Glasser
Florida Democratic Party
If the outcome is close and decides the result in the presidential race - and both of those eventualities are perfectly possible - it seems virtually certain that protracted legal battles will follow, our correspondent says.
Electoral officials in Broward County say they will send more ballots after being overwhelmed by calls from would-be voters, unable to get to the polls, who fear that their votes have been stolen.
Q&A: Swing states
State profile: Florida
A police investigation into the missing ballots has not uncovered any indication of criminal wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, the US postal service inspectorate said it was highly unlikely that 58,000 pieces of mail had just disappeared.
A spokesman said inspectors were trying to establish whether the ballots were ever delivered to the postal service.
Broward County elections supervisor Brenda Snipes said the situation "isn't a blame game".
"What we're concentrating on is getting the ballots to the voter," she told the Miami Herald newspaper.
Lawsuits
Campaigners are working to ensure that no-one loses the right to vote because of the missing ballots.
Democratic Party legislators have called on the electoral authorities to publish newspaper ads telling people of other options for voting.
Democrat supporter in Broward: The county backed Al Gore in 2000
They also accused the Republican-dominated state government of dirty tricks.
Governor Jeb Bush - the brother of the incumbent president - has rejected suggestions of bias.
In 2000, Broward gave Al Gore his biggest margin among Florida counties. He won 67% of the vote there, while losing the state to George W Bush by 537 votes.
"It looks like they're trying to steal the vote again," said Diane Glasser, vice-chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party.
Both the Democrats and Republicans have already begun filing lawsuits in states across the US, challenging different aspects of the election process.
Allegations of intimidation
Voting rights activists in Florida say the state could also face acute problems with vote-counting and the process of casting ballots in next week's election.
Early voting, which has been going on for more than a week, shows that new electronic voting machine technology is much slower than the old punch-card method, the BBC's Daniel Lak reports from Miami.
A high turnout could mean huge delays, our correspondent says.
Other concerns include accusations of voter intimidation by party representatives outside polling stations during the early voting.
|
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3960679.stm
And here we go.
|
|
|
Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
Posts: 14823
Location: Classified
|
| Thu Oct 28, 2004 12:50 pm |
|
Republicans are NOT doing this. And just yesterday at a Republican Breakfast that I went to we were spoken to by the husband of the Lieutenent Governor of the state. He was telling us SO MANY THINGS that the Dems are doing. I don't believe this one, though, but if true, then it's one of the isolated incidents of the Republicans. But I doubt it, although I COULD be wrong.
-------signature-------
"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
|
|
|
Hitchhiker
Rear Admiral
Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 3514
Location: Ontario, Canada
|
| Thu Oct 28, 2004 3:28 pm |
|
And this is what will happen, sadly. I fear that the Election will drag on and on. If Bush isn't reelected, his supporters will whine and complain that the Democrats cheated them out of the vote. If Kerry isn't elected, the Democrats will whine and complain that the Republicans cheated them out of the vote . . . ugh, why can't we run a clean election, eh? Just because one person stoops to a lower level does not mean the bar should be lowered. So what if you run a clean fight and then lose? At least you have the knowledge that you ran a clean fight.
|
|
|
Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
Posts: 14823
Location: Classified
|
| Thu Oct 28, 2004 3:30 pm |
|
| Hitchhiker wrote: | | And this is what will happen, sadly. I fear that the Election will drag on and on. If Bush isn't reelected, his supporters will whine and complain that the Democrats cheated them out of the vote. If Kerry isn't elected, the Democrats will whine and complain that the Republicans cheated them out of the vote . . . ugh, why can't we run a clean election, eh? Just because one person stoops to a lower level does not mean the bar should be lowered. So what if you run a clean fight and then lose? At least you have the knowledge that you ran a clean fight. |
Agreed. However, have you heard about Governor Ed Randell of Pennsylvania? He TRULY is disenfranchizing the Military votes. He won't extend them past election day, like all other states do. It's a long tale, but it is DISENFRANCHISMENT!
-------signature-------
"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
|
|
|
Deciviel
Captain
Joined: 27 Sep 2002
Posts: 508
Location: Joe's Garage
|
| Tue Nov 02, 2004 7:52 pm |
|
I only hope we don't go into another recount fiasco as we did last time.
-------signature-------
"Wheeee. Now say 'nuclear wessels'."
|
|
|
Defiant
Fleet Admiral
Joined: 04 Jul 2001
Posts: 15946
Location: Oregon City, OR
|
| Tue Nov 02, 2004 8:23 pm |
|
Oh hell no. I hope not. That would suck quite a bit.
|
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group
Star Trek �, in all its various forms, are trademarks & copyrights of Paramount Pictures
This site has no official connection with Star Trek or Paramount Pictures
Site content/Site design elements owned by Morphy and is meant to only be an archive/Tribute to STV.com
|
Search
FAQ
Log in
