Not missing as in gone, just missing as in not there yet. Am I starting to sound like it’s past my bedtime?
On a totally humorous note, there was a very funny bit on NPR this morning where the commentator compared election to school yard behavior. Said before election it was like HS Student prez election - did you vote for the fun loving, beer guzzling, cool party guy, or the nerdy, too smart teacher’s pet? She said after the election it has devolved down to a elementary school recess dynamics, with this take on the infamous non-concession conversation:
Gore - I take back my concession (Do over, Do Over)
Bush - Are you saying you are taking back your concession? (No Take Backs!
No Take Backs!)
G - Don’t get snippy about it (actually, this needs no translation)
B - My Brother runs the state (My brother said this is MINE, and he’s gonna
make you give it back!)
G - Let em tell you somethingabout your brother… (Your brother can’t make me!)
Really, if the conversation hadn’t stopped there, it would have headed straight for Nuh Uh and Your Mother!!
Hattie - as I understand it, the layout of the actual ballot differed from the sample ballot mailed out in advance, however, judging by the analysis of the law I heard this morning, good old fashioned election incompetence doesn’t constitute grounds for a re-vote. Of course, here in Jawjuh, apparently we don’t get sample ballots mailed to us. I had to go out and purchase the AJC Sunday paper to see the candidates/propositions that would be on the ballot. This annoyed me - I have a firm policy about giving money to really bad newspapers (tough to meet standards when you were raised on the Miami Herald and the Chicago Trib, but trust me, the AJC is just plain bad…).
Erin - Nixon did choose not to challenge the votes in IL because of concerns about leaving the country in a potentially ungoverned situation during a time of crisis (it was the Cold War, after all), and that was indeed a noble thing to do… but… well, he was also worried that a review of votes in Cook county would also lead to a review of votes in downstate IL, which apparently looked equally hinky (guess some of that “vote early and often” expertise bailed to the other party and applied their talents!)
And now for something completely different (and my major soapbox)… I have spent years working with Medicare coverage programs, and worked with a lot of experts on the elderly. It is shocking how few things in life are “easy” for the elderly or people with compromised ADL capabilities. On a plane trip just a few months ago, I needed to help the gentleman sitting next to me - he couldn’t open his bottle of water or his bag of peanuts. Now he had enough ADL capability to get on and off a plane, and make this flight, but he was absolutely defeated by a water bottle. And humiliated by the fact he needed help. Imagine your life when something this routine becomes impossible.
Interestingly enough, as the baby boomers join the ranks of the depression era children, we are making sure OUR needs are taken care of (baby boomers are nothing if not self-centered 
). Have ever seen/do you own any of the highly popular Oxo kitchen utensils? That is a prime example of a change in design to accommodate reduced ADL capability.
So as I depart my soapbox, I think that one of the saddest things about this election is that a group of people who, in general, are a more educated and informed voter, and a more consistent voter, have had to vote with a ballot that could cause them confusion and lead to them voting incorrectly. That, sadly, isn’t just an issue in Palm Beach, that is a nationwide issue.
OK, your regularly scheduled humor and sarcasm will return in my next post…
[This message has been edited by DMK (edited 11-10-2000).]
I have to put my moving plans on hold for a while. Yes the recount of votes will be done by 5PM Thursday but they will not confirm a winner for ten days, for the absentee ballots!
I’m here in Florida and this is just the craziest election ever.
DMK and Earthto, thanks for the clarification on Nixon. Wasn’t alive then, so the details of the whole thing are a bit fuzzy.
CNN also did a “test” with the PB ballot in New York. Most people got it right, a few were wrong.
I also heard a statement by one of the voters bringing a suit yesterday. Said he had voted in PB for 20 years, and he did not sound elderly. (Was listening to the CNN webcast.) He said voters in Florida are only allowed 5 minutes in the voting booth. He looked at the names on the ballot for president, found Gore as the second name and punched the second hole (which ended up being Buchanan), and then proceeded to the referendums/amendments, because he wanted to spend more time reading them.
I really hope that a major revision of the election process comes out of this. I’m sure there are very good reasons for many of these things (the paper-hole-punching, time limits, etc.), but as someone said before, voting should be EASY.
The way I understand absentee ballots, at least here in Mass., is that they’re supposed to be in by Election Day. So can anyone tell me why these things weren’t the first things they started counting in the morning? I don’t get it.
You know, I’m convinced that this is the best thing that could have happened to this country. What a wonderful solution to voter apathy. Maybe God-Fate-Whatever has a plan?
I’ll bet voter turnout in the next election will be outstanding, don’t you?
Lastly, Farmgate, I’m willing to accept that the process may be more important than the “will of the people.” I don’t favor it, but I see the logic of it. Law and order and all that rot. In the end, perhaps the new balance in the Senate is more important than who is president anyway. Either gridlock or progress, one or the other: sounds like a good thing to me.
Hattie, I also heard this morning that some of the overseas absentee ballots are American Jews who live is Israel. If that is true, then the estimates that these votes will go to Bush may not be accurate.
Edit
Wow, Erin, you and I think alike! I guess you and I were posting at the same time, or I would have just pointed to your post and said, “Ditto”.
At least if the Feds took over the voting system, it would be the same all over the country.
I must be naive, but I’m just shocked that there were so many errors in the vote count. Already we’ve seen a difference of 3,500+ votes in Florida alone, between the original count and the recount. Recounting in other states is probably going to turn up more errors. How can this happen with the technology that’s available? I know that if I make a mistake on my tax return, they’ll catch that the first time!
I think the lever machines are the best. I didn’t like the ballot my town used this year, where you had to use a magic marker to connect the lines. Too easy to make a mistake.
Now with over 20,000 votes thrown out (people voted for Buchanan and Gore, ballot discarded) and 3,000 or so votes counted for Buchanan (that even Buchanan admits were likely meant for Gore) I think legal action and inevitably a re-vote is possible.
The fact that this happened only in Palm Beach County certainly points to a problem with the ballot itself. There are some very upset people here. It is not a case of just a few people, but a lot of people who misunderstood the ballot, and no such claims are being made by citizens in other counties. There are some other counties where claims are being made that voters were itimidated, I see no reason why police checkpoints should be set up at the entrance to poll stations, and some citizens are claiming intimidation.
At this point I think anything is possible, there is no precedent.
Regardless of who is or is not ahead the issues, in particular the confusing ballot in Palm Beach must be addressed, otherwise the validity of this election will forever cloud the outcome. Just because we have never had to have a “re-vote” in a county for a preseidential election doesn’t mean we shouldn’t. If the Bush people are so sure of their victory they should be unafraid of this.
Snowbird! Two-thirds of the country did NOT vote for Bush–unless you define “the country” as LAND. The map is all full of Bush red because of he carried the states with small populations, while Gore carried those with larger populations. That’s why Gore won the popular vote, albeit by a small margin.
Meanwhile, though, on abolishing the electoral college? That will NEVER HAPPEN. There’s no way in cain Republicans will allow the popular vote to elect presidents because then they’d have even less of a chance to get a candidate into office: there are more poor that rich, remember?
Which is really just as well, IMO. There does need to be a balance. Governing by popularity is like government at the local level: a morass of ignorance, incompetence, vested-interest decisionmaking and ego-driven territorialism.
[Well, at least as long as most of the politicians are men. Elect more women and I may change my mind about local/state politics–I swear to y’all again: I’ve SEEN it and it is scary!]
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Glimmerglass:
[B]I am amazed that some people in this country have the audacity to actually suggest a re-vote for some counties where ballots where improperly cast - be it that multiple selections where made for president or no choice was made.
Gee, it’s that group of “brilliant” people that I want deciding the race for rest of us. Not.[/B]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I could not agree with you more!! A truly scary thought…
Interesting note - I live in northern Florida and the paper said today that 22,000 Duval county ballots were thrown out because people also voted for 2 presidential candidates. Their ballot is a booklet with 2 pages of candidates. Well evidently 22,000 voters thought they had to vote for a president on EACH page! Duval county was majority Bush, so this just adds more to the mix! I hope EVERYBODY pays attention to the sample ballot next time and READS the instructions. What a mess!
How could you let just that one state revote. People could then rechange there vote, and then things could get really screwed up? You’d think that if these people in palmbeach county had that much trouble with there ballots that someone would have come forward and fix the problem? 
Hey ERIN can we get a big duh smiley face. I think it would fit in with these posted!
Whistlejacket, I am predicting a HUGE voter turnout based on the midmorning turnout at my rural district. When I arrived, all 4 voting booths were full and there were 2 people in line ahead of me!!! In 7 years I have never had to wait for a booth to vote, much less have anyone in line ahead of me.
My mare wore her “I voted” sticker proudly on her bridle for the chilly 3 mile hack back home!!!
Well, having seen the ballot for myself, I admit it’s not the most straight forward piece of balloting I’ve ever seen. It reminds me of ballot questions where the language is written so that if you are in favor of something, you have to vote NO.
Glimmerglass, the fact that the same type of ballot caused results to be discarded in 1996 for the same reason doesn’t mean this year’s election troubles are invalid, as you suggested. It means there is a problem w/ who and how these ballots are created! You’d think they’d’ve revamped the ballot form after the last time. After all, we are in the 21st century. Why are people still using paper and punching holes?
The thing that gets me is: According to the “official results” tonight, the number of votes that Bush leads Gore by is EXACTLY the same as Tuesday’s count. But ONLY 53 COUNTIES OUT OF 67 HAVE FILED their recounts. How then can the numbers of a partial result be the same as the complete count done Tuesday? And why are the “unofficial” numbers down to 245?
[This message has been edited by Kryswyn (edited 11-09-2000).]
Aarrgh. Please don’t say bitter end. I’ve been at work (at a newspaper) since noon; it’s after 11 p.m. with no end in sight.
I was talking about this with my mom last night… she worked for the Nixon campaign in 1960 (?), when he lost to JFK by a “razor-thin” margin. Well, the esteemed Richard M. Daley was mayor in Chicago (where I’m from) at that time, and he just conveniently lost a bunch of votes from Republican precincts so that JFK would carry Illinois, and therefore, the election.
That was out-and-out fraud, but Nixon decided not to pursue it “for the good of the country”. (Not sure Nixon should exactly be a role model, but…)
Frankly, I’m torn. I think it would be terrible for Bush to be elected by mistake. But I hate to see this drag on and divide people even more than they already are.
Sigh Who knew things could get this complicated?
I love my country but am seriously considering the expat thing. Our country has been stronger and more successful all around than ever before, yet many of our citizens have chosen to ignore this and elect an intellectual vacuum with a vengeful family agenda who would like to see the end of a woman’s right to choose, head start, clean air and clean water for our citizens. I doubt that we’ll see much land preservation and you can count on the oil companies having free rein on raping our resources. Nice. If you think he’s going to play nice to horsey people think again, unless you get invited to pay big bucks to one their silly dinners forget it. Your farms will soon be filled with condos. Oh, you’ll get your little tax break but one way or another you’ll have to sell them. Your grandchildren will not be drinking cider from your apples.
A country whose leader is an idiot like dubya is no country of mine. It might be time to say goodbye. Cry my beloved country.
