South Floriduhs...aka. Relocated Northern Liberals.
Posted on 11/04/2006 9:45:35 PM PST by Libloather
Florida Could Face Another Election Fiasco
Fri Nov 3, 11:23 PM ET
Six years after the Election Day standoff and hanging chads of 2000, Central Florida voters could once again find themselves experiencing voting chaos.
The WESH 2 I-Team has discovered that new problems at the polls could plague Tuesday's election.
Touch-screen computers and optical scan voting machines were supposed to fix what ails the Florida election process, but there were problems during September's primary.
"Three of the results tapes for three of the touch-screen precincts have never been found," said Susan Pynchon of the Florida Fair Election Coalition.
During an election where, for the first time, every one of Volusia County's 179 precincts used both touch-screen computers and optical scan voting machines, results are missing.
Gone is the chad controversy. This time, it's torn and missing zero tapes and results tapes. Results tapes are strips of paper that track all of the votes on every touch-screen computer or optical scan voting machines.
The Florida Fair Elections Coalition was formed two years ago to monitor local elections.
"It's very hard to tell on these electronic systems whether errors have occurred on purpose or whether they have occurred just through accidental, garden-variety sloppiness," Pynchon said.
"We're still looking for some of the records," said Barb Shepherd, the owner and publisher of the DeLand-Deltona Beacon.
Shepherd joined forces with the coalition to find out why the new technology failed during the primary.
"We found just that the tapes were not complete, the records were not complete," Shepherd said.
Volusia County's supervisor of elections admitted there were problems.
"We would have found this eventually," Ann McFall said.
McFall admitted that some poll workers apparently tore the results tapes -- a big no-no since a torn tape could mean the results were tampered with -- but how does she explain the missing tapes?
"Out of 179 precincts, 358 pieces of machine, we were missing three of four zero tapes," McFall said.
"And you're still missing three?" WESH 2 I-Team reporter Stephen Stock asked.
"Yes, they're gone. Apparently the poll worker just ripped it off and threw it away. The poll worker manual says, 'Do not do that,'" McFall said.
No one claims Volusia County's primary election results were tainted, manipulated or fraudulent, but without these results tapes, there's no way to prove that.
"It calls into the credibility of the elections itself," said Leon County's Supervisor of Elections Ion Sancho.
He praised Volusia County for being upfront and honest about the problems, but he also said this cannot happen or voters will lose complete trust in the system.
"It's simply not excusable to not be able to find your zero tapes and your results tapes for every device used in every precinct during an election," he said.
And if they can't be found this time around, chances are the nation will focus on Florida election results again. This time it could add up to even bigger troubles.
"I think we're going to have terrible problems. I hope we don't," Pynchon said.
McFall said she believes she's corrected her problems, but she admitted other issues are likely to occur.
Problems with new computer technology are being reported across the U.S., and these machines will be in widespread use for the very first time.
In fact, just this week, there were reports from South Florida early voters who claimed that when they touched one candidate on the touch-screen machines, another candidate's name popped up.
There comes a time when a person is too old to vote. Flordia is filled with geezers who are so old they don't know what is going on and no longer have a long term interst in the country other than their social security payments.
just funny how it only happens in democratic disticts...
South Floriduhs...aka. Relocated Northern Liberals.
"There comes a time when a person is too old to vote. Flordia is filled with geezers who are so old they don't know what is going on and no longer have a long term interst in the country other than their social security payments."
My mom is 85 and is almost bed bound after being diagnosed with cancer with only a few more months to live. She's bound and determined to vote on Tuesday and I will gladly take her. Oh, and she's a staunch conservative!
Ann McFall is the former owner of McFall & Associates, accounting and tax service. She served for 8 years on the Volusia County School Board and 6 years as a Volusia County Council member, representing District 5.
******
January 23, 2006
"I Saw It Hacked"
Diebold in Florida
By SUSAN PYNCHON
I was one of ten people present at the "hack" of the Leon County, Florida voting system, which took place on Tuesday, December 13, 2005 around 4:30 in the afternoon at the county elections warehouse. Leon County's voting system is the Diebold Accu-Vote OS 1.94w (optical scan).
Ion Sancho has announced that he will never again use Diebold in an election. He has requested funds to replace the Diebold system from the county. On Tuesday, the most serious “hack” demonstration to date took place in Leon County. The Diebold machines succumbed quickly to alteration of the votes.
A few years ago my 92 year old grandma asked me what to do about renewing her drivewrs licence. I told her it only cost a few dollars to renew it and at least she would have a photo I.D.
So she sent in her check and got a renewed drivers licence for 7 years. No eye test, no reaction test, just a renewed licence in the mail with her old photo on it. Even though she'd not driven in 10 years.
It is a lot easier here in florida to vote then to get a drivers licence.
Old blue hairs in Palm Beach county are everywhere, viting driving and drooling.
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