Honestly, do you think the ballots in florida are really that confusing?

[etech]

I have to say I wonder when this statue went into effect.

2000 Florida

101.28 Requirements for voting machines.--All voting machines purchased for use in this state shall meet the following minimum requirements:

(d) Permit the elector to vote for as many persons for an office as the elector is lawfully entitled to vote for, but no more.

It looks like it is a requirement only when buyin new machines. Since they had the same problem in 96 I don't think this will apply in Gore's lawsuit.

 

[Toonces311]

All this crap about an "X" to the right of the name is for a hand written ballot only!! If you read the next page of the law book. It talks about electronic ballots.

 

[da bastard]

Now that everyone concentates on the ballot, dam that looks simple..... But when you arent looking at it, would you notice it? Everyone is comparing this to school tests... Have you ever made a careless error and look back at it more closesly and say "Dam that was obvious".... But this isnt a school test... And that was a poorly designed ballot..... I dont see whats the thing if they claimed when Gore was reported winning that they think they misvoted....they probably werent making it up.... What would there motives be? It is obvios, if for drunkeness, stupidity, confusion or anything, they did not vote how they planned on. So the wueston should be, what should be done, if anything at all?

If Republicans want to be more sure of winning this, they should realize that they need to get over the confusing part. That is obvious by the voters' protests and the circulation of a memorandum to election people toward the end of the voting day. They should concentrate on prooving to the court that nothing should be done, or the votes should be just thrown out.... Strategically they need to concentrate their efforts in one area, and this one seems to be more concrete.

The Democrats have less lee way and have to go on facts as much as possible: laws, previous elections, and notice before polls close. With the fuel from the voters protests they need to work on soliding the obvious confusion of ballots and try to find the most easily convincing action for the courts to take.....

EDIT: And Nader should laugh his ass off, for with out him, none of this could be possible. He showed one part of what is wrong with the government system... not for sure if it was the governement or the part he meant....

 

[Bad Dude]

Hey Zucchini
The point is if you are an American you must be able to read English and if you do read English then the ballot is not at all confusing. By the way, the 19,000 ballots that got toss out never knew how to read in the first place. How in the hell you know you screwed up unless you did not and some one told you later you might have did? So read my lips, if you screwed up, that's life, live with it. If you cannot read English you are not an American even if you have a certificate that say so. If you don't work you should not get money fromt he government. If you f*ck around you need to support your own kids and not us who pays the taxes. The taxes are paid for us Americans and they are there to improve America and for Americans only. If you don't read or speak English you are not an American and you have no business voting.
I am tire of paying taxes for some one else enjoyment. If you elect Gore, then your tax money will mostly go to the people that don't want to work. If you go for Bush, at least you get 2% back. So you decide, do you want some of you money back or give that money to some illegal Mexican who comes across the border to steal your chickens and take your job and live illegally without paying taxes. By all means, not all Mexicans are bad. If a Mexican is educated, he/she will be Republican, if you are on welfare then of course you are a democrat.
End of story.

 

[Imported]

Late answering, but I find the ballot not confusing, though I'm 16..

 

[Zucchini]

Bad dude,

You seriously need to take a critical thinking/logic class. You start by addressing the issue, then start rambling about other issues.

anyways, i agree with da bastard.

 

[ThisIsMatt]

1) People get a sample ballot so they can "study" for the big "final" - you can even use it as a cheat sheet if need be.

2) The arrow points straight to the hole marker

3) If you put it in two holes, you obviously are doing something wrong (one party, one hole)

4) So much for the claim that democrats are the more educated party

5) It took me about 45 seconds to vote (hey, guess what, I looked at the sample ballot, whoo hoo)

6) The ballots should've been in a "lock-box" so they'd be safe

7) Moving on to number 8

8) More proof that Gore is childish, arrogant, and a lier (yesterday he said he would not push any more after the recount, now he is suggesting a by hand count as well, etc etc).

9) I think Gore should be put in a lock-box

10) They're holes dang it. Everyone line up for Holes 101.

11) Start at the tail of the arrow and follow it to the head, the head points to the hole. Would you like a straight-edge with your ballot?

12) How on earth did those voters get their key into the ignition???

13) So what if the mark has to be made to the right, it was on the right for both Bush and Gore

It seems I have found the source of the confusion:

Ballot

 

[skywhr]

makua oohhhhhh say it again MAAAAAAAAKUAAAAAAAA oooohhhhhhh again again hahahahahahahahahaha
kahea so irie



makua matuda makua matuda makua matuda makua matuda

you have to put your past behind you

 

[irie]

Ha ha that's funny. You must live in palm beach.

 

[ride525]

There is a very interesting article in my morning newspaper, from AP. I haven't been able to locate the article online yet. Here's some excerpts:

EXPERTS SAY BALLOT CONFUSED VOTERS - One says, 'It's clear that it's not clear'

"They could have predicted that this problem was going to occur if they had taken the time to test it first," said Carolyn Boccella Bagin of the Center for Clear Communication in Rockville, Md......

"If you had put 20 people in a voting situation and had them actually try to vote, the problem would have surfaced," added Joseph Kimble, a Professor at Thomas Cooley Law School in Lansing, Mich.

The article goes on to say that the ballot was posted in public places and newspapers and nobody complained at the time.

But Kimble said that to find out whether a document is easily understood, it is not enough to let someone look at it. "You've got to have them use it," he said.

 

[irie]

Why wasn't this a problem during the 96 elections when the same ballots were used?

 

[Optimus]

Format C:

No fair! I was confused by your test and punched 2 holes in my computer monitor...

Now I need a new 19 inch monitor!

 

[ride525]

<< Why wasn't this a problem during the 96 elections when the same ballots were used? >>



Good question! I wonder if it wasn't a problem then and no one noticed. Or were the candidates set up in a similar order where both of the majority party candidates were lined up on the left?

 

[AndrewR]

&quot;Experts&quot;? Really. Maryland voted 70% Democrat in this election, if that gives you any indication of the politics there. Law school professors are notoriously liberal -- the guy is probably a union lawyer.

LMAO!!!!!! Here is the website for the Center for Clear Communication -- IT'S AN AOL MEMBER SITE!!!! I'm wiping tears from my eyes -- that is just too funny. Oh, yes, they are a very credible resource.

Link the article when you can. I need another laugh to perk up my day.

 

[Aceman]

After seeing a pic of that ballot here:
The actual ballot in discussion

I don't see where the controversy is.

 

[ride525]

Andrew,

Your post made me laugh too!

The article is from AP, in the Fremont Argus (yep California, stop laughing so much Andrew ). I haven't been able to find it on the newspapers site, although many other of todays articles are online. The article is in the Election 2000 section of today's newspaper.

I thought maybe I could find it at AP, but can't find much there....

 

[chess9]

Ride525 and many others:

The same style ballot WAS used in Palm Beach County in '96, except Clinton's name was at the top! Big difference. Too bad the Republicans didn't figure it out.

 

[irie]

Maybe this whole thing will get more people voting in the future.

 

[BlackDragon8303]

<< INTELLIGENCE IS NOT A REQUIREMENT TO VOTE >>



LOL, nor is it a requirement to run for president as both Clinton and Gore have so very well demonstrated...

 

[irie]

You've got a point.

 

[irie]

Go Bush

 

[ride525]

Here's an article decribing the Palm Beach Ballot confusion:

Concerns surfaced early in Palm Beach County

 

[SpeedGod]

Yes &amp; no. When i looked at it at a quick glance, yes, it did look confusing, but when you really look at it and concentrate on it, then it becomes less confusing.