Re: CHAT (POLITICS!!!): Putting the duh in Florida

En réponse à "LeoMoser(Acadon@Acadon.com)" <acadon@...>:

>
> > Well, that post gives me the opportunity of asking a question about
> all
> this. I
> > know it's way off-topic, but it's only a genuine question from a
> French
> point of
> > view. Well, if I understood correctly, not only the machines didn't
> count
> votes
> > correctly, but also the vote ballots themselves were ambiguous and the
> whole
> > thing went wrong in some counties of Florida.
>
> We value local rule, so ballot shapes forms and
> systems vary greatly in differing jurisdictions.
> There are acual "voting machines" in some areas,
> some with arms that you pull, etc. These make
> a noise (or used to) and there were complaints
> that a person outside the booth could hear if
> the voter split his or her vote among various
> candidates -- or chose a straight "party ticket."
>
> In all, localization and decentralization makes
> it less likely that the party in power nationally
> could give itself any advantage. But it leads to
> things being done "on the cheap" since the
> costs are born locally too.
>
I cannot see how the party in power could give itself an advantage, except by
having the votes counted in one and only place. In France, the system is
national but run locally. We still use "party tickets" with an envelop and a
ballot box. As for counting, it's run in each vote office by volunteers (and in
big towns machines are used too, but the sorting is done manually). It may sound
old-fashioned, but at least it's cheap and effective.

>
> Basically, we have one of the oldest written
> constitutions, surely the oldest still in use.
> In many ways, it is not well designed for
> present conditions. Changes only come about
> AFTER the problem is manifest.
>
Very true. It's the same here.

Christophe.