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| Double votes taint Florida, records show |
| 2004-10-22 |
| Tens of thousands of Florida voters are also registered to vote in a second state, and more than 1,600 may have cast ballots in Florida and one of two other states in recent elections, taking advantage of an absence of safeguards to prevent illegal double voting. An Orlando Sentinel examination of voting records from Florida, Georgia and North Carolina found more than 68,000 cases in which voters with the same names and dates of birth were registered in two states. In 1,650 cases, records indicate those voters cast ballots in Florida and another state in the 2000 or 2002 elections. The study focused on Georgia and North Carolina because, among states with voting databases that are public record, they have the largest populations of Florida-registered voters. The potential number of double voters in Florida could be in the thousands, enough to have affected Florida's 2000 election, which George W. Bush won by 537 votes. It is a felony for voters to cast ballots in two states in the same election. But those who double vote face little chance of being caught, because election officials seldom check whether voters are registered or voting in another state. Election officials and voting experts said they've long known that some voters flouted the law to cast extra ballots. "For years there's been speculation about how much of it goes on," said David Cardwell, a Windermere attorney specializing in election law and the former director of the Florida Division of Elections. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #7 How about this. 1 year before each presidential election *all* the voting registration rolls are purged. Everyone gets 11-odd months to re-register (in person, showing photo proof-of-citzenship id). |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2004-10-22 5:22:38 PM |
| #6 It is not hard to fix the voter registration mess. It is a step-by-step rational plan. It will involve databases. It will involve identification. You cannot get on a plane without ID, so what is the big deal? We have the means, but collectively we do not have the will. Both political parties have failed in their responsibilities to this country. Both parties need to have their political asses kicked big time, especially after 4 years since 2000 to do it. The Greek planners and muckity mucks needed their asses kicked to make the 2004 Summer olympics happen, but they did make it happen. The Dems and Republicans have let this thing fester for 4 years, by accident and/or design. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2004-10-22 5:10:17 PM |
| #5 CF - Better, yes. And, BTW, if NOT voting in registered locale, then local issues and local candidates are not even presented for the voter. Why should someone registered in locale A but showing up in local B have a voice in B's issues / local candidates? In effect, when the bar-code is scanned, a customized ballot - keyed to the group codes mentioned above, is presented reflecting the correct ballot for the registered locale. Cached local master DB records in each locale will make lookup fast for local registrants voting locally. Asshats who wanna show up in Terra Del Fuego to vote, well, they get shuffled off to side to wait in line for special Asshat Voting Booth with National DB acces, lol! Make 'em wear a Dunce cap while waiting in line, too... Fug 'em! |
| Posted by: .com 2004-10-22 5:01:25 PM |
| #4 .com Sounds good but change 'Photo ID' with 'Photo proof of citizenship ID'. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2004-10-22 4:52:50 PM |
| #3 Just some ideas for a system that would make "one person, one vote" true and accurate. Edit, amend, improve as needed. 1) Standardized Computerized voter registration - each card is bar-coded. Voting machines require valid card to register vote. 2) National / Absentee / Military Clearinghouse DB. 3) Photo ID to vote - human checked by polling judge: Pic matches person, name matches reg card. 4) Absentee Ballot (in country) must be collected in person with Photo ID - allow 6 month period prior to election for applying / receiving ballot. 5) Absentee Ballot (out of country) - US Embassies / Consulates serve as their voting "Precinct" - same rules as above: 1-3. 6) Military Battalion HQ serves as voting "Precinct" - same rules as above: 1-3/ Just a suggestion as a starting point. At some point, everyone who registers gets a unique system-wide registration number (not hard to do because they don't have to be sequential and certian locale criteria can be group coded) and registration card is bar-coded. Standardize the machines. Scanning the code in the booth logs / flags record as "voted" - with choices. Canvassing will exclude individual info from record, only voted flag + choices. Choices, of course, are "localized" to ballot info in each voting locale. Anyone could vote anywhere anytime within the voting time window if it was done right. Something like that, though I can hear the ACLU and LLL screaming that there would be a connection between who voted and who they voted for. Oh no! Fug 'em. Lol! |
| Posted by: .com 2004-10-22 4:48:55 PM |
| #2 ...their names are not removed from voting rolls when they move away. That seems like a prety darn significant point. Makes me wonder about exactly how this topic has been covered in the media (which has made it sound like all double registered voters are cheating). So maybe a little public info like "you are required by federal law to notify xxx when you move to another state. Anyone failing to do so risks having his vote disqualified and imprisonment of x years"...or whatever. Also, is it correct to infer that there is no way to determine how many Florida votes were double votes and how those split along party lines? I'd love to see that relentless whine about the 2000 election having been stolen get snuffed out. |
| Posted by: Jules 187 2004-10-22 4:26:03 PM |
| #1 Wasn't Congress supposed to fix that after the kerfuffle of 2000? |
| Posted by: Kalle (kafir forever) 2004-10-22 4:15:16 PM |