Bill would clarify voting procedure, pay for recounts

[MelissaB]

Bill would clarify voting procedure, pay for recounts

Associated Press


COLUMBUS, Ohio - Election challengers would have to pay the entire cost of recounts that fail to change the results of the election, under a bill before state lawmakers.

The legislation, a top priority for the House and Senate, also would align federal Help America Vote Act standards with state law by creating a statewide voter database, requiring first-time voters to bring identification and defining who gets a provisional ballot.

The bill would also make clear that optical scan ballots marked in pencil and read by a machine would count even if they were marked incorrectly. Lawmakers want to make sure ballots cast by voters who underline or circle a candidate's name are counted regardless of who tallies them.

"It's not going to change outcomes of elections. It's just going to make them more accurate," said Kevin Coughlin, a Republican senator from Cuyahoga Falls who is sponsoring the bill.

Link: http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/state/10731439.htm

[Andy_Stephenson]

1. So if

I vote for all three Presidential Candidates then...

"optical scan ballots marked in pencil and read by a machine would count even if they were marked incorrectly."

Anyone have the text of this bill?

[loudsue]

2. Hi Andy!!

Frankly, I'm with you. I'm not sure I trust any legislation put out there by ANY Ohio republican, to begin with. Most especially if he talks about marking a ballot with a "pencil"!!!????

:wtf: What is he thinking????


:kick:

[Andy_Stephenson]

3. Don't get me wrong Sue.

I think optical scan ballots are fine...but marked with pen.

[KerryOn]

4. Heres the Bill, Text is not up yet.

http://www.congress.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d109:18:./temp/~bdOXVZ::

Check again tomarrow.

[eridani]

6. No, I think they mean only where intent is obvious

Like voting for a listed candidate and also writing him/her in. Or having a stray inkblot not linked with any candidate counted as an overvote.

[demodonkey]

5. Bill would make recounts impossible -- forever. And exactly what...

is the huge cost of these recounts in Ohio?? Blackwell says it cost a million and a half to do the crappy 3% recount that we did get this time.

WTF?? I was there. In most cases the "recount" took less than ONE DAY (in many cases only a couple of hours). People counting were the Board of Elections members (who supposedly have regular meetings anyway), and/or appeared to be pollworkers. If they were pollworkers, and IF they got paid, they got paid crap. Most pollworkers don't even get minimum wage even on election day, nothing at all for going to training, and probably nothing for recounts.

So where was this million and a half?

Meanwhile we just spent $40 Million partying to celebrate the great coronation, and now ** wants another $80 BILLION to keep killing people in Iraq, but HEAVEN FORBID we should spend any money counting votes and getting our elections right!

Bill is just what we figured would happen from the get go -- if it passes (and hey they have a Rethug majority) 2004 will be the first AND LAST state-wide presidential recount in Ohio, or probably anywhere else, ever!

:grr:

[torque]

7. Discusting scam to discourage recounts n/t