No `verify,' no trust - Sun Sentinel - Florida

[bear425]

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/columnists/sfl-sgcol10may10,0,5162832.column

Stephen Goldstein
Columnist

May 10, 2006



Wake up, Florida voters: Because of our history of hitches, glitches, pitches and switches at the polls, your ballot may still be ditched this fall. We were bushwhacked in 2000 and in 2004. And it may be déjà vu all over again in 2006, unless you help implement the single most important way to restore trust in our elections.

Proof that voting in Florida is in free-fall is everywhere. Go to www.voteprotect.org, click on Maps/Research, then on Election 2004, for the tip of the iceberg: 1,118 voter horror stories in Broward (the most in the state), 712 in Palm Beach County, 1,115 in Miami-Dade, and others around the state.

-snip-

Scratch your head over a report on the 2004 general election in Miami-Dade from the county's Election Reform Coalition (www.reformcoalition.org). Among a pile of puzzlements, it concludes that seven polling places had between 50 and 99 more voters than ballots and that four polling places had over 100 more voters than ballots. In addition, six polling places had between 52 and 100 more ballots than voters, and one polling place had 282 more ballots than voters.

-more-
Stephen L. Goldstein's commentaries appear on alternate Wednesdays. E-mail him at [e-mail].

[kster]

1. K&R.... nt

[hvn_nbr_2]

2. Anyone else remember Reagan's mantra "Trust but verify"?

I think we should start throwing it back in their faces.

[texpatriot2004]

3. you got that right nm