Common Dreams: Ohio Election Problems Highlight Urgent Need for Reform

[Raster]

by Mark Weisbrot


The Democrats' brief Congressional challenge to Ohio's electoral votes last week was met with howls of derision from Republican lawmakers. "They're still not over the 2000 election, let alone the 2004 election," said Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania.

Well, why should they be? Why should anyone who cares about democracy just let these things go? Many Americans don't know this, but according to the best information available, George W. Bush lost the vote in Florida and therefore should not have become president the first time.

A consortium of news organizations -- including the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, CNN, and Associated Press commissioned an independent recount. The study was done by the University of Chicago-based National Opinion Research Center.

The study, which examined 175,010 uncounted ballots in all of Florida's 67 counties, found that a complete recount would have given the state, and therefore the presidency, to Al Gore. This was true no matter what criteria were used for accepting or rejecting the uncounted ballots: i.e., what kinds of "chads" or markings were taken as clear indication of voter intent.

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http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0108-26.htm

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. There are SO many

different election reforms that need to be put into place. But they will have to come from the ground up.

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Save this nation one town, county, and state at a time!
http://timeforachange.bluelemur.com/electionreform.htm#why

[eric144]

2. Whatever

reforms are enacted, it's likely the bad guys having tasted blood in the last two elections will find a way to steal the next.