Will we get a recount in California?

[NJSecularist]

http://cbs2.com/politics/Ballot.Double.Bubble.2.646580.html

Or specifically, Los Angeles County

Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo Tuesday issued the following statement in the wake of numerous reports of wide-spread nonpartisan voter confusion over Los Angeles County's "double bubble" voter ballot:

"I have heard numerous reports from voters throughout the City of Los Angeles which point to wide-spread voter confusion over Los Angeles County's so-called 'double-bubble' Decline-to-State non-partisan voter ballot. We understand this ballot is unique to the County of Los Angeles.

"In light of these reports, I am calling upon Secretary of State Debra Bowen and L.A. County Registrar Dean Logan to review the county's unique and potentially confusing ballot design.

"It would be unfortunate if non-partisan voters, confused by the county's unique "double bubble" ballot design, did not have their vote counted.

"I urge the Secretary of State and County Registrar to do everything within their power to ensure that every vote is counted, and to carefully weigh voter intent against this confusing Los Angeles County ballot design.

"Los Angeles' non-partisan voters must not be disenfranchised because of a confusing ballot design."

Over 700,000 voters may have been disenfranchised.

[TexasObserver]

1. No, because of blowback

You want to move forward, not get stuck looking at a loss, even though there are probably serious irregularities in the voting process.

[JackORoses]

5. 700,000 votes is enough to change who the winner was

of course Hillarites want to move on, just like Bush did in 2000 and 2004

[mitchtv]

6. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!

[JackORoses]

7. Clinton currently leads by ~400,000 votes and the 700,000 in question are all Independent voters

Who is it that draws the most Independents?

[rinsd]

13. You're claiming every DTS voter voted in the primary?

Voted incorrectly by not filling out the 2nd bubble?

And that they would all break for Obama?

:shrug:

I doubt that. There could be a delegate ot two swing but it won't change the winner.

They should count votes with clear intent.

San Diego went thru this bubble nonsense with Donna Frye.

[NJSecularist]

14. Personally, I don't think they'll all break for Obama

But they need to be accounted. A 5-10 delegate swing could really help Obama.

Above all, all the votes need to be counted.

[EFerrari]

18. If the Obama campaign wasn't impacted, they wouldn't be raising the question.

A lot of people got their vote uncounted because of stupidity.

I don't care how they break, I want to know our votes are COUNTED or THIS is all for nothing.

[MonkeyFunk]

10. The 700,000 number

is the total number of uncommitted voters. It's not realistic to believe every one of them filled out the ballot incorrectly.

[karynnj]

11. If they fight it they destroy Democratic credibility on the issue

They need to do it if the intent is clear - even if it changes the "winner", it changes the winner. Would they have rejected the 2000 recount where re-examining the ballot was possible? How many of them piled on John Kerry who didn't have ballots to examine because they were ether or never cast? We need to count the votes, if the intent was clear and unambiguous.

[karynnj]

9. Huh?

If this is a problem that can be resolved by looking more carefully at the ballot AND if it is possible to get an unambiguous idea of intent, why not? This is precisely the time to do it.

[enki23]

2. it's a party primary. "disenfranchise" actually has nothing to do with it.

.

[polichick]

3. The ballot there was different than in the rest of the state??

[trashcanistanista]

15. From what I'm getting here on DU it was.

In No Cali the DTS voters got the same Dem ballot and signed for it in advance with an explanation when they signed the register. All of those ballots were counted. It seems as if the bubble was on the ballot in LA and if you didn't mark your ballot the whole thing wasn't caounted. Also the voters were not told to do that. That's what I'm now understanding from the posts on DU.

[polichick]

16. Crazy - I sure hope something is being done about this. nt

[mopinko]

4. i trust the obama campaign to make sure every vote counts.

i trust debra bowen to easily determine the intent of the voters. lets' set and example of how to answer questions properly.

[BattyDem]

8. I hope something is done for one simple reason:

the General Election.

The problems the states had during the primaries will likely show up again in the GE if they aren't investigated and, more importantly, RESOLVED!

This isn't just about Clinton and Obama ... this is about US. We hear these stories after every election: confusing ballots, not enough ballots, not enough machines, not enough poll workers, uninformed poll workers, machines that don't work, machines that switch a vote from one candidate to another, confusion about polling place locations, confusion about polling place hours, long-time voters not being on the voting rolls, votes being challenged at the polling place ... the list goes on and on.

Enough of this shit! We've been having elections in this country for over 200 years ... why is it so fucking difficult to get it right?! :grr:

Sorry for the rant ... but I am so tired of hearing stories like this after every election and I'm fed up with the idea that a recount can't be done unless a CANDIDATE requests it. What about the 700,000 people whose votes weren't counted? Why don't they have a say in this? :shrug:

[trashcanistanista]

12. Yes, they should and probably would do it.

Most other precincts had the DTS voters decide on their ballot and sign in the bubble on the registration log and thus much of the confusion was avoided. If the bubble was on the Ballot in LA, and workers didn't explain that to the voters, the trainers should be fired and all of the Dem ballots should be recounted given the benefit of the doubt to the DTS voter's intent. This situation is unique so far to LA, and whoever approved that type of ballot should be fired. It smells like disenfranchisement to me and it smells like it was intentional. I hope Bowen acts on this and I think she will.

[EFerrari]

17. They should or the whole thing is just a joke.

I hope Debra Bowen gets it.

ETA: And it's not just L.A. County either. Santa Clara County also had massive problems and who knows who else because the local people go out of their way NOT to make this information public.