BlogWood: MT Archives

Paperless problems

Look - lotto machines give receipts, in the form of a ticket. ATMs give receipts. So do gas pumps and all other computerized automated transaction machines. Why is it so hard to create a countable, verifiable paper trail in the form of a receipt that can be deposited into a ballot box?

If you live in a paperless county and you want your vote to count this year, vote absentee.

Voting machine faults ignored

Florida elections officials knew before they bought the first touch screen voting machine that the devices had a history of problems.

The machines recorded cases in which no vote was cast, known as undervotes, at a higher rate than some other machines.

But election officials bought them anyway, partly because they didn't think undervotes would become a major problem.

Now, undervotes are at the center of the latest controversy surrounding Florida's troubled elections process.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson on Monday called for an independent audit of touch screen machines because of the high rate of undervotes in the March presidential primary.

A task force appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush to recommend changes in Florida elections reported in March 2001 that touch screen machines had a higher rate of undervotes than optical scan machines.

Touch screen machines are similar to ATMs, except they don't produce a receipt. Optical scan systems are similar to standardized tests, in which voters use a pencil to fill in ovals on a ballot that is fed into a scanner that records the votes.

Note - In Hillsborough and many other counties, absentee ballots are handled with an optical scan system.

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Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, says Florida moved too quickly to embrace touch screen technology "before they were adequately tested."

But a leading expert on voting machines says undervotes are nothing to worry about.

"A small but significant number of voters in every election intentionally undervote," said Dan Tokaji, an Ohio State College law professor and the author of a recent report to the Election Assistance Commission on touch screen machines. "Why would somebody do that? I'm not sure if anyone has a clear answer to that question."

Still, undervoting seems peculiar in elections with only one issue on a ballot. Why would anyone take the time to go to a polling place, get a ballot and not vote? Yet that's exactly what happened in March. In Pinellas, for example, 211 voters cast blank ballots in the March primary in precincts that had just one race.

Links above are for Hillsborough County, Florida residents.

Here’s a link to all of the Florida county elections supervisors. You need to contact your local county elections supervisor in order to request an absentee ballot.

Voting Absentee in Florida

The following list of frequently asked questions is from the Hillsborough County supervisor’s web iste, and is therefore somewhat specific to county residents, but the rules are the same no matter where you reside in Florida - any registered voter can request and vote an absentee ballot. You do not need to actually be absent on election day. So follow this link and contact your own county supervisor and request an absentee ballot today.

ABSENTEE VOTING

Who is eligible for an absentee ballot?
If you are a qualified registered Hillsborough County voter, you are entitled to vote by absentee ballot.

How do I obtain an absentee ballot?
An absentee ballot may be requested for a specific election or for all elections in the current calendar year. The request can be made in person, by mail, fax, E-mail or by telephone. You can also fill out a request on-line by clicking here. The absentee request must include the voter's name, address, birthdate and signature if a written request. Only the voter or a designated member of his or her immediate family or legal guardian can request an absentee ballot for the voter. If the voter has designated an immediate family member or legal guardian to request an absentee ballot for him or herself, the designee must provide the required request information for the voter and the designee's name, address and relationship to the voter.

When are absentee ballots available?
Absentee ballots are mailed approximately 30 days prior to each election to those voters who have requested an absentee ballot. A qualified voter may vote in person at either of the two offices of the Supervisor of Elections during the two weeks prior to an election.

WARNING - In Hillsborough County, this form of early voting involves using paperless touch screen machines.

For other available early voting sites, please call our office at 813-272-5850 for additional information. Within four days of an election, a designated person may carry out up to two ballots for anyone as long as the required request information is provided and the voter specifically authorizes the person to pick up the ballot in writing. There is no limitation on number of carryouts for immediate family members.

How do I return my absentee ballot?
Absentee ballots must be returned in the envelope provided. The envelope must include the voter's signature, the witness information and signature. Voted absentee ballots must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Election Day at the County Center office of the Supervisor of Elections or not later than 7 p.m. at the Robert L. Gilder Elections Service Center. A VOTED BALLOT CANNOT BE ACCEPTED AT A POLLING PLACE. If you request and receive an absentee ballot and later decide to vote at the polls, take your absentee ballot with you to be cancelled at your polling place.