The Sandspur

Issue date: 11/12/04 Section: Opinions

Media Credit: AP

American's are led to believe that every vote counts and that the slogan, "One Man, One Vote," ensures equality among the nation. However, the 2000 presidential election kick started the realization among citizens that their vote might not count. In that election, nearly 3,000 votes in Hamilton County, Ohio were never counted. In this year's election, over 58,000 absentee ballots were claimed to be lost in Broward County, FL (which just happens to be my hometown). We've also come to realize that the majority doesn't always rule. Sometimes laws prevent it. Gore received more popular votes in 2000 than Bush, but Bush was declared winner because of the country's Electoral College system.

As everyone knows, Republicans swept the elections this year from Bush for President to Mel Martinez for Senate. But do we really know who wins each election?

Our system of voting has been privatized and contracted out. To who? The Republicans. Voting machines owned by foreign and Republican companies count 80% of the votes. With all the malfunctions and problems that computers have, with the simplicity of rerouting files, with viruses being sent around as easy as sending an e-mail...should we really trust these machines to decide the fate of America?

Well, nobody has been contesting it. Recent lawsuits ask only for paper ballots to be printed after voting for the voter can verify that the machine's output matched their input. What is the point of having Federal Observers if there is nothing to observe? They sure as hell can't look in the machine to make sure the correct votes are being tabulated.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that the Republicans have a huge scam going here. I'm just saying that I don't trust these machines.

The funny thing is that when I searched online under Google for "Does your vote count," the majority of sites that came up were not saying "yes," but saying "maybe not." Blackboxvoting.com has a story on another Broward County ballot error...or "computer glitch." It states, "A computer glitch misreported a key amendment race...Amendment 4...was thought to be tied." The computer glitch for absentee ballot counting was uncovered after the amendment passed. In the precinct, the machine was not made to count over 32,000 votes. So when it reached the number, it began to count backwards. Computer problems such as this have been reported in Indiana, North Carolina, and Ohio. In one precinct in Ohio, Bush was given 4,258 votes where only 638 were cast. Again, people, these votes are determining the President of the United States of America. Blunders, miscalculations, errors, whatever you want to call them...they should not be tolerated. However, they are, year after year.

Certified machines are also not searched for security openings. They simply check for vote-counting mistakes and logic errors. The certification has been called a joke and machines can be updated and altered after the certification process up until the election. It is also easier than you think to rig these machines. "Vote-rigging" codes can be added into programs that switch votes from one candidate to a rival. As for official verification counts, the machines do all the tabulating. Hand counts are not being used.

You'd think, by the year 2004, we'd have a FOOL-PROOF system for counting votes, but we don't. We still have to deal with technology flaws, hanging chads, etc. How much longer will we have to wait? Until then, we can just keep performing our duty...to vote, and pretend that our vote really counts.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools