In article <8v4bqt$bm3i$[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
Rachel Pearce <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>As a Brit living in America I am not entitled to comment on most of the points
>in
>this argument, but I would like to say a few things:
>a) People in America apparently vote with machines and not just machines,
>but machines of a type (card punch) which was being retired when
>I started work nearly 20 years ago. What is wrong with good old fashioned pencil
>and paper?
>This definitely creates an educational qualification for being part of the
>electorate. (Not
>to mention a physical one!)
This particular type of voting machine is one of the new
types, replacing the old electromechanical counters, which
did not allow overvoting. The problem with a paper ballot
is that, in this last election, I was voting for people to
fill about 20 positions, as well as one amendment to the
state constitution. This is not a high number in this country.
The country was deliberately set up NOT to have a strong
central government.
But the older voting machines, which only record counts, were
put in largely due to outright fraud from paper ballots. An
American expression is "stuffing the ballot box".
>b) Mail-in ballots are allowed to be posted after the polling places are
>closed - in this state (WA) until midnight on November 7th
This varies from state to state.
>c) Polling stations close at a ridiculously early hour - apparently usually
>6p.m. or 7pm. This
>does not allow much time for working people to get home to vote. I suppose you
>could say
>that they could always get a mail-in ballot or take time off work, but they
>shouldn't have to -
>it should be possible to hold down a job and go to the polls.
Most states require employers to allow their employees to
have a certain number of hours off to vote.
>d) Results from some states are announced before the polls have even closed in
>others. In the case of
>this state this year, the first results from the east coast were being called
>(not always accurately!) at
>least an hour before the polls closed.
Dixville Notch, Vermont votes at midnight, and is widely
reported. But I doubt that this is what you mean.
This is a major problem. At least the news services have
agreed not to report exit polls before the polls in the
state have closed. In states with different time zones,
the news services have quite possibly been unaware of the
fact that the polls closing at 6 PM in the state means
the 6 PM in one part means 7 PM in another. This is the
most likely source. Most news services have exit poll
estimates many hours before the close of the polls.
>e) Apparently in this nation so proud of separation of church and state some
>people vote in churches.
>What about those who are not of that faith?
This is very definitely NOT a problem. At least the one
I vote in makes no religious attempts, and I am not of
the faith. Anyone who objects could vote absentee.
>All of the above seem so anti-democratic, that my faith in the whole system
>would be severely
>tested even without the whole shenanigans in Florida.
>Rachel
The UK has effective disenfrachisement of most of the
members of its Liberal party. Also, the US was definitely
set up NOT to be "democratic"; the British democracy has
greatly eroded the rights the people won in the Bill of
Rights and the Petition of Right. Democracy is two wolves
and a sheep deciding the dinner menu.
--
This address is for information only. I do not claim that these views
are those of the Statistics Department or of Purdue University.
Herman Rubin, Dept. of Statistics, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette IN47907-1399
[EMAIL PROTECTED] Phone: (765)494-6054 FAX: (765)494-0558
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