-Caveat Lector-
[This article is pretty enlightening, to put it mildly. It is
also somewhat [atypically] unbiased...., at least it is for the
likes of WND;-) It seems that there is at least some significant
evidence of a real possibility that *BOTH* Republicans and
Democrats gave bum instructions to seniors in FL. It also seems
possible [based on the below article] that either party [or both]
could have done this on purpose! However, and as I mentioned in
a prior post today, if true [that deception was their goal], it
clearly demonstrates a *much* deeper level of understanding,
savvy, sophistication, and planning used by the Dems in their
post-election motions/ploys/maneuvering/strategy. If I were a
Democrat, it would make me proud;-) --MS]
Condo commandos' caused ballot snafu
'Gore operatives,' others mistakenly instructed thousands of Palm
Beach seniors to 'punch #2'
By Diana Lynne
WorldNetDaily.com
Nov.21, 2000
As the Palm Beach County canvassing board muddles through an
arduous countywide hand count of ballots, WorldNetDaily has
learned that the county's "condo commandos" -- leaders at
condominium complexes for those 55 and older -- and other Gore
operatives created the perceived need for a recount by giving the
wrong instructions to loyal voters about how to cast their
ballots in the Nov. 7 election.
The bad information, in turn, created confusion that ultimately
contributed to more than 19,000 ballots being thrown out.
The "condo commandos" traditionally play starring roles in
elections in Palm Beach County, where a quarter of the
million-plus population is 65 years and older, but their star
appears to be fading fast on the Gold Coast.
"Condo commandos take credit for delivering votes after
elections. I don't think you'll find them doing that now,"
stated Democrat Jody Gleason, a Palm Beach County school board
member.
Retirees, particularly in the southern part of the county,
historically represent a massive voting bloc for Democratic
candidates. One retirement community in West Palm Beach, Century
Village, has 7,000 residents year-round and as many as 14,000
during the winter months. The heavily Jewish community was a
magnate for Gore cheerleaders on the stump, including Jesse
Jackson and vice presidential nominee Joseph Lieberman. Century
Village's clout makes the president of the Century Village
Democratic Club, Sam Oser, a powerful man in the eyes of
Democratic candidates running for office.
"I don't even know if I voted correctly," said the 75-year-old
condo commando, "You're dealing with older folks who come in on
crutches and in wheelchairs. They're used to voting a certain way
all these years and it was switched."
Century Village residents are used to relying on "palm cards" to
help them vote. As the name suggests, a "palm card" is a
printout that's small enough to fit into the palm of one's hand,
and they are distributed en masse by condo commandos prior to the
election.
"This is a card that has the numbers of candidates we recommend
residents vote for," said Oser, who describes it as an aid for
elderly voters who have poor eyesight or are vulnerable to
confusion in the voting booth. Unless there's a polling station
set up within the retirement community, as is the case at Oser's
Century Village, condo commandos arrange to bus residents to the
polls. It is common for residents who take the journey to the
polling place sponsored by the retirement community to arm
themselves with the palm card issued by that community.
"The retirement communities are critical. Any candidate goes
into their midst with fear and trembling. We know what a
powerful voting bloc they represent," reflected former school
board member Gail Bjork, who successfully ran three campaigns.
"If your name isn't on that [palm] card, you're in trouble."
But WorldNetDaily has learned that Oser and many other Gore
supporters issued marching orders to voters in error. As
reported by the Palm Beach Post, the Democratic Club of Greater
Boynton Beach got the candidates' numbers mixed up in their
voting recommendation published in its November newsletter to
members. A few days prior to the election, according to the
Post, the club issued postcards headlined "Oops!" which explained
that members had been incorrectly instructed to "punch #3 for Al
Gore" but that number 3 would actually be a vote for Republican
George Bush. The postcard further instructed members they should
"punch #5 for Al Gore."
Asked whether he got the candidates' numbers right on Century
Village palm cards, Oser replied, "I don't recall whether there
were numbers."
However, a worker at Century Village told WorldNetDaily the "palm
cards" that were distributed prior to the election were wrong.
When the error was discovered, new palm cards were printed and
handed out outside of the polls on Election Day.
According to this worker, who wishes to remain anonymous,
"Whoever took the palm card from us outside the polls got the
right information. Those that didn't wouldn't have."
This is not the first election in Palm Beach County to have been
affected by palm-card errors. In 1986, Bill Graham surprised
political analysts by winning the District 4 school board seat
over the favored Democratic candidate, Lou Martinez. According
to the Palm Beach Post, the upset was partly attributed to a
printing error on 5,000 palm cards put out by the South County
Political Cooperative. While the cooperative endorsed Martinez,
they encouraged voters to punch the number associated with
Graham.
The error with the palm cards is linked to the so-called
"butterfly ballot" adopted this year by Elections Supervisor
Theresa LePore, a Democrat, which listed the candidates' names on
both the right and left-hand pages with arrows pointing to punch
holes in the center of the ballot. The sample ballot mailed out
prior to the election listed Al Gore second on the left-hand page
but did not contain holes that could have been counted. Thus, it
only would have been possible to assume that the second punch
hole would correspond to Al Gore.
Because of the "butterfly" design, however, the second hole on
the ballot actually corresponded to Reform Party candidate Pat
Buchanan. Staff at the Gore campaign argue the ballot caused
thousands of confused voters to be "disenfranchised," since they
may have either selected the wrong candidate or, realizing they
made a mistake, chosen two different candidates, thereby
invalidating their ballots. More than 19,000 voters punched more
than one hole on their ballots, spoiling 4.4 percent of the total
cast in the county. Thousands of Gore supporters have signed
sworn statements saying they may have mistakenly punched the
ballot for Buchanan. Even independent analysts think Buchanan
received about 2,400 more votes than he should have.
Several voters filed suit seeking a re-vote on the basis that the
"confusing" ballot caused them to vote incorrectly. Yesterday,
Circuit Judge Jorge Labarga ruled he did not have the authority
to order a revote and that such a revote would be
unconstitutional because it gives one candidate an unfair
advantage over another.
"Historically, they [senior citizens] go by the numbers and don't
look at the ballot," explained Gleason, suggesting that if
retirees are instructed to "punch number 2," they troop into the
voting booth and punch number 2 without even reading the ballot.
According to a Republican businesswoman in the Democratic
stronghold of Boca Raton, this is precisely what took place on
Nov. 7. The businesswoman, who asked to remain anonymous, told
WorldNetDaily that Gore operatives made the rounds of all the
retirement communities instructing residents to "punch the second
hole."
"A 75-year-old Jewish friend of ours said he was mad his vote
went to Buchanan and complained they told him to punch the wrong
hole," the source told WorldNetDaily. "And another Jewish friend
said she couldn't believe they had told all the seniors to punch
the wrong hole when they went to vote at Century Village."
Testimony from seniors also indicates that Rep. Robert Wexler,
D-Fla., of West Palm Beach visited retirement communities and
instructed residents to "punch number 2" which amounted to a vote
for Buchanan.
Wexler's press secretary, Josh Rogin, initially called this
untrue, but added, "I don't believe he was saying that. Even if
he was, it doesn't address the issue that the ballot was
illegal." Rogin went on to explain that under Florida law, Gore's
name should have appeared second instead of Buchanan's.
Technically, Gore's name did appear second on the left-hand side
of the ballot. His name, however, did not correspond to the
second punch hole.
As soon as calls started pouring into the office of Wexler and
others about the "confusing ballot," after the polls opened on
Election Day, the Gore camp went into crisis management mode.
The Associated Press reports that the Democratic National
Committee hired a telemarketing firm to call voters on Election
Day to notify them of the "confusing ballot" and urged them to
raise questions about it and complain to local elections
officials.
Wexler has been among the most vocal proponents of the recount in
Palm Beach County, declaring with confidence that his
constituents did not intend to vote for Buchanan. Also speaking
out was Lieberman, who received a rousing reception from Century
Village residents during his October visit and was confident of
earning the Jewish vote. But the testimony of senior citizens
that it was the Gore operatives who misled them and not the
"butterfly ballot" calls into question the validity of the
ongoing recount in Palm Beach County, even as the state Supreme
Court wrestles with whether the hand-count results should be
included in Florida's final vote tally.
As for the mood at Century Village, residents feel they were
gypped.
"These folks were in World War II. Their sons and fathers went
to World War II," stressed Oser. "Their eyesight isn't the best,
and they don't deserve to be made fun of by the whole country
about how they voted. And for many, this will be their last
vote."
"Indeed, no right is more precious in a free country than that of
having a choice in the election of those who make the laws under
which we live," stated Labarga in yesterday's ruling.
Whatever the outcome of this presidential election, the lesson
learned in Palm Beach County is that if you aim to sway seniors
to vote for a particular candidate, you better give them accurate
instructions or the effort just may backfire.
Asked whether she thought this election would sound a death knell
for the 'palm card,' Gleason replied, "No, it'll be around."
=================================================================
Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT
FROM THE DESK OF:
*Michael Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends
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