Registered: Jun 2000
Location: Corpus Christi, Texas, USA
Posts: 181

Our governor's recount guys can go either way depending on which way helps the cause.

The 1997 Texas election law regarding punch card ballot recounts:

The 1997 election law, signed without comment by Governor George Bush, says ``a manual recount shall be conducted in preference to an electronic recount and an electronic recount using a corrected program shall be conducted in preference to an electronic recount using the same program as the original count.''

The Texas Election Code -- Section 127.130 -- says a manually counted punch-card ballot ``may not be counted unless:

(1) at least two corners of the chad are detached;

(2) light is visible through the hole;

(3) an indentation on the chad from the stylus or other object is present and indicates a clearly ascertainable intent of the voter to vote; or

(4) the chad reflects by other means a clearly ascertainable intent of the voter to vote.''


Wednesday's Austin American-Statesman newspaper details the law and two times it has been used by Republicans in Texas to win election recounts of punch card ballots. Governor Bush nicknamed one of them Landslide.

http://austin360.com/statesman/edit...ay/news_17.html

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: New York, New York
Posts: 560

It may be stupid, but at least its written down and a law. So you know going in that this is a possibility.

In Florida, they are changing from day to day what is counted or not. How fair is that?

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Felipe Garcia
Happy Treo 600 user, so far. Thanx Cingular for having an unlocked phone.

My Treo 600 is my phone, my PDA, my watch, and my MP3 player. Oh yeah, I take a picture once in a while with it. Convergence is such a great thing.

Registered: Jun 2000
Location: Corpus Christi, Texas, USA
Posts: 181

The irony is that the Texas Secretary of State, a Republican, requested the new 1997 law that requires a manual recount of punch card ballots in Texas. And Governor Dubya signed the measure into law without any objection.

And they count dimpled and pregnant chads in Texas and I think those have not been included in the recounted chads in Florida.

You may remember seeing the news video of President and Mrs. George Hubert Walker Bush putting their punch card ballots into the ballot box in Houston when they voted.

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Charo

Registered: Aug 2000
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 1062

And if the problem state had been Texas, Texas' law would be applicable. But, the problems were in Florida and therefore the Florida law at the time the election was conducted are applicable.

Maybe Bush feels bad that he is forced to go by the antiquated law that Florida currently has.

Registered: Feb 2000
Location: Moved to Clie Land
Posts: 331

Point is that chads should not be involved anyway. There is absolutely no reason that we are falling back on punch cards for one of the most important decisions we can make every 4 years.

The rest is sour grapes...or should we keep on counting 'till a certain segment somehow "finds" enough votes to win? There has been a count, then a recount and in both instances, GWB won.

Time to move on.

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"Stupid Handspring."

Registered: Jun 2000
Location: Corpus Christi, Texas, USA
Posts: 181

And in Florida on behalf of Gov. Dubya, Secretary Jim Baker insists that a machine recount of hanging, swinging, pregnant and dimpled chads is more accurate than a hand recount would be. They of course do not want hand recounts.

But in Texas, Gov. Dubya wanted the law to require a hand recount as his Secretary of State here requested.

So they play both sides according to which way the advantage is. And since the new 1997 law was passed in Texas, two Republicans have won office by having hand recounts of those chads.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Texan in Calgary for a while
Posts: 1361

This topic is a dupl. of a posting in the Indecision 2000 thread. Please post any replies there.

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James Hromadka
Old Friend