2008 Woodie Awards
Voting irregularities
Lana Cucchiella
Issue date: 12/16/04 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
Considering the high occurrence of voter intimidation in the 2000 Presidential Election, where ballot boxes disappeared and polls closed early in minority-rich neighborhoods, it is no surprise that the last Newsweek poll before the 2004 Election showed 59 percent of registered voters expected major problems or disputes at the polls. Unfortunately, America was right, and this year, according to Count Every Vote Director Keith Jennings, the occurrence of explicit voter intimidation dropped in lieu of a more carefully embedded means of skewing our votes.
Even before Nov. 2, computer experts and consumer watchdogs consistently warned reporters from the Associated Press that e-voting is "a huge national experiment" and cautioned candidates not to concede on election night.
According to CNN, more than 1,100 reports of problems with e-voting machines were reported in the days after the election, especially in Florida where more than half of the state had no option of a paper ballot, let alone a receipt of how their vote was cast.
Frighteningly, the most highly reported error among minority communities, as well as Democratic districts, was that the wrong candidate appeared on the checkout screen of their voting machine. Some citizens attempting to vote for John Kerry were berated as they prepared to leave the polls, by those clamoring to re-elect President Bush.
In Columbus, Ohio, one machine gave Bush 3,893 extra votes in a precinct where only 638 voters cast a ballot. In North Carolina, 4,500 votes disappeared when officials overestimated the capacity of machines to store the results of the ballots. The problem in Ohio has been intensified by a recent ACLU suit claiming that the use of "hanging chad" ballots denies African-American's their right to vote because the system is outdated.
Other problems popped up around the country, suspiciously in states where the count was closest. Double-registration was reported in USAToday, after a Cleveland newspaper discovered that 27,000 Americans registered in both Ohio and Florida.
Unfortunately, neither George Bush, in his victory speech mentioning the importance of "common ground," nor John Kerry, in his concession speech referencing previous promises to "count every vote," suggested these problems are a serious threat to our democracy.
Young Americans are the least likely of all eligible voters to make our voices heard at the polls-and in the 2004 election, both sides were counting on either mobilizing us towards, or dissuading us away from, voting booths.
If you took the time to wait out a long, early voting line, apply for an absentee ballot or get to a polling station to vote for your candidate, you already understand the importance of our right to choose America's leaders.
In keeping with this idea, remember to stay up to date with your local elections, contact your senators and encourage effective leadership in your own community; our representatives should be held accountable every day, not every four years.
Lana Cucchiella is a junior political communications/writing, literature and publishing major and is a contributer to The Beacon.
Even before Nov. 2, computer experts and consumer watchdogs consistently warned reporters from the Associated Press that e-voting is "a huge national experiment" and cautioned candidates not to concede on election night.
According to CNN, more than 1,100 reports of problems with e-voting machines were reported in the days after the election, especially in Florida where more than half of the state had no option of a paper ballot, let alone a receipt of how their vote was cast.
Frighteningly, the most highly reported error among minority communities, as well as Democratic districts, was that the wrong candidate appeared on the checkout screen of their voting machine. Some citizens attempting to vote for John Kerry were berated as they prepared to leave the polls, by those clamoring to re-elect President Bush.
In Columbus, Ohio, one machine gave Bush 3,893 extra votes in a precinct where only 638 voters cast a ballot. In North Carolina, 4,500 votes disappeared when officials overestimated the capacity of machines to store the results of the ballots. The problem in Ohio has been intensified by a recent ACLU suit claiming that the use of "hanging chad" ballots denies African-American's their right to vote because the system is outdated.
Other problems popped up around the country, suspiciously in states where the count was closest. Double-registration was reported in USAToday, after a Cleveland newspaper discovered that 27,000 Americans registered in both Ohio and Florida.
Unfortunately, neither George Bush, in his victory speech mentioning the importance of "common ground," nor John Kerry, in his concession speech referencing previous promises to "count every vote," suggested these problems are a serious threat to our democracy.
Young Americans are the least likely of all eligible voters to make our voices heard at the polls-and in the 2004 election, both sides were counting on either mobilizing us towards, or dissuading us away from, voting booths.
If you took the time to wait out a long, early voting line, apply for an absentee ballot or get to a polling station to vote for your candidate, you already understand the importance of our right to choose America's leaders.
In keeping with this idea, remember to stay up to date with your local elections, contact your senators and encourage effective leadership in your own community; our representatives should be held accountable every day, not every four years.
Lana Cucchiella is a junior political communications/writing, literature and publishing major and is a contributer to The Beacon.