I didn't follow the leap from 4-5 hours in line to uniform voting
machines in Federal elections. As I recall, Ohio was poised to eliminate
punch cards when it became popular to bash DRE machines, so Ohio
posponed the
switch. Does this have anything to do with the low number of voting
machines in some areas of Ohio? I haven't heard any explanation given
for that. Some states base the number of machines on previous turnout 
or registration, and it may be that the increases this election year
caught some short. In any case, if someone has any actual data that
would support any of these opinions, I'd like to see it put up.
Uniformity for the sake of uniformity doesn't strike me as a strong
argument. How long would the lines be if Ohio were uniform on paper
ballots? On punch card machines?  On the whole, it seems to me that the
touchscreen system worked pretty well, and I haven't heard of any
glitches that weren't fixed in fairly short order--maybe they are out
there, and I would like to hear of them if anybody has any reliable
information on them.  
Cliff

Clifford A. Jones, J.D., M.Phil., Ph.D.
University of Florida Levin College of Law
Center for Governmental Responsibility
Spessard L. Holland Law Center
230 Bruton-Geer Hall
P.O. Box 117629
Gainesville, FL 32611-7629
Tel. (352) 392-2237
Fax  (352) 392-1457
Email:  jonesca@law.ufl.edu

Home:
2230 N.W. 24th Avenue
Gainesville, FL  32605
Tel. (352) 367-9992
Fax  (352) 367-9456
Cell (352) 870-9992
German (Europe) cell phone: +49 [0]173 3708512

<FredWooch@aol.com> 11/4/2004 8:34:01 PM >>>

 
In a message dated 11/4/2004 5:26:00 PM Pacific Standard Time,  
lowenstein@law.ucla.edu writes:

simply  to satisfy the preference for uniformity of a handful of 
ideologues


But what do you really think about this issue, Dan?  With all respect 
to 
your evident passion on this issue (or, elsewise, to your general
crankiness  
today), that's a bit strong.  One does not have to be an "ideologue" to
 care 
enough about the voting rights of individuals in other states to want
to  argue 
in favor of some federal solution that might provide them with some 
minimal 
guarantee that they can vote without having to wait 4-5 hours in  line
and with 
some assurance that their vote will actually get counted -- 
particularly when 
the individuals who might be most adversely affected by  the inadequate

voting equipment and election administration belong to a  politically
powerless 
class who have historically been subjected to  discrimination by their
state and 
local governments.
 
Fred Woocher