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have the yes/no feature? Did Sarasota County's machines ever have the feature? If not, why not? If yes, when was it removed, and by whom?
The lawyer quoted in Brad's story doesn't sound awfully interested in pusuing this avenue. It sounds yummy to me, but I'm no attorney.
-6.13/-6.31
by count on Tue Jan 02, 2007 at 01:41:43 AM PDT
[ Parent ]
No wonder the lawyer isn't interested in this. The question has been addressed in the 2006 petition to the U.S. Supreme Court that Joan points to.
pdf Page 79 (Appendix C-39a)
Thus, in the context of touchscreen voting machines, the "definite choice" standard entails determining whether the voter has made a definite selection rather than ascertaining a voter's intent, i.e., did a voter intend not to make a selection or did the voter unintentionally make a mistake in using the equipment. The Court finds that by pressing the button to cast his or her ballot on the touchscreen machines, the voter is making a definite selection. In warning the voter of an undervote and allowing for a review process before the ballot is cast, touchscreen machines provide sufficient safeguards to ensure that a voter's undervote is intentional. As a result, the ballot images printed during a manual recount pursuant to the Emergency Rule reflect a voter's choices under the statutory scheme adopted by the Florida legislature. [FN18]
So, the requirement of the standard is that the voter be required to confirm intent. SCOTUS says pushing the vote button confirms intent, as long as the voter has an opportunity to review, despite what the Florida standard says. Are those the same things? Not to me, they aren't?
by count on Tue Jan 02, 2007 at 08:19:24 AM PDT
apparently Florida S.D. district court. See here, pp. 7-9.
This is an interpretation of Florida law, not an interpretation of the certification standard. However, it may well explain how the election could be deemed to pass legal muster even if the machines were configured in a manner apparently inconsistent with the standard.
(I haven't even studied the statute yet to see whether the court's reasoning makes sense.)
by HudsonValleyMark on Tue Jan 02, 2007 at 08:31:41 AM PDT
Appendix C is decision of U.S. District Court for Southern District of Florida.
by count on Tue Jan 02, 2007 at 08:38:13 AM PDT
wide narrow
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