As I have written previously, I believe that Florida's voting procedures in 2000 were as fair and accurate as any in the country, and better than some.
I have no such assurance this year. Four years ago, any irregularities were minor and mostly attributable to innocent mistakes. Now everyone knows that Florida matters, and the stakes are so high that I no longer trust either side to resist the temptation to pretend that the ends can justify the means. The negative ads, on both sides and at all levels, have convinced me of one thing: that neither side can be expected to take the high moral ground on anything important.
Between "early voting" and the misuse of the absentee ballot system, chances of fraud, collusion, and coercion are high, and the chance of knowing the results in a timely matter is low.People who tried the new early voting system found themselves harassed and harangued, as the rules against polling place electioneering were discovered to apply only to election day. Others, who thought they were registered to vote, discovered too late that their registrations had disappeared. There is a huge push for people to vote, vote, vote!—it doesn't matter if you know anything or care about anything, just vote!—as if the act of voting were a magical spell to bring forth wise decisions. And the state is crawling with Carpetbaggers, folks from other states here for the sole purpose of meddling in our election!
Whatever our Founding Fathers may have had in mind for democratic elections, they never dreamed of this.It was easier than waiting for a theme park ride, and a lot shorter than the wait for plywood with a hurricane threatening!
