just read the same in germany ;
"Bush erhielt durch Computerpanne in Ohio 3893 Stimmen zuviel"
translation ; Kerry is the real Slim Shady

sorry, that article is older.

You just can't trust the machines OR the software. We need an election system overhaul.

You guys only have your selves to blame for this problem. If there had not been so many dumb dem voters in Florida during the 2000 election with their hanging chads and inability to understand the ballot there never would have been this push for an electronic ballot. I also worry about such machines as hackers come in all political stipres so what is to prevent a dem hacker from pushing the vote in the other direction or is that an acceptable way to do it?

You just can't trust the machines OR the software. We need an election system overhaul.

I wonder if my vote has been counted. No way to know.

Did you vote on a black box, JayHawk?

no, none exist in Germany....LOL I voted per absentee ballot for Arizona. No probs at all but like I said, I doubt it was counted.

I voted absentee also, back then I thought it was safer. I guess we will never know. How's that for the 'Greatest Democracy in the World"?

somehow, I can see them installing a black box in wiesbaden for the Citizens over here, but then again, that would most likely only go to the advantage of the Dems....I think. Na, stupido mio, we're not all from the same state so that wouldn't work.......

That wouldn't advantage the Dems! The Dems don't own the machines! I would like to know what in the hell was wrong with paper and pencil. Isn't that how the Germans do it? And they never have any trouble.

Excerpt from yesterday's Thom Hartmann article:

"When I lived in Germany, they took the vote the same way most of the world does - people fill in hand-marked ballots, which are hand-counted by civil servants taking a week off from their regular jobs, watched over by volunteer representatives of the political parties. It's totally clean, and easily audited. And even though it takes a week or more to count the vote (and costs nothing more than a bit of overtime pay for civil servants), the German people know the election results the night the polls close because the news media's exit polls, for two generations, have never been more than a tenth of a percent off."

Hmmm...sounds like they know how to take exit polls over there too.

evidently paper and pencil is beyond the understanding of your voters in Florida that is why we have gone to electronics. The only way you will ever be happy is when you finally find a candidate that can actually win something. Be patient, it has taken the reps close to 40 years to get to this point while you guys had all the candy. Be gracious and let the system work out the kinks.

this page has some nice colours ....

ooops......2nd attempt if the link doesn't show up you can copy and paiste this http://bellaciao.org/en/article.php3?id_article=4175

JayHawk, you should make this article it's own blog entry!

I usually accompany my german wife to each election. It's our way of demonstrating my lack of a right to vote, even on communal things. It's always been pencil and paper, or pen and paper and to top it off, they send you your card without you having to chase it down. As far as I know, the populas elects, that is, each and every ballot counts and is counted, until the wee morning hours if need be.

"ONE VOTE DENIED = DEMOCRACY IN TROUBLE! 100’S OF 1000’S OF VOTES SURPRESSED = DEMOCRACY FAILED"