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1. Posted by: toolittletoolate on August 21, 2008, 6:06 am

   The Federal Gov’t. has paid nearly $3 bil. to states to reform the chad-hanging electoral system?? So now the states have electronic voting machines?? So now the votes can be manipulated at will?? So the taxpayers footed the bill of $3 bil. in order for themselves to be jerked around further at elections?? They have just paid the fox to guard the chicken house!!!

2. Posted by: Catmoves on August 22, 2008, 1:00 pm

   “chad-hanging electoral systems”?
   What in the world is a chad-hanging system? Are people being hung in Chad? Does this apparent error have anything to do with Chad? Or is it Chad somebody?
   I am curious how Sarah Laskow ever came up with this phrase.
   The mysteries of young would-be journalists sometimes need guidance from senior editors.

3. Posted by: iconoclast hero on August 24, 2008, 11:17 am

   Ok, I hadn’t intended to comment on the previous ones, but the ignorance of Catmoves, necessitates my schooling as she suggests senior editors provide to “young would-be journalists” [sic] such as Ms. Laskow. 
   Apparently you were not paying attention during the 2000 presidential election where much was made about the punch-card ballot system used in Florida.  The pieces of the punch card that are punched out were called “chads” and ones that were punched but still remained attached to some degree and hung there were referred to “hanging chads.”  The very idea that you would be on this site and not know of that situation is depressing.  The fact that I bothered to look this up for you is even worse: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_2000#Aftermath

   The hanging chads in Florida during the 2000 election resulted in the supposed improvement of electronic voting systems produced by the likes of Diebold and ES&S;.

   I’ll separate my original thought in another comment.

4. Posted by: iconoclast hero on August 24, 2008, 11:53 am

   Flipping around on CNN.com yesterday after seeing that Biden was selected as Obama’s running mate, I noticed a little piece on Oregon’s mail-in paper ballot system.  I thought it a great way to run elections:  voters vote from home with time to consider options and do research, voting does not need to be fit into a work day, people in Oregon are less likely to be swayed by East-Coast exit poll results, it provides a paper trail, there are none of the aforementioned chads, etc.  Apparently the voters in Oregon like it as they have turnout rates of over 80% according to the CNN report.  (At least I thought it was CNN, but I cannot seem to find the story at the moment).

   As I was looking for the CNN story from yesterday, I came across this:
   http://www.oregonvrc.org/2007/05/the_ugly_secret_of_oregons_elections

   What strikes me is the fact the same names come up again and again…  “So, as in other states, Oregon outsources to private corporations such as ES&S;, Sequoia and Diebold the most crucial public function in our democracy—the counting of our votes.”

   Amazing.

5. Posted by: toolittletoolate on August 27, 2008, 8:48 pm

   Thanks for the info. iconoclast hero
   And I know where Catmoves was coming from.

6. Posted by: Cherylana on August 30, 2008, 4:27 pm

   I think everyone knows what a hanging chad is, but I did get a chuckle of of Catmoves comment ~ think about it ~ a hanging chad????  But I digress ~ being from NH, and extremely dissatisfied with Governor Lynch, I am not the least bit surprised that he can’t account for where the money went. I can assure you, he can’t seem to account for a lot of things….

7. Posted by: toolittletoolate on September 04, 2008, 8:43 pm

   Nor can the pentagon account for appx. $3.2 Tril.
   Nor can our gov’t account for appx. $15. Bil. that was flown to Iraq in bundles of cold cash.
   And it goes on and on and on….........

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