URGENT!! Beware of an overvoting trap that will cost your vote!

[meg]

People in Texas are voting for both Kerry and the Libertarian candidate listed underneath his name. The Libertarian's name is follwed by (LIB)

In early voting lines, voters have asked if the (LIB) on the sample ballot means 'Liberal'.

Votes will be (and I have every reason to believe they alreay have in early voting) lost due to people selecting both the (LIB) and Kerry.

Ironically, e-voting won't allow you to select both.

PLEASE PLEASE check your ballot BEFORE you mark it. Make sure you select Kerry and NOT the (Lib) candidate when you mean to vote for Kerry.

PLEASE PLEASE pass this on for Tuesday.

[xray s]

1. if these are optiscan ballots, you should get a chance to correct ballot

In Illinois, if you "overvote" the machine warns you when it reads the ballot and you get the chance to correct it.

Is that the case in TX too?

[meg]

4. Good point

The damage is already done because the early ballots are not scanned at the polling location.

However, the problem can happen with the paper ballots.

[xray s]

9. Oh you are right!

If you mess up an absentee ballot, you're screwed.

[GregD]

2. Post this in the election problems section please

Also, there is a post there which includes a variety of locations (sites, phone numbers) where such issues can be reported.

[meg]

8. done

[napi21]

3. I agree with passing this info along, but.....geeeesh, how damn

stupid are some people????

I understood the confusion of the Fl. butterfly ballot with it's misaligned arrows. It was still a dumb thing to do, but I agree, it was confusing.

How can ANYONE be dumb enough to mark TWO candidates for the same office? You sure can't say it's because there hasn't been enough information about this!

I really hate to say it, but if people are really that dumb, then they deserve to loose their vote.

[clydefrand]

5. Agreed!

[meg]

6. I don't know why people have done it

Lets just say they have. I don't want to lose any Kerry votes.

[liberalhistorian]

7. I have to agree with you, as I just posted

in the thread in the Texas forum on this. If people are planning to vote for Kerry and his name isn't next to the (lib) notation, and they can't figure that out, they shouldn't even be voting, frankly. How fucking stupid can you get?

[meg]

10. Let me try again -

These people are smart enough to vote for Kerry over Bush. Maybe they get excited or maybe they can't see as well as you do.

Anyway. It's happening. I don't know why. I would like to get every vote for Kerry where the person intended to vote for Kerry.

Remember, these folks DID NOT fall for the Bush*t!

[Laelth]

11. Hmm ...

I don't think the Constitution imposes any I.Q. test on the right to vote. Perhaps it should. I, on the other hand, tend to think that the right to vote is fundamental, and that people who are not as familiar with all the political parties and all the new technology are still entitled to vote and have their votes counted.

just my two cents ...

-Laelth