Minnesota recount law REQUIRES a handcount. We need to make this STANDARD in EVERY state.

[blm]

Many Dems don't even realize that Ohio WAS recounted in 2004 - unfortunately, by Ohio's rules, crafted by Republicans that called for a representative sampling (determined by the Secretary of State at the time Ken Blackwell). Dem party and elected officials back then in Ohio had no power post 2000's theft to assert their input to that rule when it was being drafted. Dems didn't have a chance under that type of rule, and THAT is why Ohio GOP officials set it up that way.

How many other states have such easily manipulated recount laws?

Every state needs uniform recount laws where EVERY vote is counted by hand under strict scrutiny.

[ogneopasno]

1. If we can standardize optical-scan paper tests across state lines (ACT, SAT), then we can certainly

do it for ballots.

[depakid]

5. That's basically what Oregon ballots look like (though usually without the trick questions

and responses).

A hand recount is not only doable- but is randomly required as an audit. Here's how it works:

A new law passed by the Oregon Legislature in 2007 directs the Secretary of State to organize a hand-count of ballots from randomly selected races and precincts in each of the 36 counties. The count is designed to verify that machines used to tally ballots on Election Day accurately counted the results.

Secretary of State Bill Bradbury has appointed a new Hand-count Advisory Committee which will meet at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday to randomly draw precincts and races that will be subject to the hand-counts from a rolling drum.

The committee members are: Lynne Lundquist, a former speaker of the Oregon House who will chair the committee; Susan Leeson, an Oregon Supreme Court justice from 1998 to 2003; David Thomas, retired statistics professor from Oregon State University.

http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2008/10/oregon_will_handcount_some_bal.html

[slampoet]

2. A runoff election requirement is more important in this specific case, but otherwise I agree

[seafan]

3. Coming from Florida, amen.

In 2005, Jeb Bush and his then Secretary of State Glenda Hood *decided* to make it illegal to recount any ballots that had been previously tallied by a machine. That was when touchscreens were all the rage. Now that we use optical scan machines, we still cannot have a recount in a close election, because this ALSO falls under Jeb's devious little rule stated above.

So, with all the hoopla that Florida *now uses paper ballots*, we cannot recount them if needed.

Slick, huh?



Jeb Bush is the stink that still permeates this state.

[blm]

6. If Ohio in 2004 had Minnesota's recount law........what a difference in the world.

We need this clear and simple law in every state.

[LiberalFighter]

7. Pass a law that every time there is a recount in Florida that...

it would be legal for every Congressional delegation, state and local elected, and County Party Chairs get to hit JEB in the nose.

[groovedaddy]

4. Can't do it without a paper trail. I've challenged our county clerk on this twice in public

We use "Hart InterCivic eSlate DRE" machines (no paper at all).
I asked our County Clerk: "in the event of a recount, what are you counting?"
He replied: "We count the number of voters who signed in and make sure it matches the number of votes cast"
Me: "So you know who voted but you don't know HOW they voted? You are essentially placing complete trust in these machines recording the vote as intended by the voter?"
Him: "Essentially, yes. In a recount we are relying on the totals provided by the machine."

There was a fair amount of consternation in the crowd both times.

One of my missions is to push for an auditable, verifiable paper trail.