Not Ohio AGAIN

[lonestarnot]

http://www.rawstory.com/news/mochila/ACLU_sues_over_paper_ballots_in_Ohi_01282008.html

ACLU sues over paper ballots in Ohio

ACLU Asks Court to Block Paper Voting System in Ohio's Largest County

THOMAS J. SHEERAN
AP News

Jan 28, 2008 21:48 EST

The American Civil Liberties Union asked a federal judge on Monday to block the March 4 presidential primary in Ohio's biggest county if it switches to a paper ballot system that doesn't allow voters to correct errors.

In a follow-up to a suit it filed Jan. 17, the ACLU of Ohio asked for a preliminary injunction against any election in Cuyahoga County if the switch is made.

The lawsuit argued that the proposed paper-ballot system would violate voters' constitutional rights because it doesn't allow them to correct errors on ballots before they are cast.


http://www.rawstory.com/news/mochila/ACLU_sues_over_paper_ballots_in_Ohi_01282008.html

[Aristus]

1. I don't understand. If you make an error on a paper ballot, can't you just request another one?

:shrug:

[kirby]

2. Here is the deal...

In my precinct, when there was optical scan (prior to Diebold), I would take my ballot to an election worker. I would then stand there, watch him insert it into the optical scan machine, and he would tell me whether the machine accepted or rejected my ballot. There was a light on the scanner too. If the machine rejected it the election worker would tell me so and investigate/give me another ballot.

My understanding is that Cuyahoga county is using a 'Central Optical Scan System'. What this means is that you simply hand your ballot to an election work and at some point the ballot is transported to a central location and scanned there. This means you do not see it scanned, you are not made aware of a problem that you could correct, etc.

That is what the ACLU is suing for.

Here is a link to the ACLU Motion (pdf):

http://www.acluohio.org/issues/VotingRights/ACLUvBrunnerBriefInSupportOfMotionForPreliminaryInjunction.pdf

If you look in that motion at table 2, you will see that the 'residual vote rate' (number of votes not counted) was 1.7% when this 'Central' system was used. When a precint count method (as I described above) was used, the residual vote rate was 0.7%.

Since the more inaccurate method is ONLY going to be used in Cuyahoga county, a predominantly black district, the ACLU clams that is another unfair bias.

[lonestarnot]

3. Thanks Kirby!

[Winterblues]

4. That was what Bush* vs Gore was about

One precinct having different standards than another. Not equal IOW, but they did say their ruling could not be used as precedent. The only Supreme Court ruling ever that did not establish precedent.

[Booster]

5. I read Florida is also having problems. Deja vu all over again.

[lonestarnot]

6. I read a similar account.

[lonestarnot]

7. What is with the board double posting so slowly double posting?