[privacy] Florida ballot terminals favor Republicans

["Dude VanWinkle" <dudevanwinkle () gmail com>]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/31/florida_terminals_dont_cooperate/

Florida voters using electronic ballot machines are having persistent
problems choosing Democrats in early elections, the Miami Herald
reports.

The touch-screen gizmos seem strangely attracted to Republican
candidates. One voter needed assistance from an election official, and
even then, needed three tries to convince the machine that he wanted
to vote for Democrat Jim Davis in the gubernatorial race, not his
Republican opponent Charlie Crist.

Another voter who went Democrat across the board kept finding
Republicans listed in the summary screen. He made repeated attempts
until, finally, the machine registered his votes correctly, and he
cast his ballot.

Yet another frustrated voter who complained of difficulties selecting
a Democrat was told that the machine she was using had been
troublesome. Poll workers fiddled with it for a bit, and then it
seemed to work properly.

Apparently, this happens all the time. According to the Herald,
"Broward County Supervisor of Elections spokeswoman Mary Cooney said
it's not uncommon for screens on heavily used machines to slip out of
sync, making votes register incorrectly. Poll workers are trained to
recalibrate them on the spot - essentially, to realign the video
screen with the electronics inside. The 15-step process is outlined in
the poll-worker's manual."
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