Thursday, May 06, 2004
There is a Big Question
Once again, Tippecanoe County has had election trouble (See these
two stories in the J&C). This time, an apparent security issue forced the election staff to use an adding machine to add up the totals. County Clerk Linda Phillips says "There is no question" that the totals are correct, but I think there is a big question. This administration has a history of election problems, and I have almost no faith in the results. The whole reason for purchasing this new electronic system was to make vote collection and tabulation quick and accurate. Election Board member Kent Moore says that the accurate portion of the goal was met, but let's think about that for a second. With the number of precincts in the county (over 100) and many races to decide, there is a pretty high chance of an error when an adding machine is used. If any of the races were close, there would definitely be a recount.
There have been allegations of problems with the Diebold electronic voting systems (Ms. Phillips says that she has faith in the system), but we need to work on the issues closer to home. Once again, I call for the resignation of Linda Phillips as County Clerk. Also, the two major parties here should look into replacing their Election Board appointees. It is obvious that they can't run an election.
two stories in the J&C). This time, an apparent security issue forced the election staff to use an adding machine to add up the totals. County Clerk Linda Phillips says "There is no question" that the totals are correct, but I think there is a big question. This administration has a history of election problems, and I have almost no faith in the results. The whole reason for purchasing this new electronic system was to make vote collection and tabulation quick and accurate. Election Board member Kent Moore says that the accurate portion of the goal was met, but let's think about that for a second. With the number of precincts in the county (over 100) and many races to decide, there is a pretty high chance of an error when an adding machine is used. If any of the races were close, there would definitely be a recount.
There have been allegations of problems with the Diebold electronic voting systems (Ms. Phillips says that she has faith in the system), but we need to work on the issues closer to home. Once again, I call for the resignation of Linda Phillips as County Clerk. Also, the two major parties here should look into replacing their Election Board appointees. It is obvious that they can't run an election.
