We all know what a dirty election this past one was. Well, here in Minnesota, it’s still not over. We still don’t know who our next Senator will be. I think we’ve pretty much heard it all. Everyday it’s up and down with one day Coleman being in the lead and the next day Frankin is getting closer. Here is a link in case your interested in reading about it.
I’m not saying who I think should win because it’s really about more than that. Instead, I want to show you some of these ballots that these people are “supposed” to try and count.
Here they are. You try and figure it out.
Okay, some of them are unreadable. Some you have no idea what the person was thinking or doing. I guess I feel if it’s not readable or you can’t figure it out, it just shouldn’t count. I know that sounds really cold and unfeeling but we are counting and counting and REcounting these things. Don’t you think this is getting a little out of hand? I’m sorry if someone doesn’t know what to do or might even have a hard time reading but couldn’t they have someone help them? There are people there who are willing to help.
Then we have the “sides” arguing over everything. Apparently there were a bunch of absentee ballots that some lady “forgot” in the trunk of her car. They just mysteriously “turned” up AFTER the election just in time for the recount. Do you think those votes should count? What if there wouldn’t have been a recount? Would that same woman have said anything? I mean really, how can a person “forget” that?
Something else crept into my mind when I was talking to my dad a few weeks ago. Paul Wellstone died in a plane crash just 11 days before the election. What happens to the voters who voted by absentee ballots and voted for Wellstone? They didn’t get a “do-over.” Those votes just didn’t count. There wasn’t all this hullabaloo over it.
I’m sorry if I sound mean or cruel but this is just getting nuts and it opens up a huge Pandora’s Box for the future. I think I believe that if the votes aren’t in or they are ineligible, they just should be tossed in the trash. How can another person even begin to imagine what someone else “meant” to do? If you have a problem of any kind, you should take someone with you to vote or ask one of the volunteer’s to go in the booth with you.
This is one Minnesotan who is sick to death of this back and forth bickering.
What do you think should happen in a case such as this?
Us Girls..Our Views 
I absolutely agree with you, Joy. Democracy is important, and every vote should count, right? But we’re the ones voting and we, voters at large, should be responsible enough to write carefully, follow the voting instructions and use our votes wisely.
Meaning, if you can’t read, have a shaky hand, really don’t know what your opinion is, then GET SOME HELP or don’t vote. Because, just like you say, all this is doing is creating this tension of going back and forth without resolving anything and just frustrating the hell out of people.
You all know by now that my husband is blind. Well, he voted in this election. And his ballot was clear, concise, readable. Why? Because the Poll People provided a quiet place for us, with a table and two chairs, so I could read the ballot for him. When he gave me his choices, I filled in that spot. Even when I disagreed with his choice. There is absolutely no reason that any one of those ballots should be anywhere but in the trash. If you can’t fill in one, and only one, dot for each position, then you shouldn’t be considered qualified to vote. My five-year-old son could follow those simple directions.
I watched in horror, what was going on down in Florida during the infamous 2000 vote, and remember thinking, “nothing good can come of this.” And it seems that I was right.
No, you are not cold, Joy, you are practical and in keeping with the age-old election rules of this country. Do it right. If it’s not right, it’s not valid.
And all that warmth that everyone is so worried about? It’s not “Global Warming”…. it’s heat created by our Founding Fathers, spinning in their graves.
“And all that warmth that everyone is so worried about? It’s not “Global Warming”…. it’s heat created by our Founding Fathers, spinning in their graves.”
That is a great line Laura!
I agree that if you can’t read it or you can’t figure out who they tried to vote for it should be tossed out.
I couldn’t have said this better myself. I am SO SICK of hearing about this. It’s gotten to be ridiculous. I agree that if they were “lost” or “misplaced” or are impossible to figure out, toss them. I couldn’t wait for the election to be over and on every single news broadcast we watch, we hear about all the knit picking they are doing. It sickens me.
It’s clear to me that the person who marked this ballot is not mentally stable. Therefore, give the votes to Obama. 🙂
OMG DO YOU SEE HOW COLD IT IS THERE!!!! WIND CHILL OF 16!!!
Heck, I didn’t even know they made thermometors that went that low!
Heck, it’s warm today mssc. Sat night it was zero when we went to bed.
Reminds me of hanging chads (shudder). Democracy only works when people take their right to vote seriously. This nonsense is only chipping away at the integrity of the votes of responsible voters.
Am I the only person who is disgusted that these idiots’ votes will be potentially “counted” while those of most of the US military will NOT? What the heck, the service people only fought for our right to vote, why should anyone care what they want? This is all about an AGENDA – they figure people who are too lazy to vote properly must be voting Democrat. And all Democrat votes MUST be counted.
As for global warming, did I miss something? I’m freezing my butt off.
I looked through a bunch of disputed ballots on the Star Tribune’s website, and for many of them, I couldn’t even see where the problem was or why the ballot was challenged. In other cases, it’s pretty clear what the voter intended, and I do think the drawback of our ballots is that if you make a mistake, there is no way to correct it without confusing the machine. So I guess I have sympathy for voters who filled in the wrong circle and then tried to figure out how to correct that. It’s just that some of them didn’t do so very clearly.
I do agree that some are so poorly marked that it’s impossible to determine intent, and those should be tossed.
I’m glad most elections don’t come down to recounts, and all the litigation irritates me more than the actual recounting. I guess I’m not too bothered by this recount, though. Honestly, I didn’t like either candidate and didn’t make a decision until I was standing in the booth–and then immediately wondered if I should have gone the other way. So it doesn’t surprise me this one was close–or that people voted for one and changed their minds and tried to indicate the other.
I honestly don’t care which of them wins. Eventually, one of them will.
Here in Ohio, our elections were criticized because we were using paper ballots – how 20th century! So we spent a ton of money and switched to electronic. And there were some problems, which were blown way out of proportion, so they threw out the electronic voting and spent a ton more money to switch back to manual. Who the heck knows what they will do next?
I just love the way they are always reporting on people coming out of the booth and saying, “hey, I meant to vote for A, but I think I voted for B! I want justice!” Sigh.
After this past election, I wondered if I should just boycott the next election. I don’t think I would actually do that, but more and more, I feel like this thing is rigged from start to finish.