Citizen dutifully plays Three-Card Monte
From Votewatch (*):
When I [THE MARK] voted I noticed that the order of the candidates was different than the order on my sample ballot. The district number was also wrong. When I was done I asked the poll workers [TOSSERS] if they new that this was the case. They [THE MUSCLE MEN] didn't listen to me and said to submit my ballot in the box, assuring me that I had voted correctly. They are poll workers [SHILLS], I believed them. But then I stuck around and asked someone else, and explained in detail why I was concerned. It turned out that I had voted at the green table but the voting machine I used was for the orange table. They made everyone stop voting and they switched the machines. I don't know how many people had voted before me but they too had voted in the wrong precinct. And this wouldn't be so bad, except that the order of the candidates listed were in different orders in different precincts. Because I am registered to vote at the green table, my ballot gets counted as if my inka dotes are for the candidates in that "green-table" order. For example, on my sample ballot Kerry [THE LADY] is listed as #3 and Bush is listed #1. On the Orange machine, Bush was #3 and Kerry #1, so when I inked the circle next to the name John Kerry, I was actually voting for GW Bush without knowing it. I found it interesting that pollworkers were neglegent enough not to realize that the machines were in the wrong locations, but they were sticklers [LOOKOUTS] about my trying to find my ballot in the box. Anyhow, after waiting almost an hour trying to think of ways to at least void my vote for the wrong candidate, I was allowed to vote again with a provisional ballot (as if I were voting outside my precinct). I was hopeful at the time that this would at least cancel out my previous vote, but upon further contemplation I realize that they will most likely not count the provisional ballot seeing than I would have already voted. I'm glad that my state was able to overpower [COOL OFF] my mistaken ballot and those of voters [PUNTERS] in line before me at the voting location. My hope is that the voting process can be regularized without electronic expenses; maybe poll workers should have to pass a test on reading directions and carrying them out.
When I [THE MARK] voted I noticed that the order of the candidates was different than the order on my sample ballot. The district number was also wrong. When I was done I asked the poll workers [TOSSERS] if they new that this was the case. They [THE MUSCLE MEN] didn't listen to me and said to submit my ballot in the box, assuring me that I had voted correctly. They are poll workers [SHILLS], I believed them. But then I stuck around and asked someone else, and explained in detail why I was concerned. It turned out that I had voted at the green table but the voting machine I used was for the orange table. They made everyone stop voting and they switched the machines. I don't know how many people had voted before me but they too had voted in the wrong precinct. And this wouldn't be so bad, except that the order of the candidates listed were in different orders in different precincts. Because I am registered to vote at the green table, my ballot gets counted as if my inka dotes are for the candidates in that "green-table" order. For example, on my sample ballot Kerry [THE LADY] is listed as #3 and Bush is listed #1. On the Orange machine, Bush was #3 and Kerry #1, so when I inked the circle next to the name John Kerry, I was actually voting for GW Bush without knowing it. I found it interesting that pollworkers were neglegent enough not to realize that the machines were in the wrong locations, but they were sticklers [LOOKOUTS] about my trying to find my ballot in the box. Anyhow, after waiting almost an hour trying to think of ways to at least void my vote for the wrong candidate, I was allowed to vote again with a provisional ballot (as if I were voting outside my precinct). I was hopeful at the time that this would at least cancel out my previous vote, but upon further contemplation I realize that they will most likely not count the provisional ballot seeing than I would have already voted. I'm glad that my state was able to overpower [COOL OFF] my mistaken ballot and those of voters [PUNTERS] in line before me at the voting location. My hope is that the voting process can be regularized without electronic expenses; maybe poll workers should have to pass a test on reading directions and carrying them out.
posted by Tom Matrullo at Friday, November 12, 2004
1 Comments:
How about we declare the whole thing a hallucination?
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