Florida Voting Under Microscope Again

[dArKeR]

MIAMI - Cheryl Roberts was impressed with Florida's new voting machines in the 2002 primary, when she cast an electronic ballot for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill McBride. But a series of computer glitches — including startling cases of corrupted or missing data — has undermined her faith. So for Tuesday's primary in Florida, Roberts is turning to an absentee ballot so Broward County has a paper record of her vote.

"Everyone is psychologically wary of elections this year," said Roberts, a field coordinator for the American Civil Liberties of South Florida. "My biggest concern is whether or not voters' intentions will be counted by elections departments."

Whether paperless touchscreen voting terminals will accurately record people's votes — and whether those votes could be recounted in a close election — are open questions in Florida, epicenter of the 2000 presidential election fiasco. Polls in the crucial swing state show a dead heat between President Bush (news - web sites) and Democrat John Kerry (news - web sites).

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040829/ap_on_el_pr/florida_voting_1