Minnesota Senate Vote Recount Intent vs Idiots
See is believing - some people are too stupid to vote
I was reading about the MN Senate vote recount today or more accurately looking at scans or photos of challenged ballots. This is scary. Minnesota has what has to be the easiest ballot in the country. There is a little oval next to the candidate name that you must fill in with a felt tip pen. This is just like the fill-in-the-oval tests that Minnesotans have been taking in the Government run schools for at least 40 years. Yet we have people scribbling all over the ballots making X's near a candidates name or near more than one candidate. Some of the "check marks" people have put down covers more than one or two candidates names. Still others circle the candidates name. Most or all of these would have been rejected by the optical scanner at the voting station and the poll worker should have instructed the voter to correct or fill out a new ballot correctly.
The fact is we are given written, pictorial and verbal instructions at the polling place at the time we receive the ballot and can take the written and pictorial instructions into the voting booth with us. Plus inside the voting booths these instructions are plastered on the wall six inches from your face. All of this leads me to believe some people are too stupid to vote.
Minnesota State law says that if your voting intent can be determined (read that as divined out of thin air) then your vote should be counted, even if the voter failed to follow ballot instructions. I say we change the law to say if you can't follow the most basic of instructions then your vote does not count, try again next year.
From the Star Tribune: http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/senate/35167479.html
Count these votes if …
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An X, a check mark or other mark is made in the oval next to a candidate’s name (instead of filling in the oval).
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A mark is made “out of its proper place, but so near a name or space as to indicate clearly the voter’s intent.” Example: If a name is circled, the oval is circled, or an X or check mark or some other distinct mark is made to the right of the candidate’s name, then the vote is valid.
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The ovals are filled in or marks are made next to two candidates, but an attempt was made to “erase or obliterate one of the marks.” Vote is counted for the remaining marked candidate.
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An attempt was made to obliterate a write-in name. The vote is counted for the remaining marked candidate.
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The voter’s intent for other races on the ballot is unclear, but it is clear for the U.S. Senate race.
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A ballot is “slightly soiled or defaced” (as long as it’s not an attempt to make the ballot identifiable).
Do not count these votes if ...
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Two Senate candidates are marked and there was no attempt to obliterate one of the choices (an overvote).
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A voter places an identifying mark on the ballot, such as writing their initials or making a statement of some kind. (That does not include election judges’ initials.)
While voting is a basic right and no one is legally allowed to take away your right to vote, your own actions can deprive yourself of your vote and no one but you is to blame. We should not be burdened with your ineptitude.
See for yourself just what some idiots marks on their ballots. (And these are from all parties.)
You be the Election Judge
I went though 50 of these ballots and found it to be a no-brainer clear intent for one candidate or the other in 49 of them. I saw no valid reason for a challenge in 49 of the 50 ballots I looked at. The challenge reason can be viewed on these at I declare both candidates (or their representatives filing the challenges) to be complete idiots. In one case there was a clear, no other mark anywhere, vote for Barkley, but Franken claims it was a vote for him, thus my previous comment about divining voter intent is validated. See for yourself and cast your vote on the challenged ballots.
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