Reality Check (12/04/2000)

I think it's time that we all stood back and looked at the
election issues dispassionately. Here are a few truths and
opinions for you all to consider.

1. Concession on either candidate's part is meaningless. Gore
could concede tommorrow, and if the judge in the Seminole County
case throws out the absentees, Gore will be president regardless
of any concession he might give.

2. It's a close race. No one should complain that either
candidate is doing things that he is allowed by law to do. If
the difference was greater than a couple of percentage points,
there'd be reason to complain. As it is, it's a statistical tie.

3. No one should complain that either candidate is trying to
work the legal system to assure a victory. That applies to
Gore's attempts to have hand counts conducted in democratic
strong holds as much as it applies to Bush's effort to delay
decisions until it's too late. These are big stakes.

4. I think a decision by the Judge in the Seminole County case
to throw out the votes would be wrong. The voters turned in
applications that were filled in completely. It is not their
fault that the Republican Party filled them in wrong and then
tried to fix it. More importantly, those voters who sent in
correct applications should not be punished for the idiocy of
the local Republican Party. Perhaps the best decision would be a
revote by everyone in that county who cast ballots in that
election and had turned in correct applications the first time.

5. The overseas absentee issue is different. The voter is at
fault for not dating their signature, particularly if they have
any doubt that their ballot might not be postmarked. The date
requirement is there to prevent fraud. It's not a trivial
requirement. All ballots with dated signatures should be
counted.

6. Machines are not perfect. In close races like this, every
undervoted and overvoted ballot should be looked at to see if
intent can be determined. We don't hold elections to give vote
counting machine vendors business; we hold them so people can
express their choices.

7. The Florida Legislature has the power to appoint it's own set
of electors.

Dr. Tim