# who to blame -- Jeb or the Dems in Miami-Dade and Broward? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 13, 2002, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-to-blame-jeb-or-the-dems-in-miami-dade-and-broward/128363 "2002-09-13T22:56:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-to-blame-jeb-or-the-dems-in-miami-dade-and-broward/128363/21 "2002-09-15T01:01:50Z")
> [@](#): > > All districts had both Republican and Democratic primaries. Yup, it’s just a question of where the buck stops. With volunteers, or the elected officials. ---
**Author:** ![milroyj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@milroyj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/milroyj)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-to-blame-jeb-or-the-dems-in-miami-dade-and-broward/128363/22 "2002-09-15T01:03:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by elucidator \* > \*\*Its Florida. The whole damp state is like that. What other state could lay claim to thousands of Jews for Buchanan? Not even Texas is that nuts. And when you’re crazier than Texas, you are weapons-grade crazy! > > People in Florida seem to come in three varieties: old people, people on drugs, and old people on drugs. > > Clearly, a state may not secede, that has been established. But can it be expelled? \*\* Even if they’re expelled, can we still vacation there? ---
**Author:** ![Beagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Beagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beagle)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2002, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-to-blame-jeb-or-the-dems-in-miami-dade-and-broward/128363/23 "2002-09-15T05:57:02Z")
> [@](#): > > the election officials are supposed to at least attempt to be non-partisan, and the state officials that implemented the changes were supposed to make sure that things had a reasonable chance of working in all districts, not just the districts were people vote the way they like. Bad news, the “state officials” you seem to think act independently of sending orders to the local canvassing boards do not exist. That’s OK, light a torch. > [@](#): > > Clearly, a state may not secede, that has been established. But can it be expelled? Do you have any idea how much money that would make us once people saw the possibilities? This place is overrun with disaffected yanquis already. > [@](#): > > Even if they’re expelled, can we still vacation there? Sure. There is the matter of the small entrance fee. ---
**Author:** ![Milossarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Milossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Milossarian)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2002, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-to-blame-jeb-or-the-dems-in-miami-dade-and-broward/128363/24 "2002-09-16T04:38:30Z")
Elections are run completely by counties. Local voting districts, in fact. States typically have very little involvement, other than setting the overall rules, recording the data statewide, etc. It’s my understand that counties were given an option of what type of new voting equipment they wanted, and given all the information they needed on how to use it, months in advance. I guess it will always take one actual under-fire run to expose all the bugs. But I’ve heard stories of considerable incompetence in the counties with the most problems. (Guess which political party is the majority in each? :D) But yeah, it’s Jeb Bush’s and Katherine Harris’ fault. Get the torches! ---
**Author:** ![Beagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Beagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beagle)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2002, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-to-blame-jeb-or-the-dems-in-miami-dade-and-broward/128363/25 "2002-09-20T01:39:49Z")
[Dave Barry in the Miami Herald on the elections in Florida.](http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/columnists/dave_barry/4063529.htm) > [@](#): > > The question you’re asking yourself is: Does South Florida contain the highest concentration of morons in the entire world? Or just in the United States? > > The reason you’re asking this, of course, is South Florida’s performance in Tuesday’s election. This election was critical to our image, because of our performance in the 2000 presidential election – the one that ended up with the entire rest of the nation watching, impatiently, as clumps of sleep-deprived South Florida election officials squinted at cardboard ballots, trying to figure out what the hell the voters were thinking when they apparently voted for two presidents, or no presidents, or part of a president, or, in some cases, simply drooled on the ballot. [Myriam Marquez in the Orlando Sentinel](http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-edpmarquez17091702sep17(0,1840898).column?coll=orl%2Dopinion%2Dheadlines) > [@](#): > > Charges and counter-charges aside, South Florida’s election officials blew it – either for political advantage or out of sheer stupidity. Either way, the Democrats don’t look good. If Myriam says that the Democrats don’t have an issue, they don’t. Check her previous columns - I’d bet that she is one. She is no fan of either Bush. ---
**Author:** ![Fishhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9f8e36/32.png) [@Fishhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fishhead)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2002, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-to-blame-jeb-or-the-dems-in-miami-dade-and-broward/128363/26 "2002-09-20T04:25:00Z")
::Reminiscing:: I spent some years in Costa Rica. There you vote by inking your thumb on a pad of (very) indelible ink and using your thumb to mark the ballot. You don’t have to be able to read, just to know the symbols of the various parties. (you vote for the party, indicated on the ballot by a picture of that party’s flag. You don’t vote for the person, but since you vote for every position separately, it’s the same thing) They have the same protections as us to keep people from voting twice, but with your thumb already black, it’s a given you won’t fool the system. People really care about voting too, so that black thumb is a badge of honor. They have public, outdoor debates before every election. For National elections, even the presidential candidates make it at least once to debate in every major town. This way almost everyone can actually see the candidates debate in person. You don’t have to be able to read to know the issues (although I bet the literacy rate there is close to what it is here), - you can hear them debate and if for some reason you miss it, it is the talk in every bar, church, and barbershop for weeks afterward. I know this would never work here. God knows the thumbless people would have a hissy, and counting the votes one-by-one is too timeconsuming and error-prone. And Bush and Gore couldn’t make it to every town of 15,000 or more in less than 4 years. But to the Costa Ricans, our problems with measuring the vote (and with low voter turnout) must be incomprehensible. Fishhead ---
**Author:** ![Monster104](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Monster104](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monster104)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2002, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-to-blame-jeb-or-the-dems-in-miami-dade-and-broward/128363/27 "2002-09-20T05:14:23Z")
I think Florida Dem’s are just mostly too intellectually challenged to figure out how to vote properly. :me takes the same exit as andros, just twice as fast: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2002, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-to-blame-jeb-or-the-dems-in-miami-dade-and-broward/128363/28 "2002-09-20T11:58:39Z")
[http://bias.blogfodder.net/archives/2002\_09.html#003037](http://bias.blogfodder.net/archives/2002_09.html#003037) ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2002, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-to-blame-jeb-or-the-dems-in-miami-dade-and-broward/128363/29 "2002-09-20T13:06:02Z")
> [@](#): > > I think Florida Dem’s are just mostly too intellectually challenged to figure out how to vote properly. Me vote proper. Me vote how Marcie say. Marcie watch, me vote proper. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-to-blame-jeb-or-the-dems-in-miami-dade-and-broward/128363.md?page=1)