Democratic Underground - Must Read: GOP TX 22's Write-In's Name is So Long, Voters Will Give Up

E-Voting Machine Uses TRACKWHEEL To Type In Write-In Candidate's Name

BWAHAHAHAH! THis is just too ironic. The e-voting machines used in Delay's district in TX (District 22) are pictured above. The write-in candidate the GOP was forced to resort to--since Delay's name could not be removed from the ballot-- has a last name that is so long it will likely frustrate the voter's ability to remember it and spell it. On top of that, thanks to the progressive's friend, e-voting machines, voters will have to use a trackwheel to enter the letters of the name, most voters will find it too difficult and time-consuming to enter S-H-E-L-L-E-Y S-E-K-U-L-A--G-I-B-B-S!

As I said: BWAHAHAHAH!

The fate of the Congress, the country and the world could rest on the Dems winning Delay's old seat, creating what? IRONY. This is a great news story, if you ask me!

For TX GOP, Is Disaster Spelled S-H-E-L-L-E-Y S-E-K-U-L-A--G-I-B-B-S?
By Paul Kiel - August 22, 2006, 4:52 PM

After Tom DeLay dropped out last week, the Texas GOP was forced to try a Hail Mary, throwing their support behind a write-in candidate. But the candidate's name -- Shelley Sekula-Gibbs -- may be a problem.

In short, the Republican strategy is now this: tens of thousands of GOP voters will go to the polls on November 7, ignore the names printed on the ballot, and write in a hyphenated name of 20 characters (counting spaces). A long shot, for sure -- as the AP noted, only four candidates in U.S. electoral history have ever succeeded with a write-in campaign.

...

The eSlate machine does lack a keyboard, however -- users roll a trackwheel to choose letters on a screen. And unfortunately for Dr. S-G, there's no hyphen. So writing her name in is a bit of a chore. Judgments as to spelling will be made by "the counting judge," according to Amy Mitchell, an attorney with the Texas Secretary of State's office; such judgments tend to be lenient -- basically, if it "looks like" the name, it's counted as the name. Serious write-in candidates often lead to recounts, she said. Misspellings may well be the hanging chad of this election season.

...

Keep in mind that control of Congress may well hinge on this race. Which means the direction of the country could rest on whether or not enough Texas Republicans can remember a 20-letter hyphenated name and spell it using an awkward trackwheel device.

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001394.php#more

PLEASE REMEMBER TO RECOMMEND SO THIS GREAT, HYSTERICAL PIECE OF IRONY GETS OUT THERE. PERFECT OLBERMANN MATERIAL!

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