Jimmy Carter: Florida STILL a clusterfuck

Carter: No pure democracy in Florida



Former President Jimmy Carter has monitored 50 elections around the world, so he knows a thing or two about free and fair elections -- and he's warning that Florida's presidential vote in 2004 looks again to be marred with trouble that will "likely" throw the legitimacy of the result into question. The voting arrangements in Florida don't meet "basic international requirements," Carter writes in a Washington Post op-ed this morning. And Florida's voting problems are rooted in and are compounded by political biases on the part of elections officials, Carter writes:

"Four years ago, the top election official, Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris, was also the co-chair of the Bush-Cheney state campaign committee. The same strong bias has become evident in her successor, Glenda Hood, who was a highly partisan elector for George W. Bush in 2000. Several thousand ballots of African Americans were thrown out on technicalities in 2000, and a fumbling attempt has been made recently to disqualify 22,000 African Americans (likely Democrats), but only 61 Hispanics (likely Republicans), as alleged felons."

"The top election official has also played a leading role in qualifying Ralph Nader as a candidate, knowing that two-thirds of his votes in the previous election came at the expense of Al Gore. She ordered Nader's name be included on absentee ballots even before the state Supreme Court ruled on the controversial issue. Florida's governor, Jeb Bush, naturally a strong supporter of his brother, has taken no steps to correct these departures from principles of fair and equal treatment or to prevent them in the future."

"It is unconscionable to perpetuate fraudulent or biased electoral practices in any nation. It is especially objectionable among us Americans, who have prided ourselves on setting a global example for pure democracy. With reforms unlikely at this late stage of the election, perhaps the only recourse will be to focus maximum public scrutiny on the suspicious process in Florida."

-- Geraldine Sealey
http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/index.html

I live pretty close to Jimmy Carter. If only he had actually said "clusterfuck"...

True, the situation itself isn't very funny.

I don't think poor Jimmy ever said "Cluster Fuck" in his whole life.

gets as many international groups-people to come to florida to monitor the elections there...

and he should take a multi-national group of his Election Monitor friends with him. It would be a compelling opportunity for them to see how our election work!

It would be nice if he invited Nelson Mandela to tour the County Registration Offices. I would also suggest a meeting with African Americans that had their votes stolen!


I completely am saddened by the destruction from the Hurricane. I am sure that Carter will handle that issue with dignity and grace and compassion.

If they steal the votes in Florida, there will be a Hurricane on the ground. We need to avoid this at all cost.

I was fortunate enough to see him speak last week at the Carter Center. He took questions from the audience and had several thoughtful insights into our global reputation. He said Iraq had a "ghost of a chance" of being a democratic country, but was deeply troubled by how ours was lacking.

He'll be 80 years old this Friday and he and Mrs. Carter are still going strong. They are national treasures.

and I hope everyone becomes aware of that. Florida is once again looking to fix an election. I hope Kerry's team of lawyers and volunteers will NOT stand for it again. Whether it is an accusation and stonewalling against Kerry when he wins, or the unconscionable fixing of the election by Jeb Bush to make his brother the winner.

Never, ever should it be allowed to happen again.

"It's a clusterfuck"