12.25.2004
The Vote Count Goes On (NYTimes.com)
EDITORIAL
Published: December 24, 2004
The conviction that every vote must be counted in a democratic election should be automatic. But lately, as an extraordinary number of contests seem to be decided by just a few ballots, it's been depressing to see how few politicians are willing to simply take their chances on the fairest possible count.
A State Supreme Court justice in Washington State, Susan Owens, put it best when she addressed Republican attempts to disallow more than 700 uncounted ballots in the photo-finish governor's race there. "You're looking at it from the point of view of the winner or the loser," she said. "Shouldn't we be looking at it from the point of view of the voter?"
The decision to count those votes, which had been overlooked or erroneously set aside, should not have been just an obvious ruling. The question should never have come up in the first place. The American political culture is supposed to prize the fairness of the fight more than the outcome.
(More ... The New York Times > Opinion > Editorial: The Vote Count Goes On) ¶ 13:30
Published: December 24, 2004
The conviction that every vote must be counted in a democratic election should be automatic. But lately, as an extraordinary number of contests seem to be decided by just a few ballots, it's been depressing to see how few politicians are willing to simply take their chances on the fairest possible count.
A State Supreme Court justice in Washington State, Susan Owens, put it best when she addressed Republican attempts to disallow more than 700 uncounted ballots in the photo-finish governor's race there. "You're looking at it from the point of view of the winner or the loser," she said. "Shouldn't we be looking at it from the point of view of the voter?"
The decision to count those votes, which had been overlooked or erroneously set aside, should not have been just an obvious ruling. The question should never have come up in the first place. The American political culture is supposed to prize the fairness of the fight more than the outcome.
(More ... The New York Times > Opinion > Editorial: The Vote Count Goes On) ¶ 13:30
