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METAFORIX MAIL Volume 1, Issue 16 November 10, 2000 CONTENTS AT A GLANCE: ON MY MIND: Democracy
in America
ON MY MIND [From the Editor] Democracy
in America The rhetoric escalates by the hour. The ambiguous outcome is unfamiliar, unsettling -- the most bizarre election headline since "Dewey Defeats Truman." Forget the joy of victory, the agony of defeat, all wrapped up before the news at eleven. Instead, we face days and possibly weeks of speculation and spin. Amid the bathos and the posturing, one of many stark incongruities is the contrast between Information Age electioneering and Industrial Age voting. The 24-hour news cycle feeds political junkies a steady IV drip of polls and punditry. The Web is rife with "Election 2000" sites mounted by political parties, interest groups, public service groups, government offices, and media organizations. No need even to click the remote, let alone tolerate a word from our sponsor, to access a torrent of up-to-the minute data with attitude. If you're among the fifty per cent of eligible voters who actually made it to the polls, though, you likely cast your vote on a quaintly disorganized ballot bearing the faint scent of the 19th century smoke-filled room where it originated. Whatever the preferred voting technology in your jurisdiction, odds are it was primitive, better suited to leisurely tabulation and a high tolerance for error than to quick and precise results. Witness the Palm Beach Butterfly. Sounds like a sixties dance craze, doesn't it? No, it's a punch card ballot. The ballot was published in advance of the election, some say, drew not a whisper of complaint until after the votes were counted, and shouldn't be subject to challenge after the fact. The ballot's directions were confusing, some say, easy for even a sophisticated voter to misread, misinterpret, and invalidate. Like many other ballots and tabulation systems around the country, the Palm Beach Butterfly is bound to produce some errors on the part of both voters and fair minded, well-intentioned election officials. The butterfly is a far cry from algore2000.com, georgewbush.com, or voter.com, for that matter -- yet its mild-mannered, misaligned face may hold the fate of the free world. A vote is possibly the most crucial piece of information transmitted by a citizen. Until now, however, the march of information technologies has tended to clear a wide path around the voting booth. Perhaps, in the wake of the present national trauma, this anachronism will be redressed. And the notoriously complacent American electorate will perhaps have been jolted into the realization that every vote indeed makes a difference. Cordially, Lois C.
Ambash, Editor
IN THE MEDIA [a recent news article, feature, or opinion piece] "Candidate
Web Sites Short on Privacy Policies" A study of 731 web sites belonging to congressional candidates in Tuesday's election found that most of the sites collect visitors' names, addresses, and other personal data, but only 15 percent had posted privacy policies as of the date of the study. The privacy policies that exist tend to be vague and not to comply with industry best practices. The author of the study, political scientist Christopher Hunter of the University of Pennsylvania, attributes this lapse to candidates' unfamiliarity with the Internet as a medium for advertising and solicitation of campaign funds. To read the
full article, go to: INFORMATICON The rate of voter turnout in the US ranks 139th among the world's 163 democracies Firsts in the year 2000:
For more statistics and updated election coverage, go to: BALLOTSPEAK: "Overvoting" "OVERVOTING" is a term used to describe a situation that sometimes occurs in a punch card voting system like the one used in Palm Beach County, FL. It occurs when a voter punches the holes representing two or more candidates for a single position. Overvoting is grounds for invalidation of a ballot. According to The New York Times, Palm Beach County election supervisor Theresa LePore received numerous complaints from voters on Tuesday morning. Tuesday afternoon, she issued a directive intended to forestall further instances of overvoting: "Attention all poll workers. Please remind all voters coming in that they are to vote only for one (1) presidential candidate and that they are to punch the hole next to the arrow next to the number next to the candidate they wish to vote for. Thank you!" SITE OF THE DAY [a nice place to visit] Politics
and the Web To participate in the survey (or just to review it if you are not a US citizen), go to: http://www.valdosta.edu/survey/2000election/ GUEST COLUMNISTS
WANTED! If your column is accepted for publication, it will be permanently posted on the Metaforix web site, along with a link to your e-mail address or URL. As a small token of appreciation, you will also receive a $10 gift certificate toward your next purchase at Amazon.com. To submit
a column for consideration, e-mail it to Please note that the links contained in Metaforix Mail are current as of the time of publication. Some of them may no longer be operative at the time you access past issues. To
Volume 1, Issue 15
October 26, 2000 |
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