via salon :
Language experts rap Florida ballot By Laurie Asseo
Nov. 9, 2000 | WASHINGTON (AP) -- Experts on writing easy-to-understand documents
are shaking their heads over the disputed election ballot in Palm Beach County, Fla.
"They could have predicted that this problem was going to occur if they had taken the
time to test it first," Carolyn Boccella Bagin of the Center for Clear Communication in
Rockville, Md., said Thursday. "It's clear that it's not clear."
"If you had put 20 people in a voting situation and had them
actually try to vote, the problem would have surfaced," added
plain-language advocate Joseph Kimble, a professor at
Thomas Cooley Law School in Lansing, Mich.
Confusion over the way the county's punch-card style ballot
was laid out led to more than 19,000 Palm Beach County
ballots in Tuesday's presidential vote being thrown out
because more than one candidate was picked.
Candidates were listed on the ballot in two columns, with
holes down the middle between the columns, to the right or
the left of each candidate's name.
"You have people everywhere writing documents and they
never think, 'Let's try this out on a few members of the
public,'" Kimble said. "Have them perform it and watch what
they do."
County election supervisor Theresa LePore said the ballot was drawn the way it was
because there were so many candidates and she wanted the names to be large
enough for older people to read.
"I would even question the theory that they needed larger type," Bagin said, noting
that older people generally have corrective lenses.
Former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, sent by Republican nominee George W.
Bush to oversee the GOP recount monitoring team in Florida, noted Thursday that the
ballot had been posted in newspapers and public places and that no one complained
at the time.
But Kimble said that to find out whether a document is easily understood, it is not
enough to let someone look at it. "You've got to have them use it," he said.
Kimble said he found the situation ironic, given that Gore has been a plain-language
backer as part of his reinventing government program.
"This is Exhibit A in the continuing struggle for better business and government
communications," Kimble said.
Associated Press
From The Henkey in Florida Desk
Florida sent duplicate ballots overseas
Defense Department employee alleges that some co-workers on an air base in
England voted twice.
By Carina Chocano Nov. 9, 2000 for Salon
| At least five Florida residents serving at a U.S. Air Force base in
England received two absentee ballots for this year's hotly contested presidential
race, a civilian Department of Defense employee told Salon. Elaine Gatley, 48, a
civil service executive secretary stationed at RAF Mildenhall in southeastern
England, said Thursday that she and four fellow Floridians who work in her
office received two ballots in the mail from the state of Florida.
"At first I thought it was just a fluke," Gatley said. "But when I went to work
the next day, I talked to my friends and they said, 'Yeah, I received two also.'"
Gatley, a registered Democrat, completed and returned
only one of the ballots she received. But she said that at
least three of her fellow Floridians, all of whom are
registered Republican, told her that they filled out and
returned the second ballots as well.
"These people thought there was something wrong with
the original ballot," said Gatley, who is married to an Air
Force serviceman. "They just sent the second ballot in,
thinking maybe something was wrong."
The duplicate ballots were mailed from election offices in
at least three Florida counties -- Santa Rosa, Osceola and
Hillsborough -- according to Gatley. The multiple ballots
were sent to registered Democrats, as well as
Republicans, she said.
"But the majority of overseas military people are Republicans," added Gatley.
"It's usually the spouses, you know, the civilians, who are Democrats."
One of Gatley's Republican co-workers at the Air Force base confirmed to
Salon that she had received two ballots from Florida. She requested that her
name not be used.
According to Gatley, the majority of the base's staff comes from Florida. Gatley
was formerly employed at Eglin Air Force Base near Navarre, Fla.
No one from other states with whom she spoke at Milden received more than
one absentee ballot, said Gatley.
According to a Florida Elections Board official, it's common for counties to
send out sample ballots before mailing the official absentee ballot. The sample
should be clearly labeled, said the official, who requested anonymity.
The official also said that if someone sends in two ballots, election officials
simply void one of them, not both.
But told of this comment, Gatley said she could discern no difference between
the two ballots she received, nor could her co-workers. She said neither ballot
was clearly marked as a sample.
Absentee ballots are still being counted in the controversial Florida race.
Officials say the final absentee tally might not be completed for another eight or
nine days. With George W. Bush clinging to a razor-thin lead in the Florida
recount, the absentee-ballot tabulation has taken on critical importance.
salon.com
|
Language experts rap Florida ballot By Laurie Asseo Nov. 9, 2000 | WASHINGTON (AP) -- Experts on writing easy-to-understand documents are shaking their heads over the disputed election ballot in Palm Beach County, Fla. "They could have predicted that this problem was going to occur if they had taken the time to test it first," Carolyn Boccella Bagin of the Center for Clear Communication in Rockville, Md., said Thursday. "It's clear that it's not clear." "If you had put 20 people in a voting situation and had them actually try to vote, the problem would have surfaced," added plain-language advocate Joseph Kimble, a professor at Thomas Cooley Law School in Lansing, Mich. Confusion over the way the county's punch-card style ballot was laid out led to more than 19,000 Palm Beach County ballots in Tuesday's presidential vote being thrown out because more than one candidate was picked. Candidates were listed on the ballot in two columns, with holes down the middle between the columns, to the right or the left of each candidate's name.
"You have people everywhere writing documents and they never think, 'Let's try this out on a few members of the public,'" Kimble said. "Have them perform it and watch what they do." County election supervisor Theresa LePore said the ballot was drawn the way it was because there were so many candidates and she wanted the names to be large enough for older people to read. "I would even question the theory that they needed larger type," Bagin said, noting that older people generally have corrective lenses. Former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, sent by Republican nominee George W. Bush to oversee the GOP recount monitoring team in Florida, noted Thursday that the ballot had been posted in newspapers and public places and that no one complained at the time. But Kimble said that to find out whether a document is easily understood, it is not enough to let someone look at it. "You've got to have them use it," he said. Kimble said he found the situation ironic, given that Gore has been a plain-language backer as part of his reinventing government program. "This is Exhibit A in the continuing struggle for better business and government communications," Kimble said. Associated Press
- bill 11-10-2000 8:22 pm
From The Henkey in Florida Desk
Florida sent duplicate ballots overseas Defense Department employee alleges that some co-workers on an air base in England voted twice.
By Carina Chocano Nov. 9, 2000 for Salon
| At least five Florida residents serving at a U.S. Air Force base in England received two absentee ballots for this year's hotly contested presidential race, a civilian Department of Defense employee told Salon. Elaine Gatley, 48, a civil service executive secretary stationed at RAF Mildenhall in southeastern England, said Thursday that she and four fellow Floridians who work in her office received two ballots in the mail from the state of Florida. "At first I thought it was just a fluke," Gatley said. "But when I went to work the next day, I talked to my friends and they said, 'Yeah, I received two also.'" Gatley, a registered Democrat, completed and returned only one of the ballots she received. But she said that at least three of her fellow Floridians, all of whom are registered Republican, told her that they filled out and returned the second ballots as well. "These people thought there was something wrong with the original ballot," said Gatley, who is married to an Air Force serviceman. "They just sent the second ballot in, thinking maybe something was wrong." The duplicate ballots were mailed from election offices in at least three Florida counties -- Santa Rosa, Osceola and Hillsborough -- according to Gatley. The multiple ballots were sent to registered Democrats, as well as Republicans, she said. "But the majority of overseas military people are Republicans," added Gatley. "It's usually the spouses, you know, the civilians, who are Democrats." One of Gatley's Republican co-workers at the Air Force base confirmed to Salon that she had received two ballots from Florida. She requested that her name not be used. According to Gatley, the majority of the base's staff comes from Florida. Gatley was formerly employed at Eglin Air Force Base near Navarre, Fla. No one from other states with whom she spoke at Milden received more than one absentee ballot, said Gatley. According to a Florida Elections Board official, it's common for counties to send out sample ballots before mailing the official absentee ballot. The sample should be clearly labeled, said the official, who requested anonymity. The official also said that if someone sends in two ballots, election officials simply void one of them, not both. But told of this comment, Gatley said she could discern no difference between the two ballots she received, nor could her co-workers. She said neither ballot was clearly marked as a sample. Absentee ballots are still being counted in the controversial Florida race. Officials say the final absentee tally might not be completed for another eight or nine days. With George W. Bush clinging to a razor-thin lead in the Florida recount, the absentee-ballot tabulation has taken on critical importance.
salon.com
- bill 11-10-2000 9:44 pm [add a comment]