Thanks for this rightup. Fishers, IN here and I can't believe what I just read. I did not vote in 2003 because I was down in Evansville at the time, but this just makes me question the entire election process altogether.

It also solidifies my thinking that back in 2000 for the Presidential election, there was a bigger stink made about Florida simply because of the attention it had, but the point is, this was going on in every state in every location.

So from a media standpoint, Gore lost Florida, but in reality, he or Bush could have lost it in any number of states as the voting was not accurate.

Thanks for the writeup.

I will be posting this on my blog.

Bryan- I would still urge you to vote, now matter how discouraging this can seem.

I believe that something great can come out of the Florida experience. What happened there caused many people to see for the first time that American elections can be deeply flawed. Americans joke about Chicago (vote early and often!), but really didn't get how pervasive the shaving of votes is. Now we're starting to see that it is very pervasive, and the realization is the first step towards making improvements.

Cleaning it up requires a certain vigilance. Look for improprieties at the polling places, and if you see them, point them out. Don't hesitate to whip out your cell phone and call the elections board or the media. That kind of citizen action goes a long way. Citizen apathy is exactly what is required to make the system slither along the trail of dirty tricks.

If you're voting at Fishers Town Hall, look for me! That's my home precinct polling place.