Thursday, April 21, 2011

Of Card Draws and Recounts

While it might make for interesting news stories and cute pictures, the state's procedure for breaking election ties really doesn't help build confidence in our electoral process.  Wouldn't you agree that using a draw from a deck of playing cards--or flipping a coin or picking a name out of a hat--cheapens the value of the decision?  Unfortunately, it's way too expensive to hold a run-off election so I understand the "game of chance" to decide a winner--but I just wish there was a "more noble" way to break a tie.  My suggestion would be dueling pistols from twenty paces.  I'm guessing we would see more than a few concessions as candidates try to place a value on a part-time political position.

Hopefully it won't come down to the luck of the draw in the pending recount for the State Supreme Court.  Joanne Kloppenburg admits she isn't going to make up 73-hundred votes, but is demanding the recount anyway.  I'm sticking with my initial statement on a recount--that we should have one if for no other reason than to put to bed the claims of "voter fraud" that would be endlessly circulated by the left if original canvass numbers were just accepted as fact.  So think of the recount as a "Million Dollar Muzzle".

And don't believe that this is going to cost just a million dollars.  The Kloppenburg campaign has hired the same attorney who oversaw the Al Franken recount in Minnesota--so you know that every ballot in every county (especially Waukesha) will be overly-scrutinized and likely challenged all the way to the US Supreme Court if necessary.  Justice Prosser will be lucky to get sworn in before his ten year term is half over.

To make things fun, maybe we should come up with a "Recount Bingo" game.  Each square would have a tried and true election process claim or "discovery".  Every time we report on one, you fill in the square until you get five in a row.  Boxes would include "voter intent", "uncounted ballots discovered", "discrepencies in electronic voting macines", and "ballots with only one box marked--and that's for David Prosser".  The Free Space in the middle will be "disturbing irregularities".

We might have to make it a "blackout game" just to extend the fun past the first two days of the recount.

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