Chip Taylor

Elections and outcomes

After the last presidential election, many people clamored for new voting machines, early voting, provisional voting, etc. The idea is to make it easier to vote without screwing up, more convenient to vote, or less likely that someone would be incorrectly prevented from voting. I wasn't much in favor of any of those proposals -- I especially don't like electronic voting machines. I don't think voting is all that inconvenient and I believe that people should take responsibility for casting their ballot carefully and for maintaining their registration well in advance of the election. I'm not sure all these changes are really making a voting fiasco less likely.

It looks like provisional voting isn't working all that well in some places.

In Florida, records from electronic voting machines have been lost -- or maybe not. The Florida GOP, much to Jeb Bush's chagrin, is urging absentee voting as a defense against electronic snafus.

The ACLU is suing states that don't switch from punch cards.

The Dems and GOP are assembling teams of lawyers to be ready on election day and afterward.

In short, I think the situation is ripe for another post election brouhaha if the vote is anywhere near as close as it was in 2000.

Tradesports has a contract for "Presidential election to be certified by Dec 13, 2004." That's when the Electoral College meets to cast its ballots. Current bidding indicates that bettors think it very likely that the EC will vote on schedule. I think it will, too.

What I'd like to see are contracts for Bush or Kerry has conceded the election. There could be contracts expiring at midnight on various dates: November 2, 3, and 9, for example.