Affiiday, November 13, 2000
Page 11
INI
THE BATTALION
ast your e-vote
s
'nline voting should he option for all voters; has successful track record
lan re
Ihe United
‘States needs a
program that
ikes online vot-
available to
sveryone.
H Voter turnout
* with online voting
W)uld increase be-
^^Huse it would be
MutBrfcy to use and ballots could be count-
cwertirced quicker and easier than before.
ttieNCAt[ There should be an immediate ef
fort by the federal government to coor
dinate state and local elections to im
plement an online voting system.
V Online voting can be accomplished
in two ways: voting online at the
^ err Blling site and remote polling.
■ Poll-site voting requires the
election staff to have secure
computers in place for voters
ule, while remote voting calls
for any computer at home,
office or school.
KvieSwiflB s y stems have al-
infiM been tested in bind-
slied4il g ancl non - bin ding elec
tions in some states.
I Arizona held its Democ-
jbtic primary via remote
™l»| llin 8 in March and de -
x,; lared it a success.
,^1 “We think this is very
01 eM ' important in the future of
flow elections are conducted.
Other states that have utilized on
line voting are California, which ran a
mock presidential election during the
primaries, and Florida, which extend
ed a binding onAine voting system to
certain counties during the national
election.
Online voting offers the ability to
vote from any computer.
implemented during this tumultuous
election, the results could have been in
much sooner.
Jim Adler, CEO of VoteHere.net,
said, “The problem with any election is
that the audit trail is arduous and error-
prone. But with the Internet, the audit
process is right there, and it is fast.”
As wonderful and
rkw
, Iowa, to e
iwa State C;;
we’re setting an example for
what we hope will happen
tfcross the country and the
world,” stated Cortland Cole
•wian, the Democratic Party’s inter
im executive director.
1 Democrats tested online voting
ilgainat their national convention. Each
J state's delegation was located near an
' iMac terminal and states cast their bal-
dots for a presidential candidate.
Democratic National Committee
Secretary Kathy Vick said, “Until this
fear, we had never been able to mom-
lor the delegations or reference vote
lesults in real-time.
1 Election.com put that information
It our fingertips, exceeding our expec-
litions and changing the face of con-
lention balloting as we know it.”
The disabled
can vote from their
homes if they are unable to drive to
polling sites, and soldiers overseas can
vote without having to wait for the
postal service.
In fact, if online voting had been
flawless as an
online voting system
may seem, there are opponents. One of
the strongest groups against online
voting is the Voter Integrity Project
(VIP).
VIP sued the Democratic National
Party when it began to plan its online
voting primary.
“Internet voting, however well-in
tentioned, is not secure from fraud and
is grossly unfair to persons without In
ternet access,” stated VIP in a press re
lease. “This is just a new millennium
version of the literacy test.”
U.S. District Judge Paul G. Rosen
blatt accepted the argument from VIP,
but allowed the election to continue,
citing that if major discrimination did
occur, the results could be thrown out.
The results were not thrown out
and VIP did not seek an appeal to the
decision.
This “digital divide” can be
overcome. Online voting pro
grams can be begun solely by
on-site voting. This allows
the quick tabulation of
votes, thus avoiding the
time-consuming and cost
ly recounts of punch
cards and optically
scanned votes.
As more research is
done on the “digital di
vide,” remote voting can
be implemented and in
crease voter turnout.
To accomplish this,
the federal government
must become active in
supporting state and lo
cal governments imple
menting this system.
The framework made in
states like Arizona and Cal
ifornia, with the help of on
line companies such as elec-
tion.com and VoteHere.net,
must be expanded and supported.
If accomplished by 2004, the
2000 Election will be the last election
to make the public wait weeks for
votes to be counted.
The tiresome practice of recounting
votes by hand and waiting for results,
as has occurred in this election, will
succumb to natural selection and be re
placed with a quick and effective on
line voting process.
Reid Bader is a junior political
science major.
t Em
battle with no victor
Aftermath ofKTFB, administration clash
s the first anniversary of the
1999 Aggie Bonfire col-
dapse nears, it is time for
Sggies to rebuild.
After the announcement that
here will be no off-campus Bon-
■e, the most important thing to
lalize is that there is no winner in
fie debate over Bonfire’s future.
The people involved with
jeep The Fire Burning (KTFB) have lost in their at-
pt to hold a bonfire this year. Those who opposed
[e renegade bonfire lost as well. Many on this cam-
s have lost sight of the unity that once held every-
ie together so strongly.
The fighting over the future of the Bonfire has di-
Jded all those connected to this University. The
family” that Texas A&M has been known for fell
part like last year’s Bonfire.
Even though many students and faculty did not
pport the off-campus bonfire, the passion behind
ose who fought for it should be commended.
These people — including many who were not
udents — worked very hard to inform others of their
irpose and the spirit they were attempting to save.
Many people who were closely involved were
faced with the decision to follow the rules of the Uni
versity or to follow their hearts — and both paths are
lined with respect.
But Aggies should all be walking on one road, and
it is time to focus on the truth of what is known by all.
The fighting over the future of the
Bonfire has divided all those who
are connected to this University.
The "family" that Texas A&M has
been known for fell apart like last
year's Bonfire.
The A&M community knows Bonfire is an incred
ible tradition that is an integral part of this University,
and students must not lose sight of that. While that
might be the only thing that students can agree on, it
is a starting point.
It has been almost a year since the collapse, and if
A&M ever wants to move past this tragedy, Aggies
must act with kindness toward each other’s opinions
and work together for what needs to be done.
The feelings for the off-campus bonfire must be set
aside to work together at what may be the last chance
to bring the real Bonfire back where it belongs, on
campus.
If students can take the passion behind their opin
ions and direct it toward convincing the University
that students can handle the responsibilities of partici
pating in the construction of future Bonfires, there
may be something left to for students to do.
Finally, an important aspect has yet to be brought
up. The students currently on this campus will not be
here forever.
Most will graduate, and future Aggies will stand in
their place. But the students who are here now must
take the initiative not to let go of the legacy that was
passed on to them.
If this campus cannot be reunited, students in the
future will not know of the Aggie family and the spirit
that is still alive on this campus.
The generation that experienced the fall of Aggie
Bonfire must not be the generation that experiences
the fall of the University and its legacy.
Melissa Bedsole is a junior psychology major.
The Battalion encourages letters to the editor. Letters must be 300 words or less and include
the author’s name, class and phone number.
The opinion editor reserves the right to edit letters for length, style, and accuracy. Letters may be
submitted in person at 014 Reed McDonald with a valid student ID. Letters may also be mailed to:
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Columns and letters appearing in The Battalion express the opinion of the authors only. They do
not necessarily reflect the opinion of other Battalion staff members, the Texas A&M student body, re
gents, administrators, faculty or staff.
Mail Call
Electoral College a
better measure than
popular vote
In response to Nov. 10 editorial.
While the Electoral College is by no
means perfect, it should not be elimi
nated based on the results of the elec
tion. In fact, the Electoral College has
made things less chaotic this year than
a popular vote election.
Consider this: The recount in Florida
was mandated by a state law because
the margin of victory was less than 0.5
percent. If Al Gore’s popular vote “victo
ry” holds, he will very likely win by less
‘than 0.2 percent.
If the national popular vote were to
determine the winner, in part or in
whole, a national recount would likely
be necessary.
If you think waiting on the recount is
agonizing, imagine what would happen if
all 50 states had to recount their ballots.
We would be waiting a lot longer for
a verdict, that is for sure.
Matthew W. Roberts
Graduate Student
Bikers deserve tickets
In response to Cayla Carr’s Nov. 8
column.
I say give the on-campus bikers as
many tickets as possible. I do not ride a
bike, so it will not effect me.
People insist on riding their bikes on
the sidewalks when there are two bike
lanes on the street.
They are called sidewalks for a rea
son — not siderides.
Yesterday, I was walking along the
sidewalk, and there was a guy on a bike
behind me trying to get by, and I got off.
the sidewalk to let him by.
Then I started thinking, “Wait a sec
ond, this guy has all-terrain tires, front
shocks and a floating bike seat, yet I
am the one that got off the sidewalk
into the grass.”
That makes no sense. I think the
next time a biker pushes by me on the
sidewalk I may “accidentally” go into my
Tae-Bo workout.
Sometimes you have to take the law
into your own hands.
Andrew Kresse
Class of ’01
A look into the
crystal ball...
Analysis of U.S. political landscape
L ast Tuesday, the American elec
torate cast its ballots in the one
of the most interesting and con
fusing elections ever. Even now,
one week later, it is impossible to
name the next President of the
United States.
In a fitting finish, one of the
most hotly contested presidential
races in history has a grand finale
which includes a close race in the Electoral College, a
debate over ballot design, a multitude of recounts, law
suits from both sides, two former secretaries of state,
Pat Buchanan, Jesse Jackson and the possibility of un
due media influence on the electorate.
For political scientists, it is a great time to be alive.
For the rest of America, it is utterly confusing and at
least a little disheartening. For decades, Americans
have become accustomed to quick and decisive elec
tions. Many Americans could not fathom going to bed
Tuesday night without knowing who the next president
would be.
Now, it appears that chaos and uncertainty will be
the order of the day for some time. From some of this
confusion, however, a look at the likely political land
scape of the next four years can be gleaned.
Whichever candidate ends up becoming the 43rd
president of the United States will suffer from a lack of
popular legitimacy. Neither candidate received an over
whelming amount of support from Americans. There
was no clear winner; no ideology captured the hearts of
the electorate.
Unlike the Democratic resurge in 1992 and the Re
publican revolution in 1994, neither party can honestly
claim to have dominated this year's election.
When the presidential race is finally settled, the elec
tion will no doubt be seen by a large number of Ameri
cans as tainted.
From some of this confusion, however,
a look at the likely political landscape
of the next four years can be gleaned.
For the winning side, it will be seen as the greatest
victory in the history of American politics. For the los- !
er, it will be remembered as the election that was stolen
by his opponent. It is clear that the dominant force in
politics for the next four years will be division.
No better example of this division exists than the
newly elected 107th Congress. Although several House
races and a Senate seat in Washington are still are under
dispute, it is clear that when Congress convenes in Jan- !
uary, it will be a more divided camp than before.
As it stands now, the Republican advantage in the
House has shrynk to a mere nine seats. Once the Wash
ington senate race is determined, the either Republicans
will have a two-seat advantage or the chamber will be
split 50-50 between the two parties.
Given the lack of a popular mandate and the division
in Congress, it is unlikely that any of the major reforms
proposed and promised by the two presidential candi
dates will ever see the light of day.
The chances of major changes to Social Security,
Medicare, and the budget are slim at best. Any presi
dent who emerges from this electoral mess will simply
not have the political capital to garner support in such a
volatile Congress.
Even though the Democrats made inroads in both
the House and the Senate, they cannot claim to have
captured the election either. Despite their pickups in
both chambers, the Democrats did not make the neces
sary and expected gains to put them in the driver’s seat.
The only areas in which they seemed to enjoy large
success were metropolitan districts like Los Angeles,
New York, Chicago and Philadelphia. For the time be
ing, the ball is still in the hands of the Republican Party.
The only real shining star for the Democrats in this
election was the victory of Hillary Rodham Clinton in
New York’* Senate race. The election, which was pre
dicted to be hotly contested, ended up as a double-digit
victory for the first lady over Republican Congressman
Rick Lazio.
Just when the Republicans thought they were free of
the Clinton era, a new one was bom in New York. The
senator-elect will certainly become a lighting rod for con
servatives’ attacks during the next six years.
While the people elected more Democrats to the na
tional legislature, the trend in state elections seemed to
favor the Republicans.
The GOP captured majorities in a number of state
legislative chambers, including South Carolina, New
Hampshire and Missouri. Gubernatorial races seemed
to validate the status quo, with only one state’s gover
norship changing hands — West Virginia elected a De
mocrat as its chief executive.
And so goes the world of politics. The 2000 election,
an election charged with excitement and the possibility
of real change, will eventually end as a feeble affirma
tion of the way things are already headed.
Neither side turned out in huge numbers to radically
alter the political landscape. The 21st century will begin
as the 20th century ended, with political squabbling and
division dominating the nation’s government.
Regardless of the presidential outcome, America has
secured for itself a very bitter and partisan political
scene for the next few years. Although the discord
which dominates politics is decried by many, it is but a
reflection of the ideological differences which Cv.de
this nation’s populace.
Election 2000 may seem like no other election in the
nation’s history, but one truth remains: however, much
they despise the outcome, citizens have no one to
blame but themselves.
Nicholas Roznovsky is a senior political science major.