The Florida primary was moved forward as part of a referendum to standardize on optical scan voting machines. Would you care to comment on how that referendum happened to change the date of the Florida primary... and disenfranchise the Florida voters?

The Florida primary was moved forward as part of a referendum to standardize on optical scan voting machines. Would you care to comment on how that referendum happened to change the date of the Florida primary... and disenfranchise the Florida voters?
Asked by: Kurt Christensen from Westminster, MD

Asked of All Democratic Representatives on May 23rd, 2008

Categories: Civil Liberties · Technology. Tags: cover-up · florida primary · Voting machines.

Answer from: U.S. Rep. Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL)

Well, first I don’t think it was just that referendum caused the change. I believe the state legislature on the House side or the Speaker of the House proffered a motion that came over to the Senate, and the Democrats in the Senate wanted a paper trail measure added to it with reference to the change of the date. So the change of the date took place inside the legislature with the Governor’s approval and not on a state-wide referendum. But most assuredly the fact of the previous primary, the fact of the optical scan and other machines had a hand it, but the decision was more a political decision than one based on just on the machines.

Answered on Jun 30th, 2008