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The Sounds and Sights of Voting
North Miami Beach, Florida 11-21-2000 Aaron H. Schectman
THINKING ALLOWED
Essays on issues, ideas and reflections on the times. Published now and
then. Opinions pro or con are welcome.
THE SOUNDS AND SIGHTS OF VOTING
I think I now know why I was disheartened and disconnected with the voting
process in Florida. I missed hearing the "KaChungg!" of turning a black
lever to vote and turning a red lever and seeing the booth curtain swing to
shut me in and turning it to let me out. Those sounds and sights when I
voted in New Jersey elections were reassuring and comforting. If you
changed your mind you could undo your voting quickly and simply. I don't
know if my experience was rewarded with a mark or an electronic count and I
guess the machine could make some mistake or other - but, not ME. There were
columns for each party. The election people even sent me a sample ballot.
These things were completely absent in the Florida process.
When I give thought to my experiences with different people I remember how
different they are from me. Some have little or no tactile sense. I turn
keys and open pressure sealed jars that my wife cannot. There is a
difference in perception and strength. Not all people do, hear or see the
same thing in the same way.
My own deficiencies in reading instructions are many. I often assemble a
"Needs Batteries and Requires Some Assembly" product without looking at the
directions. Others must read each word and still cannot get the thing to
work.
I understand why voters would be outraged that their ballots were not
counted or discarded because they couldn't push the pin completely through
the card. The "chad" was unseen and whether it dropped completely or hung
by one or two corners or was dimpled was not evident. There is no
satisfying KaChungg! There is no lever seen, felt or heard when turned to
the right or left and there is no swishing of curtains opening or closing to
let you know that you have done your civic duty.
I also understand the wish to win and the wish to correctly count each
voter's intention. It is sad to note that our great nation, able to send
people aloft to the moon and live in space, cannot agree on a national plan
that includes a "KaChungg!" and sights and sensations of correctly voting.
Carol's Evaluation: 10 out of 10.
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