Let us bring Democracy to Florida!

Is there any state quite as beleaguered on the democracy front as Florida? First they can't count votes, then they try to disenfranchise as 'felons' a lot of non-felonious but probably-democratic-voting blacks, then they lose archive information from the '03 primary election (more wonders of touch-screen voting), and now they can't decide if touch-screen voting is Safe or Risky.

Check out this from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: GOP apologizes over voting flier; glossy mailer warns against touch-screens

An embarrassed state Republican Party apologized Thursday for a GOP campaign brochure that urged voters to use absentee ballots, undermining efforts by Gov. Jeb Bush and Secretary of State Glenda Hood to inspire confidence in new touch-screen voting machines.

Democratic Party officials and several civil rights groups eagerly pounced on the flier as either a laughable foul-up or a sign that maybe Republican leaders also question the reliability of the ATM-like equipment.

...

The Republican apology stemmed from a glossy mailer paid for by the GOP and sent to Miami voters in a hotly contested state House district primary race between two Republicans. Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach are among 15 counties who switched from punch-card ballots to touch-screens after the 2000 presidential recount.

So you see, touchscreens are fine for voting for President and piddly stuff like that, but they're much too risky to consider when voting in important things like Republican primaries... I guess the originator of the flyer has reason to believe that the fix is in for his/her opponent?

If it wasn't so sad, it would be hilarious. You really can NOT make this stuff up.