Editorial: Assuming machines are perfect

Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2000 | 9:34 a.m.

The late puppeteer Shari Lewis gave us Lamb Chop, a big hit with children. Her act also must have made an impression on the Republican presidential campaign of Texas Gov. George W. Bush, because it has its own Lamb Chop. She is Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris.

Harris, co-chairwoman of the Bush campaign in Florida, has served as a tool of her favorite candidate throughout her state's presidential election fiasco. But that was never more obvious than on Sunday when she certified the election in favor of Bush, summarily dismissing manually tabulated votes in Palm Beach County.

Florida law clearly states that manual recounts are an acceptable method of helping to clarify disputed election results. As stated here previously, the most equitable way to settle this mess is to perform a manual recount in all 67 Florida counties, as well as to accept all legitimate overseas ballots. There is still enough time to do this before the Electoral College meets next month.

But that solution requires fairness, an attribute Harris does not possess. We do not understand her strict adherence to the accuracy of voting machines. Voting machines are not infallible, even according to their own manufacturers. Neither are humans. But a manual recount is a safety net that, if done properly, can uncover mistakes made by the machines. Until we invent the perfect voting machine, manual recounts should be automatic in every disputed election.

When one wades through all the partisan rhetoric and litigation from both sides, the one thing that remains clear is that every vote does and should count. But in the world according to Harris, only votes tabulated by imperfect machines count. That is a horrible civics lesson and one we are certain the real Lamb Chop would not have preached to children.