Opinion ID: 1704912
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Human Failings

Text: Admittedly, the present scenario is surreal: All the king's horses and all the king's men could not get a few thousand ballots counted. The explanation, however, is timeless. We are a nation of men and women and, although we aspire to lofty principles, our methods at times are imperfect. First, although the untabulated Florida ballots may hold the truth to the presidential election, we stillto this daycannot agree on how to count those ballots fairly and accurately. In fact, we cannot even agree on if they should be counted. Second, although the right to vote is paramount, we routinely installed outdated and defective voting systems and tabulating equipment at our polls prior to the present election. And finally, although the rule of law is supreme, the key legal text in this casei.e., the Florida Election Code-is fraught with contradictions and ambiguities, and the key legal rulingi.e., the United States Supreme Court's final decision in Bush v. Gore, ___ U.S. ___, 121 S.Ct. 525, 148 L.Ed.2d 388 (2000)was denigrated and rejected by nearly half the members of that Court.