Published: Sep 17, 2002

I t appears that at 5 p.m. today, Tampa's Bill McBride will finally - and officially - become the Democratic Party's gubernatorial nominee when the state division of elections announces the outcome of last Tuesday's election.

McBride declared victory on Friday, but rival Janet Reno refused to concede as long as Broward and Miami-Dade counties, her strongholds, continued to find uncounted votes lodged in the bowels of the touch-screen machines used in the counties' precincts.

Though there may have been some trouble with the machinery itself, it seems more likely now that minimally trained poll workers unintentionally caused many of the problems. The machines apparently recorded the votes, but because of human error, the tally reported to the state was incomplete.

Moreover, as has been amply reported, some people were turned away from polling places that opened late. Many precincts were not ready for the voters.

The supervisors of elections in both counties have egg on their face. But who is getting the blame?

Jeb Bush.

Both McBride and Reno have said as much: Because the election was held ``on his watch,'' it's his fault.

Baloney. To blame Bush, who signed an election reform package that provided millions to help the counties make the reforms, is absurd. And wholly about politics. And voters know it.

Democrats control Broward and Miami-Dade counties. And if any one person is to blame for the troubles in either place, it would be the elections supervisor in charge. Neither Miriam Oliphant in Broward nor David Leahy in Miami- Dade spent enough time recruiting and training poll workers. And both waited too long to buy the hardware and have it delivered.

Yet The Miami Herald reported Sunday that Reno's campaign is trying to build a case against the touch-screen machinery in an effort to blame the fiasco on Bush and the election law. The goal is to focus Democrats on Election 2000 and the voting irregularities they blame for the White House win of the governor's brother.

But Republicans aren't likely to sit quietly by and take the blame when Democrat-controlled bodies selected the vendor for the voting machines in Broward and Miami-Dade and then didn't have the people in place to competently service the machinery or help the voters.

To blame Bush is as preposterous as any suggestion by conspiracy theorists that perhaps the Democratic hierarchy that favored McBride made sure chaos reigned in South Florida to rob the party's favorite daughter. It's a baseless theory, though we suspect the Democratic hierarchy is not altogether unhappy with the outcome down there.

The failures in Broward and Miami- Dade have already renewed talk about federal election reform, but Florida's reform would already meet the proposed federal standards.

Jeb Bush signed a bill authorizing the payment of $24 million toward creation of a uniform system of voting. Each of the state's 41 counties that did not use precinct-based optical scanning equipment was required, at a minimum, to purchase optical scanning machinery.

Going Beyond The Minimum Standard

The largest counties, including Hillsborough and those in South Florida, went beyond the minimum standard to purchase more advanced - and expensive - touch-screen equipment. Interestingly, the counties that had a successful election chose a different vendor.

The state provided between $3,750 and $7,500 for each precinct in every county. Moreover, lawmakers also set aside $6 million for voter education and $2 million toward the creation of a database that would purge voter registries of felons, dead people and duplicate voters. The database is not completed.

Lawmakers gave the money and marching orders. The governor signed the bill. And it was up to the counties to make sure the elections went smoothly. Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Polk are proof that that can be accomplished.

Reno may have a case against the supervisor's offices and the vendor of the voting machines purchased by Broward and Miami-Dade counties. She has no case against the state. And absolutely no case against Jeb Bush.

-- Anonymous, September 17, 2002