SIVACRACY.NET

Ann and I have been posting some pieces that should generate some important questions -- if not frightening conclusions -- about how the votes were taken, counted, and reported in an array of states and counties last week.

Let's look at it this way. This election was close, but not that close. Bush appears to have won by almost four million votes nationwide. If we assume that most of these were legitimately counted, and that fewer than four million votes are questionable, then Bush is the legitimate winner of this election and we must all suffer the consequences legitimately.

But if it appears (as some have surmised) that more than two million votes for Bush are questionable or two million votes for Kerry were lost, uncounted, miscounted, or misreported, then we have a monumental problem here. I suspect this is not the case.

It will take several weeks to figure out just how many problem votes were cast or counted or uncounted.

So let's assume that fewer than four million votes (or two million on either side) are questionable. Does it still matter?

That depends on whether you care about the candidates or the voters, the certainty of the results or the integrity of the process.

I, for one, care about the integrity of the process. I care about the will of each voter. And I will continue to examine questions and accusations about computer problems, chad issues, and vote-counting irregularities until this country figures out that the current patchwork system of partisan control is simply unacceptable by any reasonable standard.