From: Steven Eiger (eiger@montana.edu)
Date: Sun Dec 10 2000 - 10:20:21 PST
Message-Id: <l03102800b659772f3705@[153.90.150.107]> Date: Sun, 10 Dec 2000 11:20:21 -0700 From: Steven Eiger <eiger@montana.edu> Subject: Re: pinhole The Election, Precision and Significant Figures
I disagree; I think hand counts will make an imprecise system more precise,
if done properly. In Palm Beach votes were given if consensus was reached
within a group that had both parties represented. This seems quite fair to
me. Why can't we realize that humans can do some things better than
imprecise machines. If the whole state used these machines, then the
precision would not matter as one would rely on chance and large numbers to
supply accuracy. This has obviously not been the case as a black person
has a 3:1 better chance of having his vote not counted (Washington Post).
That Bush et al rejected early on the hand counting of the whole state
leads me to believe that the imprecision (up to a 5% estimate) has affected
the accuracy of the Florida vote. Your argument has some merit, why
doesn't Florida do as Nebraska and Maine and split the electoral delegates?
(I may have gotten those states wrong); that would never happen as it
involves changing the rules after the game has been played, and we can see
that all decisions are partisan; if you sense a tone of disgust with all
this - you would be right.
>Has anyone else considered precision and significant figures to explain the
>current election mess? I think the precision of the Florida voting system,
>with pregnant chads, lost overseas ballots, etc etc etc really only has a
>precision to at most 10,000 votes, which really wasn't noticed up till now.
>Kathleen Harris's totals 2,912,790 for Gore and 2,912,253 therefore are
>really the same number. Hand recounts won't make an imprecise system better.
>The science teacher in me says that we have a tie. What do you all think
>(politics aside) ?
>
>
>
>
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Steven Eiger, Ph.D.
Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience and the WWAMI Medical Education
Program
PO Box 173148
Montana State University - Bozeman
Bozeman, MT 59717-3148
Voice: (406) 994-5672
E-mail: eiger@montana.edu
FAX: (406) 994-7077
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