-- Name withheld at writer's request

With so many discrepancies in the Florida ballots, a runoff election is absolutely necessary.

-- David R. Slayton

I live in Palm Beach County, Florida. I am not a senior. I know for a fact at least 500, maybe as many as 1,000 people in Palm Beach County wrongly voted for Pat Buchanan, when they meant to vote for Al Gore. This means we may very well have elected the president of the United States by mistake! That is incomprehensible to me. The elections people in Palm Beach County should be ashamed of themselves for producing this type of confusing ballot in an election this crucial. How can these people live with themselves?

-- Joe Casale

I have reviewed the above Florida ballot. I think anybody who says it's confusing is basically an idiot. The arrow points directly to the correct hole. In this country you get to vote once and that's it. Pay attention next time. The recount is taking place now. When that recount is complete we all need to accept the result.

-- Jim Mulligan

I have a Ph.D. with substantial training in statistics. Based on statistical theory, it is nearly impossible that all news services were wrong when they gave an early and clear projection of Gore as the winner in Florida. It is even more unlikely that George and Jeb knew that this projection was wrong based on simple prescience. A recount is not sufficient. Each suspicious block of votes must be investigated.

It may be an incorrect premise to assume that the projections were incorrect and to search for reasons why. Rather, we should also consider the premise that the projections were accurate and that something went wrong in the electoral process.

-- Robert Kraft

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