Florida plan would give voters 'no vote'

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., April 24 (UPI) -- A state legislator in Florida wants voters to have a "none of the above" option to avoid questionable election outcomes.

Republican state Sen. Michael Bennett told the St. Petersburg Times that his bill was inspired by last year's Congressional race in District 13.

When ballots were counted, 18,000 voters had not picked anyone for Congress, leading to claims that electronic voting machines had been tampered with. The Republican candidate claimed victory by only 369 votes.

Bennett believes that the machines were working fine and many people were simply so disgusted by the nasty campaign between Republican Vern Buchanan and Democrat Christine Jennings they chose to abstain in that race.

"Some people walked up to the polls and said, 'You know what, I don't want to vote for anybody,' " he said.

Bennett wants to add a line that says "I choose not to vote."

The bill includes a provision that if that line gets the most votes the winner would be the actual candidate with the most votes.