I WANT NATIONWIDE VOTING STANDARDIZED BY 2016

[PABigDaddyDemocrat]

I haven't read about this. I'm just very weary of shenanigans. I'm sure that voter fraud was quite charming in its day. I'm thinking of a scene in Scorcese's Gangs Of New York where men with shaggy hair and beards are thrust into the line and then brought round to the front with a shave and haircut to vote again.
These aren't those times though. These are times weighted with the burden of 7 Billion lives. We are too large and important of a nation to be hamstrung by these antiquated procedures; proven to be problematic and as sensible as a Rube Goldberg machine.
What might be acceptable as a universally accessible system of both qualification and collection of votes? We have fool-proof cash dispensing machines all over the world that can speak any language and offer currency at the exchange rate even as it fluctuates in real time. Voting though? "Yikes...that is tough. You want us to design a machine that counts. Wait...it has to count more than one thing. Oh Jeez!"
I just want to open it up. How about a device on every street corner that offers voting, emails direct to congressman and other elected officials, 911 calls, ummm what else?

[TDale313]

1. Voter-verified paper trail

Cause we deserve to know it's counting correctly.

[Swede Atlanta]

2. This will require a constitutional amendment...

You will NOT have this by 2016 or likely 2020 even if the people are with you.

[PABigDaddyDemocrat]

3. True

...but I will still want it.

[RobertEarl]

4. Not true

Congress can designate how FEDERAL elections are run. That's already in the constitution.

Now, if congress can be persuaded how votes are to be counted for FEDERAL elections, the states might fall in line.

There being just three FEDERAL offices to be filled, paper ballots, hand counted, is the easiest, cheapest, most fool proof way to establish correct elections, I am sure you would agree.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

8. Hand counting is definitely not the easiest

Nor is it the most foolproof. The most foolproof would be paper ballots that are counted by scantron machines whose software has been examined by software engineers, paid by the state, that would certify that there is no "vote flipping" or algorithm included.

Random hand recounts of entire precincts to audit against machine counts would validate that the software is working as it should, and wouldn't require complete, nationwide hand recounts.

Tested and validated software will not introduce human biases and preferences - hand counting does.

[RobertEarl]

17. That's fine and dandy

BUT WE DON'T HAVE A SYSTEM LIKE THAT.

Instead what we have is a system that is made to be finagled.
We don't even have a worthy audit.

And what auditing that is done by what? HANDCOUNTING.

Hand counting ballots are the cheapest and easiest, It can be done for free, by highschool kids.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

20. No thanks

I don't want my ballot counted by high school volunteers.

Hand counting is not easier, especially with long ballots.

[RobertEarl]

21. Are you dense?

You even said audits should be hand counted, so that is an admission that that is the best way to ensure the count is right.

Instead what we have, HAVE, is the count done by private companies that are owned by republicans. THAT makes you happy?

The incongruity of your own words is amazing. And I bet, you come up with even more?!

[SickOfTheOnePct]

22. Insults don't make your case

Hand counting is good as an audit feature because it's a second method to validate the count. It isn't the best or the fastest, but it is a way to validate machine counts.

If you've bothered to read anything I've written, you've seen that I said the BEST way is to have the scanning software that actually counts the votes be examined by software engineers employed by the state(s) to ensure that no "flipping" or undervote algorithms are embedded in the code. Once that is verified, let the machines count the votes and do audit in a small number of precincts in each county to validate the counts.

Another method that I've mentioned in other threads that would work for electronic voting machines is to produce a receipt with your choices printed on them. When you validate that the receipt is correct, you press the "vote" button on the screen, and drop the receipt in a locked ballot box before you exit the polling place. Again, random, full precinct audits could be conducted to validate that the machines are properly counting the votes as cast. If the numbers didn't match, you could resort to a had recount as a last resort.

[RobertEarl]

23. You are all over the place

No use even discussing this with you.

But I will say that what we have is a corrupted system that can only at this point be rectified by hand counts. You even agree when you aren't going around making stuff up.

All in all, you are just arguing with yourself. Have fun, i'm done.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

24. I'm not all over the place at all

I've been completely consistent in what I've said.

Perhaps the problem isn't what I'm saying but the fact that you don't understand it.

[earthside]

9. You are correct.

The Congress with the President's signature can pass a law to regulate federal elections, i.e., for U.S. Senate, U.S. House and the Presidency.

If they put good funding behind it you can bet that most states would end-up aligning their elections with the federal law.

We need national standardized registration, either national mail-in balloting or standardized early voting; standardized voting times; we need standardized counting devices and regulations.

It is ridiculous that we have not just fifty different state election procedures but hundreds and hundreds of different county procedures ... it is actually rather embarrassing that a high tech country like the U.S. still has such an arcane voting system.

[RobertEarl]

25. Indeed: Arcane

The truth is that when there is confusion and a multitude of differing rules, the crooks are able to operate easier. And here we are: Robbed of democracy.

[Hugabear]

12. There is no constitutional right to vote for President

When we vote, our vote isn't for President. It's for our state's electors. It just so happens that each state uses a popular election to choose their electors.

[Honeycombe8]

5. Me, too. I think Congress needs to get on this. nt

[PABigDaddyDemocrat]

6. In the interest of fairness to everyone

street corner voting would certainly be less than universal in its ability to assuage the needs of rural and infirm voters...as well as absentees. Remote locations could be utilized but they would have to be standard and publicly verified, owned and supported.

A Constitutional amendment wasn't required to allow the current electronic methods...I guess that must be handled at the state level though so to mandate a universal device and software platform WOULD require some legislation. Hmmm.

edited for spelling.

[krawhitham]

7. Good luck with that, states will never give up the power

[ChisolmTrailDem]

10. This is the type of crap that happens when

something that should be federal is left to the states to manage, as republicants always like to push.

Husted is a threat to our democracy.

[argiel1234]

11. oh it will be standardized alright

it will be all touchscreen voting owned by private for profit companies owned and overseen by repukes

its simply has not bad enough yet for people to rise up en mass

decline in education stardards(purposefully) and lack of knowledge of history(not revisionist bull taught in school) contributes greatly to this

[EC]

13. I've been saying this for years.

I just don't see why it's a states thing. It should be the same in every state.


on edit: I also have been thinking voting should be for a month at centralized locations. No having to be at the "right" polling place crap.

[edhopper]

14. If it didn't happen after Florida 2000

when a Presidential election was given to the wrong man. It will never happen.

[kestrel91316]

15. You want it, but you're not going to get it. Repukes will never permit it.

[felix_numinous]

16. I agree, by 2016 we have to fix the system.

Crooks by nature pick the path of least resistance, they are opportunists--so there is no reason we should HAND THEM the keys to our voting machines. For God's sake. Diebold is still there, and we would be in deep shit if this election were not a landslide.

[loyalsister]

18. What would that look like exactly?

Would county, city council, school board election calendars have to change? would they all be handed rules that may conflict with state laws and city and county ordinances?

[RagAss]

19. I want single payer...we al have our dreams.