Protecting the Ballot Box

It would be safe to say that no election, however well intentioned, has ever been completely clear of all impropriety. There have always been those who are so zealous in their desire to elect their candidate that they will resort to all sorts of tactics to try and insure that victory. Whether their zeal comes from a heartfelt belief that their candidate is truly the best for the country or from a desire for the power and money that can be had if their candidate is elected, the resulting attempt to alter the outcome of the election is wrong. They may pass out false information to discredit the opposing candidate, they may buy votes, they may illegally stuff a ballot box with votes, they may suppress the votes in certain areas, they may destroy or otherwise lose ballots that were cast in an area known to be strong for the opponent, or a myriad of other methods. These things have happened, and there will most likely always be those who try to subvert the integrity of our elections to their own benefit.

I believe it is our duty as Americans to preserve the sanctity of the ballot box to the best of our ability. We are the greatest example to the world of democracy and how it operates. We travel the world to help others with their elections and admonish them to hold fair and open elections. Then we come back here and run the risk of having our own subverted by those with political agendas that they fear will not stand the test of a fair election. These people have the idea that the end justifies the means. We should set a higher standard as the only current superpower in the world and as the premier example of a democratic government.

We must strive to higher ideals, as we always have. Certainly, I want to win as deeply and as passionately as anyone. However, I believe the voice of the people should be the foremost factor. And it should be the voice of an honestly informed people. Our ballot box should not have even the appearance of being able to be manipulated.

Technology has increased to allow us the opportunity to prevent almost all fraud in the ballot box. Unfortunately, it is also at a point that will allow even greater fraud if it is not dealt with honestly and openly. Our ballot box should be above reproach. Our citizens should and must have confidence that their vote is counted and counted correctly - as they intended to cast it. With the advent of all electronic ballots and the problems associated with them in the last few years, that confidence is very low in some places. It is getting worse as more news is reported of the test results on this equipment and of the real problems that have happened during its actual use.

I use a computer daily and I know their importance in our world. They are able to store and configure large amounts of information in seconds as opposed to hours of doing it by hand. I know that is the way that almost everything is handled in this world now. I also know that my computer has crashed. It has lost important information, and it can be hijacked to provide wrong information. This is both the good news and the bad news of the new electronic voting machines.
Touch screen voting is easy and quick. I really have no problem with it at it's core. However, I do have a problem when all information is electronic. I believe it should be required that all balloting machines print a paper ballot that can be read by the person casting it. It can then roll into the machine or be removed and placed in a separate ballot box, either way would be fine. But there must be a paper ballot that can be used in a final recount, if one is required. I also have a problem when the company making the machines say they own the raw data, as they did in Ohio after the 2004 race, and refuse to provide it to the election officials. I believe all voting data is the property of the governing officials in the area the votes were placed. It is there it should remain - locked and protected. There may never be a way to make the system completely foolproof, but we must keep trying. We already have the ability to improve greatly on what has been done. We just have to show the resolve to require it.

There is also the issue of who makes the decision on what equipment is to be used. It has historically been the option of the local election officials to make that determination. I actually liked the system we had locally before the touch screen system was mandated by our state. It was basically 3x8 cards with a place to mark in pencil beside the candidate or resolution. Then they were counted electronically. If there was a recount required, it was easy to do. It could first be run through the scanner again to check against the first count. It could then be counted by hand. The ballots were marked in pencil so you could tell the intent of the voter, without any 'hanging' or 'pregnant' chads or confusing 'butterfly' ballots. Then the state mandated identical touch screen systems, without a paper trail, to be installed in every voting precinct in the entire state. My confidence in the results of our elections in this state has continued to go down since that time.

One concern with a system being mandated statewide or nationwide is that the larger the area using exactly the same equipment, the larger the opportunity for widescale fraud. I believe we need to have standards required from above, but our local election officials should be allowed to determine the exact make and type of machines to use. Whatever system is used, I believe a paper ballot, or paper trail, that can be verified by the voter should be mandatory. These paper ballots must be saved in a secure location and be the final word in a disputed election requiring a recount.

This is not a partisan issue. It is an American issue and should be just as important to those of any party affiliation, or those with no party affiliation. This is how our democracy operates. We must make sure it is handled properly. Without the integrity and sanctity of the ballot box, we cannot truly claim to be a democracy.