![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
I'm watching all the election news with a great deal of cynicism. But I did run across one idea that I can really get behind: bring back the paper ballot.
I should point out that I still vote on paper ballots, so perhaps I'm biased. But then again I'm a techno-junkie and I love all then new and computerish and I can't express to you how much I miss trust all the new gadgetry that is being touted at the way to "save" our elections. Ihave voted in voting machines. It never felt right to me. I work with computers every single day, and if I have to vote, I'm going to do it with a pencil on real paper.
Simple is best.
And the fact of the matter is that all the problems with the last presidential election came because the vote was so damn close. If difference would have been greater, "chads" (hanging or otherwise) wouldn't have matter. Because so few votes were the difference in the election, everyone started looking at the "problem ballots" that usually are never counted. With computerized voting, even wide margins of victory will be suspect. (Heck, with computerized voting maybe wide margins of victory will be more suspect. When someone loses this time -- and you know, someone will -- the losing side will point to these stupid new machines and claim that the evil, uber-sneaky minions of the winning party "hacked" them. And the best part of it is that they won't be able to prove or disprove it, it will just fall in to that wonderful new world of "possible" conspiracy.
I like paper trails. Go with the paper ballot.
Besides, when it comes right down to it, when I walk out of the voting booth and drop my ballot into that locked metal box, I know I voted. I put my mark down. I put my vote in the box. It's there. It's real. It's not some random bits of energy that can be corrupted or zapped away. And I know exactly how clearly I marked that ballot, so there won't be any mistake. Win or lose, my vote will be counted.
I should point out that I still vote on paper ballots, so perhaps I'm biased. But then again I'm a techno-junkie and I love all then new and computerish and I can't express to you how much I miss trust all the new gadgetry that is being touted at the way to "save" our elections. Ihave voted in voting machines. It never felt right to me. I work with computers every single day, and if I have to vote, I'm going to do it with a pencil on real paper.
Simple is best.
And the fact of the matter is that all the problems with the last presidential election came because the vote was so damn close. If difference would have been greater, "chads" (hanging or otherwise) wouldn't have matter. Because so few votes were the difference in the election, everyone started looking at the "problem ballots" that usually are never counted. With computerized voting, even wide margins of victory will be suspect. (Heck, with computerized voting maybe wide margins of victory will be more suspect. When someone loses this time -- and you know, someone will -- the losing side will point to these stupid new machines and claim that the evil, uber-sneaky minions of the winning party "hacked" them. And the best part of it is that they won't be able to prove or disprove it, it will just fall in to that wonderful new world of "possible" conspiracy.
I like paper trails. Go with the paper ballot.
Besides, when it comes right down to it, when I walk out of the voting booth and drop my ballot into that locked metal box, I know I voted. I put my mark down. I put my vote in the box. It's there. It's real. It's not some random bits of energy that can be corrupted or zapped away. And I know exactly how clearly I marked that ballot, so there won't be any mistake. Win or lose, my vote will be counted.
