Man vs. Machine: Ban the voting machines once and for all

[Philosoraptor]

Machines break down. That's a universal truth. We cannot trust machines with something as precious as our votes. I wish we could start a paper ballot movement, and go back in time about 200 years and write your vote on a piece of paper with your signature and date and drop it into a shoebox with a hole in the lid.

To hell with the trick machinery, throw a giant wrench into the gears.

[neoblues]

1. And, failing with a wrench...

Here's one potential strategy...

The Voter Receipt Program

Make Your Receipt (MYR)

Stop Voting Fraud Dead In Its Tracks Now!

If the GOP-controlled-Congress and state and county officials continue to refuse to purchase voting machines that issue a receipt, as is likely, we can still stop election fraud in 2006 and 2008 dead in its tracks by simply issuing our own election receipts. The 2006 election will only have Senators and members of the House as well as some important State positions.

What's required is this: you and each voter will fill his or her own receipt out and hand it to the Democractic Party Poll Watcher, designated the Vote Receipt Holder at each precinct in America. If exit polls indicate a problem, or if poll workers and watchers see evidence of vote counting misrepresentations, the receipts can be counted and if they differ from the "official" results of the precinct, county, or state, individual candidates and/or any voter or group of voters or party can file a lawsuit immediately--based upon the receipt count as evidence that all the votes were not counted! Also, the voter receipts will be evidence of a crime for the FBI or state officials to investigate. Sign up if you're willing to help!

more...

Sample Voter Receipt (PDF)

A related page: The Voter Receipt Program System Explained

Remember, whether by this means or some other, we must be able to document/verify our votes in the next election, no... matter... what... else... we... do!
:dem:

Disclaimer: I hope this is not too repetitive (if at all), but in my opinion, it and other such potential strategies for coping with the inevitable voter fraud cannot be posted too many times. This issue should be our primary concern until it has been resolved because it represents an insurmountable obstacle and infringement of our most basic Democratic power as citizens!

[Philosoraptor]

3. Excellent strategy!

A receipt, of course. So they are refusing us a receipt? That's like shopping and getting no receipt, only much worse.

[annabanana]

2. I like it.

Why is it always dismissed out-of-hand? Doesn't India vote the good old fashioned way? If they can do it with their numbers, why not us?

[neoblues]

4. I Understand Germany...

with all it's modernity and engineering, still does it like that--complete with hand counts. It takes a day (or was it a couple of days) to achieve a tally, but that's an incredibly small price to pay... for the Truth!

I'm just afraid, just as you pointed out, that such brilliantly simple and robust ideas are indeed likely to be dismissed out-of-hand. :banghead:

[July]

5. Spain also uses a paper ballot, and the vote is counted quickly.

IIRC, Zapatero's win was confirmed the night of the election.

Because Spaniards have national IDs, there's no voter registration; you show up at your precinct w/the ID and go to a table responsible for around 300 voters that is manned by citizens called to election duty the way we are called to jury duty. The tally of each table must be confirmed by all workers and sealed in an envelope, which is forwarded to a central tabulation location, and envelopes are opened only if there is a question about the count, in which case the paper ballots are counted again. Seems to work pretty well.

[neoblues]

6. Don't See Why Not...

So It Can Be Done, and Done Quickly. And it wouldn't cost millions (shockingly, it might only cost thousands relatively). If only we could force every state, county and local elections board to go for it and begin making the necessary plans for personnel and printing... (this is causing my temperature and pressure to climb... it makes me so mad)

We could have a national day of celebration, the "Boston Black-box Tea Party"... I wonder, would those electronic voting machines and tabulators be safe and work to provide the basis for artificial reefs? (we can't just dump them in the nearest body of water... unfortunately).