Rogue Culture Aficionado

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Voter's Beware! Make sure your vote counts...

Posted by Il Padrone on 10/23/2008

Dvice.com has done some great research on the machines we will be using to vote with November 4, 2008.

After consulting with voting-machine experts, makers, election officials, and several studies on the subject, Dvice examined the types of machines to be used in each county; punch-card, lever, optical scan, paper, and electronic. The machines were then ranked based on their proneness to voter error and hack-ability. Thena color code/ranking system was formulated to determine, in a quantifiable way, which County's could pose possible problems with accurately recording votes.

Voter Error Prone

• Punch card: 5, red
• Lever: 4, orange
• Optical scan: 3, yellow
• Paper: 2, light green
• Electronic: 1, green

Hack-ability

• Electronic: 5, red
• Optical scan: 4, orange
• Lever: 3, yellow
• Punch card: 2, light green
• Paper: 1, green

Dvice does note, that to date, "There has never been a proven case of widespread technological voter fraud in any national U.S. election." But I am sure that 2000's presidential election and Florida's "Butterfly Ballots" debacle still sticks in the collective conscious of American citizens.

Already, various reports are surfacing from around the country about problems at the ballot:

The Washington Post reports:

"Report Warns of Potential Voting Problems in 10 States
Two weeks before the midterm elections, at least 10 states, including Maryland, remain ripe for voting problems, according to a study released yesterday by a nonpartisan clearinghouse that tracks electoral reforms across the United States..."

USNEWS.com reports:

New Voting Systems Could Cause Problems in Swing States Analysts Are Concerned About Some of the New Systems Being Implemented In key states.
After its election's razor-thin margin necessitated the first recount, Palm Beach County took two weeks to account for nearly 3,500 ballots thought missing. When they were found, on shelves with the other ballots, many could not be interpreted. Voters seemed to find the ballot's brand-new format, in which arrows had to be connected, completely unintelligible. Some had checked or circled their answers; others wrote jokes in the margins; one covered the paper with lipstick kisses

The 2000 mess? No. This Floridian fiasco occurred during the state's Aug. 26, 2008,..."

ABC NEWS reports:

"Voting Problems Persist as Election Nears Despite Snags, Record Numbers of Americans Are Turning Out to Vote Early

ACORN ad nauseam, troubling typos in registration rolls and voters potentially turned away for want of a checked box. The pressure for a punctilious combing of voting records continues, yet through it all, the voters persevere. From North Carolina to Illinois to Nevada, an astounding number of Americans have been breaking records by turning out early to vote..."

My advice is to spend a little time with your sample ballot learning the process for your county. Then check and recheck your ballot (or screen) twice and make sure your vote is counted for your candidate. Good Luck!

OBAMA
BIDEN
2008

   

Labels: Biden, Dvice, Election News, OBAMA, Vote, Voting Machines, Voting Problems

4 Comments:

1. The Real Realtor said...
   October 23, 2008 at 10:27 AM  
   I will say this...GET OUT THERE AND VOTE. The lines are mayhem but you will find some entertainment. REMEMBER the 2 things you should 'never talk about'...sex & politics. While I was on line for 1.5 hours (keep in mind I thought I'd beat the rush). I was entertained with the following people...An aethist, a Protestant, A Catholic, a Jew, & ME! I was listening the entire time. Everyone had their reasons for being right. It reminded me how we really haven't come that far as it pertains to being an effective listener or understanding someone else's views. Listen...(as I told the 'crowd' yesterday) Life is short...if you need religion to get yourself to heaven then so be it. But don't try to convince me that anyone is more right. These 'figures' that you pay homage to on a weekly basis is your perogative. Ultimately you believe in the same GOD.
   
   AS for the voting machines...it's still not a perfect system. Can't we just mail it in? Good luck out there. Mr. Obama...you got my vote.
   Anonymous said...
   October 23, 2008 at 6:55 PM  
   El Matador... maybe you should get your own blog and try using these "comment" areas on this blog for actually commenting directly on the post.
   
   Voting methods need to be universal in every state and city. I am sure we all agree. We will get it.
   Obama will bring it! GAME ON!
   Anonymous said...
   October 23, 2008 at 7:07 PM  
   One more thing, Il Padrone for you, please do everything you can to get people out to vote and not make them wonder if their vote will count and perhaps defer them from voting because the system is flawed with these write ups like this. We all NEED to vote whether flawed or not, because it is our voice and we need to use it in every step and in every chance we get toward rebuilding America and taking back our country for the People.
   Il Padrone said...
   October 24, 2008 at 9:35 AM  
   If you read the whole article... from the title to the last paragraph I say " check and recheck your ballot (or screen) twice" to make sure you vote is counted as you voted. My article in no way discourages anyone from voting... in fact most of the articles I cite say that voters are turning out in record numbers, but I want people to be prepared and aware, before they walk in to the booth, of the problems in their county's city's and states. Knowledge is power... and I am sure people will use this knowledge to insure their vote is counted accurately.

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