With the election coming up, there are all sorts of mischief that can go on at the polls. Especially in this climate where the Republicans are losing ground with public opinion, expect unusual things to occur on Election Day. I am presenting two issues here and a solution that I am using to make my own vote count.
Number one, there can be obstruction at the polls. I understand this happened in Ohio last election. Precincts in poorer neighborhoods (presumably Democratic) were given few voting machines. This resulted in extensive waits to vote which discouraged people. Meanwhile suburban precincts had plenty of machines - to collect those likely Republican votes.
Number two, there's the new electronic machines themselves. With no paper receipt, there can be no manual recount. The recount consists of pushing a button to have the machine spit out the exact same number. Are these machines reliable? The company's - Diebold and Sequoia - assure all that they are, but the programming can't be reviewed. It's proprietary. So you can buy your groceries and get a receipt to check you were properly charged, but you can't get a voting receipt.
Solution? Absentee ballot. At least in Florida, they are easy to get. Here, you call the county election office and request it. They send you an application, and from then on, your ballot is mailed to you a month early. No lines or obstructions. Plus, you are sending in a paper ballot which is recountable. Take that, Diebold.
Hmmm, that assumes that the absentee ballots are counted and not discarded. Stop! I can't handle too much paranoia at one time.