General Discussion

diva77

(7,880 posts)

21. Unfortunately, what you see is not what you get - I wish it were

Tue May 9, 2017, 11:50 AM

May 2017

with the use of software in elections, that's like handing off ballots to a republican controlled corporation with proprietary software to calculate your election outcome

Take a look at where we are now with elections: Republicans now dominate state government with 32 legislatures and 33 governors

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/11/14/1598918/-Republicans-now-dominate-state-government-with-32-legislatures-and-33-governors

I assure you, if we were still using hand counted paper ballots we would not have this statistic

Pollworking duty could be implemented using the jury duty system and citizens would only have to help tabulate an election once every few years. I think people, knowing the stakes involved, would be amenable to having that responsibility given to them.

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

37 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

French election: VAST MAJORITY OF VOTING IS BY PAPER BALLOT, COUNTED BY HAND [View all] diva77 May 2017 OP

Well, aren't they voting for just one office? frazzled May 2017 #1

How large is your precinct? Sounds like there is consolidation of precincts going on where you are diva77 May 2017 #2

No, just one precinct frazzled May 2017 #3

unfortunately optiscan machines (or opscans as referred to in article) hackable diva77 May 2017 #5

The registrar can coordinate pollworkers so that there are enough to count ballots at each precinct diva77 May 2017 #6

+++ agree iluvtennis May 2017 #7

I wouldn't trust the poll workers to count their fingers frazzled May 2017 #18

Machine count vs human count invariably concludes... yallerdawg May 2017 #29

sure, unless the machines are purposely intended to miscount. nt TheFrenchRazor May 2017 #36

Here's an excellent & brief youtube that includes footage of hand counting of paper ballots diva77 May 2017 #9

It varies by state and jurisdiction. Igel May 2017 #4

It's a fallacy: belief that you get clean results with computerized voting & tabulating diva77 May 2017 #8

The same can be said for paper ballots Egnever May 2017 #13

Sometimes the simplest solution is the best -- hand counting is the best way to avoid rampant diva77 May 2017 #15

The idea there was no election fraud when it was all paper ballots is not credible Egnever May 2017 #16

nobody is saying that, but it would seem that computers would make it a lot easier. nt TheFrenchRazor May 2017 #35

If election fraud is "rampant" please provide actual evidence mythology May 2017 #25

how will you get a comprehensive hand recount, and examination of software/hardware, if you can't fi TheFrenchRazor May 2017 #34

Are you effing kidding me? LeftyMom May 2017 #10

That's the price you pay for democracy. DetlefK May 2017 #11

Last I checked we already have democracy in California. LeftyMom May 2017 #12

ha ha; that's what they want you to think, anyway. nt TheFrenchRazor May 2017 #33

That can be resolved by having shifts for personnel & increasing number of personnel at precinct diva77 May 2017 #14

Sorry but that is easily verifiable if you use a machine with a paper trail. Egnever May 2017 #17

This would work as long as we also had RANDOM unannounced AUDITS before the results are certified. crazylikafox May 2017 #19

check out my previous response -- #21 diva77 May 2017 #24

the problem is that the paper receipts will never see the light of day 99.999% of the time; in order TheFrenchRazor May 2017 #31

Handing ballots off increases the opportunity for chicanery. LeftyMom May 2017 #20

Unfortunately, what you see is not what you get - I wish it were diva77 May 2017 #21

So if your assertion is true why aren't they effecting elections in CA? LeftyMom May 2017 #22

Gerrymandering definitely plays a role in the republican skewed results. Sometimes it's not diva77 May 2017 #23

Your argument is long on assertions and short on evidence. LeftyMom May 2017 #26

you are a whole lot more trusting than i am; if the machines CAN be hacked, they will be. nt TheFrenchRazor May 2017 #28

The obvious solution is an airgap. LeftyMom May 2017 #30

yes; we need all paper ballots, all hand-counted, all the time. it's been done for centuries, TheFrenchRazor May 2017 #32

Absolutely!!...and don't tell anyone...but hand counting is just COLLATING diva77 May 2017 #37

well, the french obviously aren't as smart as americans... nt TheFrenchRazor May 2017 #27