Problems Predicted with The Vote

Voting is important, some think it is our duty, but something even more important than voting is who (and how) votes are counted. The past few election cycles have seen major irregularities with voting -- and it is feared the problem is getting worse.

The Washington Post reports:

An overhaul in how states and localities record votes and administer elections since the Florida recount battle six years ago has created conditions that could trigger a repeat -- this time on a national scale -- of last week's Election Day debacle in the Maryland suburbs, election experts said.

In the Nov. 7 election, more than 80 percent of voters will use electronic voting machines, and a third of all precincts this year are using the technology for the first time. The changes are part of a national wave, prompted by the federal Help America Vote Act of 2002 and numerous revisions of state laws, that led to the replacement of outdated voting machines with computer-based electronic machines, along with centralized databases of registered voters and other steps to refine the administration of elections.

I think it might be time to bring back those big old voting machines, where you pulled a huge lever to close the curtain and then faced rows of smaller levers that allowed you to cast your vote. Yes they were intimidating, but they seemed to work.