September 25, 2006
Mail Ballot Horror Show (XV): Post Office Screw-ups
Thanks to TrueSoldier for his Public Blog post on this article from The Oympian
All-mail ballots are supposed to increase participation, but because of a glitch about two dozen Thurston County residents didn't get their primary election votes counted as their ballots were returned to their homes.
"It's rare, but it has happened," County Auditor Kim Wyman said Friday. "This is the first election in a long time" there have been this many.
With mandatory mail voting, it's more likely it will happen again.
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at September 25, 2006
12:59 PM | Email This
1. It's rare, but it does HAPPEN. Poll voting is much better because there is a human that can correct a lot of random and minor errors at the point of balloting where most errors occur. Be the error one that will disenfranchise the voter such as failing to select a party in a primary election, or one that will create ambiguity to later introduce potentially exploits or other uncertainties into the certified results, it is so much better off caught at the polls before it is too late.
Given the cost of elections, and the tried and true technologies at the community polling place, it will cost our communities far less, and provide much greater security if we simply revert to all polling place voting. Yes is would create some inconvenience for the voter, but if a voter is not willing to tolerate the small inconvenience of going to their polling place once or twice a year, are they really all that serious about voting?
2. What with bureaucrat's Ho-Humming...Oh well, so sorry about that....it's time to return to poll balloting, with passport ID. Then, if your car breaks down or you get waylaid on the way to the polls, you take ownership of the situation and isn't out of your control.
3. (overheard standing in line)
"Susu, you cold disenfranchisor. IDs? what--do you hate the poor, the frail, illegal aliens and felons?" (pardon me a minute--the video store guy is asking for my i.d.) "now--what was I saying about voting...?"
4. This is why I oppose all mail voting. I was denied my right to vote because my ballot arrived after the election in 1996. I do not trust them to get it right. Why should I?