Now, he says, we just have Ballot-Counting Day.
To me, it was important to go to vote. There was ritual to it, and personal contact. Always there was a row of poll workers.
Mine was a lady well past retirement age. I don't remember her name; I remember her hair. It was bright orange. The orange-haired lady knew me by name. I never knew my precinct, but she did.
I always left the polling station with a good feeling, partly because of her. I had shown up, done my duty, and had been recognized.
That was Election Day. This isn't. Today is merely Ballot-Counting Day, and it's a sad imitation of the real thing.
(For those not familiar with Washington election procedures: The state has almost entirely eliminated voting in person, despite the losses that Ramsey describes, and despite the risks from absentee ballots.)
Four or five years ago, I began thanking the election workers each election, after I had voted. Two years ago, I did this post, in their honor. Today, I miss seeing those election workers, especially the white-haired lady who presided over my precinct.
Cross posted at Jim Miller on Politics.
Posted by Jim Miller at November 03, 2009 02:17 PM | Email ThisI agree pretty much with Mr. Ramsey, but have one serious bone to pick with the editorial.
Wholly omitted from it is the fact that most voter fraud is committed in precincts which use postal voting. After all the 'discovered-to-our-surprise' ballots that tipped the King County and Washington elections to Gregoire in 2004, it is incumbent on Mr. Ramsey to demonstrate the security of mail-in voting. He can't, of course, and in a one-party county like King, infested as it is by the minions of ACORN, the SEIU and WEA, it should be expected that votes are being cheerfully manufactured by the thousand to ensure that it remains a one-party county.
We once had a Republic, but failed to keep it.
Posted by: micropotamus on November 3, 2009 03:04 PMThe folks who worked the polls feel the same losses that you, Bruce, and the rest of the regular voters feel. One particular pleasure I miss most keenly was the delight of helping someone vote for the first time.
And we agree, too, that ballot counting day does not have nearly the same community we're-all-in-this-together feel that election day did.
Posted by: Paul Butzi on November 3, 2009 03:05 PMThe folks who worked the polls feel the same losses that you, Bruce, and the rest of the regular voters feel. One particular pleasure I miss most keenly was the delight of helping someone vote for the first time.
And we agree, too, that ballot counting day does not have nearly the same community we're-all-in-this-together feel that election day did.
Posted by: Paul Butzi on November 3, 2009 03:06 PMSo, are people ready to run an initiative to eliminate vote by mail, including the no-excuses absentee voting that we used to have? To require a reason to vote absentee, and to have some controls on it?
Are we ready to require photo ID at polling places, and take the other measures to insure that only legal, registered voters vote, and they vote only one time each election -- rather than the current system, in which people can just sign their ballot envelopes and hand them over to who-knows-who to mark their votes for them?
Are we ready to eliminate electronic vote counting, and go back to the way it used to be done -- people mark their ballots in a public place (behind a screen for privacy), then put the ballots in a box in clear view of everyone (a plexiglass box, even)? Then at the end of the day, poll workers from all sides open the box, count the votes in that precinct by hand, post the results publicly at the polling place, and call them in for tabulation?
No dependency on scanners, software, networks, mailmen, or any other "black box" of any kind. Everything 100% open, transparent, and reproducible, except for knowing how each individual voter marked their ballot?
All we need is enough people to volunteer (or accept token pay) to staff the polling places and do the counting and observing.
I have my doubts, because too many people just don't care, and prefer the convenience of voting at home over the security of voting at polling places.
Posted by: Toby Nixon on November 3, 2009 03:26 PMAnd what about in more controlling households. How many dominant spouses effectively forced a vote in the direction they wanted. How many people literally sold their votes. After all, you can sell your ballot with a signed envelope, and they buyer gets to fill in the little circles.
We NEED the secret ballot to protect the integrity of the vote. We have lost a lot.
Hairy
Posted by: Hairy Buddah on November 3, 2009 04:06 PMIronic that I had to show ID to vote there; anyone, including their dog, can be registered or vote now without proof of anything.
Posted by: yaddacubed on November 3, 2009 04:10 PMIt was never an imposition - I made time because it was important.
Posted by: deadwood on November 3, 2009 04:22 PMAs Drudge headlines under a photo of Obama: "Uh-O"
Posted by: Michele on November 3, 2009 04:26 PMyou guys sound like the newspaper business complaining about people getting their news from the internet.
the way of the booth is gone. life changes. mail ballots are much more convenient and are here to stay. thank goodness.
there are other things and traditions that can be done to build community and celebrate our democracy. dream. don't just dwell on the past.
Posted by: peter on November 3, 2009 06:16 PMThe polling place in my precinct was on the way to my kid's school. Beginning in kindergarten, I took them with me to vote. They were extremely proud to walk into school that morning with the little "I voted" stickers on their collars.
I am happy to say that those two children are now registered voters in our state (my 18 year old son registered just 2 weeks ago) and though it was fun to do it as a family around the dinner table, going back to old polling place they went as very young children would have been more special.
Posted by: D Doyle on November 3, 2009 06:27 PMUnfortunately, with 76% of the precincts reporting, Owens has 7345, Hoffman 6985...
Posted by: d on November 3, 2009 06:33 PMHe probably also misses the day when people used to subscribe to newspapers and give a hoot about what cranky old farts like him miss.
Posted by: scottd on November 3, 2009 07:53 PMBTW - how do we start an initiative to stop robo calls? I'm on the no call list and have received about 10 a night the last two weeks from campaigns. It's ridiculous.
Posted by: Dengle on November 3, 2009 08:09 PMRaising this issue is only a smokescreen for you right-wing tards anyway. Look at the results: Susan Hutchison: CRUSHED! Tim Eyman: CRUSHED! R-71: PASSING statewide. Hoffman LOSES in NY-23.
Bottom line: It SUCKS to be a right-winger today. My sympathies -- NOT!
What's my point? My point is I don't give a sh*t about VA or NJ. I'm talking about here in WA state, where we kicked your side's a*ses from here to Washtucna, and you can't hide from that.
its a big crushing defeat for the libtards and the rats.....
this is eerily similar to 1994....
your days are numbered.....
as for 1033...well, I can't help it if people want to be taxed out of their homes....but we got to pay for those state pensions somehow...
Posted by: lee on November 3, 2009 09:47 PMits a big crushing defeat for the libtards and the rats.....
this is eerily similar to 1994....
your days are numbered.....
as for 1033...well, I can't help it if people want to be taxed out of their homes....but we got to pay for those state pensions somehow...
Posted by: lee on November 3, 2009 09:47 PMAnd how did unions work out for inspiring Boeing to keep the 787 line in WA?
Be as gleeful as you want, no one doubts your single party control of this state. But WA isn't exactly a state of model success. And eventually, folks will wake up and realize decades of the same collectivist slogans, have not created the promised utopia.
Posted by: SBS on November 4, 2009 07:11 AMWhy don't you hold Crusader @ 37's little hand and help him find Virginia? There should be enough Confederate flag-wavers there to make you both feel more at home.
Stay classy 'tard!
Posted by: Alphabet Soup on November 4, 2009 04:31 PMoh, the irony, caliphate soup.
Posted by: mike on November 4, 2009 05:12 PMWe worked very hard to prevent vote by mail. We took the arrows. With a few notable exceptions (Stefan, Toby, Jonathan from the EFF, a few others), the Republicans were no shows.
And now you're upset?
Why you'd all sit out that debate? Thought it was just partisanship?
Your boy, Sam Reed, is now pushing changing the rule to "ballots received by election day".
I've talked to A LOT of voters. The only people who care about early results are candidates and the media. Everyone else wants accurate results.
Here's Reed's M.O.:
Step 1, Create the crisis.
Step 2, Misrepresent the problem.
Step 3, Propose a fix that makes the situation even worse.
I'm keen to see the response from the right to Reed's latest attempt to undermine our elections.
My guess is it's easier to complain than to get up and fight for our democracy.
Please.
Continue.
Posted by: Jason Osgood on November 9, 2009 09:22 AM
