| By KJ Meyer - Dec 27th, 2007 at 6:22 pm EST |
| Also listed in: University of Northern Colorado Students for Progress | Metro State College of Denver Students | CU Students for Progress | colorado students for progress |
Categories: Civil Liberties / Privacy, Effective & Ethical Government, Electoral Reform
How is it that voting, a basic constitutional right, is consistently such a problem for state's to figure out how to do well. You’d think that after the Florida election morass that happened in 2000, states would have be able to get their act together enough to create a voting system that efficiently works along with ensuring voter confidence in fair and impartial elections. Apparently not…with Secretary of State Mike Coffman decertifying many of Colorado’s electronic voting machines it has created election turmoil over how to count votes next November. Coffman’s decisions have put him at odds with many county clerks who want an all mail-in ballot next year. However, this apparently was not the option Coffman preferred, because yesterday he recommended to the Legislature that paper ballots be used in the fall.
The result of this mire of voting uncertainty is a showdown this legislative session over election procedures in the centennial state. Legislators have expressed mixed reactions over the debacle. According to the Grand Junction Sentinel:
Coffman's announcement on Wednesday followed one on Monday by state Sen. Ken Gordon, D-Denver, calling for greater use of paper ballots. Gordon said he doubted the reliability of all electronic voting machines and called for legislation to avoid an election fiasco in November.State Rep. Steve King, R-Grand Junction, said he was all the more interested in carrying legislation this session voiding the requirement for state certification and allowing federally certified machines to be used, an effort that state Sen. Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction, endorsed.
Thus a variety of camps are already forming over which is the best method to use. While an eager group of county clerks are understandably looking to institute an easier all mail-in ballot approach. It’s important to remember that this would likely severely hinder voting in the 18-25 year old demographic. These are people who move frequently and often don’t update their voting address as promptly as they should. Under the current mail-in scenario, ballots would be sent to their last registered address. If they’ve moved and forgotten to notify their county clerk- then no ballot. Lets hope this group is kept in mind when the leg. Reconvenes in a couple of weeks.
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I have voted by mail, electronically and by paper ballot and was never concerned that my vote was not being counted. Now I wonder if my electronic and mail votes really were counted.
The vote that I am confident was actually received is the paper ballot. It may not have been counted properly but at least it arrived at the clerk's office.
As Michael Moore has pointed out, if you write names down on index cards, and stack them side by side, it's pretty easy to determine the winner. Just measure the stacks.
There are trillions of dollars up for grabs at each election.
Trusting that people will be honest, in the face of that temptation, is like leaving your teenage daughter chained to a dumpster in an alley: A VERY BAD IDEA.