Voting and Purple Fingers
 

In some areas of the world, part of the voting process involves having those that vote get a finger (normally index) dipped in Purple Indelible ink.

What would people think about having that in all or part of the USA?

Maybe I'm missing something obvious, but why?

I'm assuming because voter fraud is rampant and this way once you've voted, you couldn't go to another precinct and vote again.

Hmmm, most of what I'd read suggests that voter fraud has been blown out of proportion, and having a purple finger would annoy the crap out of me. But I am admittedly not an expert.

Right. It tends to be done in parts of the world where the technology to prevent voter fraud may not be as readily accessible.

Yep to both, at least in the US.. I can also imagine people not liking that it immediately identifies who has voted and who hasn't.

I can see where the indelible ink is useful for preventing voter fraud. Mistakes get made, even in developed countries. For YEARS after I moved out of the town where I grew up (hell, I moved out of the state altogether, then got married and changed my last name), I was still on the registered voter list, in my hometown, under my maiden name. My mother was continually asked at the polls if she was <myfirstname>. If I'd kept any ID in my maiden name, I could have voted twice. (I never did, of course.)

OTOH, I'd be annoyed at having to walk around all day with a purple finger. It's annoying enough when I go to a club and get my hand stamped and the stamp is still visible the next day after a shower and multiple hand washings. And I hated walking around with ashes on Ash Wednesday.

My state has voter ID laws. When you go to your polling place, you give your street address, then your name, and you present your ID. Your name is then crossed off the list of eligible voters, and you are given a ballot. You fill out the ballot, insert it into a machine, and off you go with your "I Voted" sticker. For me, that's sufficient. (Then again, I have such an unusual last name and such a weird street address that it's highly unlikely someone would try to impersonate me at the polls. :p )

LOL! Before I got married, I was able to say, "I'm the last S" to the poll worker. They were always shocked that I indeed was!

I haven't voted here yet, as I still voted absentee. Hope it makes for a good story, though.

And how would this work with early voting anyway?? In my state (assuming there are others that do this) we can vote every day for about 2 weeks leading up to the actual election day. That would have to be some super-serious ink to stay THAT long. Having a purple finger for a day? Meh. Having it for 2 weeks? No way.

Doesn't "indelible" mean "permanent?" My first thought was "I don't want a purple finger for life!" LOL Then I realized that even Sharpie comes off with enough scrubbing. :o

I'm a huge supporter of voter ID laws. Even if voter fraud is a bit blown out of proportion, it still does happen and is incredibly unfair. However, I don't think that a purple finger is necessary. Photo ID is sufficient.

This.

100% agree.

I can understand the sentiment, but I do wonder: If high school students can fairly easily get fake IDs to buy alcohol, then I suspect that anyone who really wants to commit voter fraud won't be stopped by a voter ID requirement. Photo ID requirements may foster greater confidence in the integrity of the system -- which may be a sufficient good in and of itself -- but I'd be interested to see data concerning whether they appreciably decrease fraud. My guess is that increased technological capabilities -- such as the ability to regularly compare databases of voter rolls, drivers licenses, death certificates, etc. -- are much more effective tools for reducing fraud.

I totally see what you're saying here, but I would guess (hunch) that most of the fake ID's high school students are carrying these days are their older sibling (or someone they know)'s ID that looks like them but isn't actually them. Fake ID's aren't like what they were (get at a flea market!) when I was in HS 25 years ago - because of precautions with holograms, etc... This sort of ID swapping couldn't happen in a voting situation because once it was used...it was used...regardless of who did it.