Politics 2008:The Caucuses and The Dem/Rep Conventions

[ladygreek]

Originally Posted by AKA2D '91

My sister called and told me something very similar to your experience. She said she had been in line for 2 hours and there seemed to be hundreds in front of her. She said that (at this time it was 8:56), they (election PTB) were beginning to "shut down".

Earlier last night, I spoke with a Sororfriend in the area, and her friend interrupted our call to say that there were hundreds in line waiting to caucus where she was.

You all like to do things BIG in Texas.

I heard on TJMS that in Ohio, precints ran out of ballots. There were also cases when voting on paper, there are stipulations that voters must follow. For instance, when voting on paper the ink can't bleed through the paper. huh?

I know Louisiana is on the bottom of the list for many national lists, but I am so glad we have had voting machines, and these new computerized machines. You just click on the area and CAST VOTE!

I really don't understand why every state has not come into the 21st century with technology.

[CrimsonTide4]

Ohio used to have voting machines but last Spring they voted to do away with it from what I remember hearing on the news while in Ohio last May.

TonyB, can elaborate more for me.

[ladylike]

Originally Posted by CrimsonTide4

Ohio used to have voting machines but last Spring they voted to do away with it from what I remember hearing on the news while in Ohio last May.

TonyB, can elaborate more for me.

Are you referring to the touch screen voting machines?

[CrimsonTide4]

Originally Posted by ladylike

Are you referring to the touch screen voting machines?

Yup, I forget you're in Ohio too.

[ladylike]

Originally Posted by CrimsonTide4

...I forget you're in Ohio...

I try to forget, too.

The last two primaries I've participated in had touch screen voting machines.
One was a little more antiquated than the other.

The new secretary of state wants Ohio to go back to paper ballots. I'm not sure how many counties have done so (if at all).

[CrimsonTide4]

Originally Posted by ladylike

I try to forget, too.

The last two primaries I've participated in had touch screen voting machines.
One was a little more antiquated than the other.

The new secretary of state wants Ohio to go back to paper ballots. I'm not sure how many counties have done so (if at all).

Yeah, this is what I was referring to earlier.

[TonyB06]

Originally Posted by CrimsonTide4

Ohio used to have voting machines but last Spring they voted to do away with it from what I remember hearing on the news while in Ohio last May.

TonyB, can elaborate more for me.

Ohio has several issues:

- there is no consistent system statewide. Some counties use touch pad, others use paper ballots;

- Voting apparatus is not always sufficiently maintained, leading to machine breakdowns, misplaced or "lost" paper ballots....I can't say it's exclusive to urban areas, but I've never heard/read of voting machines in affluent communities having problems.

- Insufficient quantity of working machines (again, this appears more often in urban communities. I've seen simular reports from Columbus and Cincinnati). Given that counties know the number of registered voters in their counties, this one is really mystifying... or not.

- There is no legal requirement, so far as I can tell, for counties to maintain proper working order of whatever system they use. This results in election day machine breakdowns, longer lines and delays which disuade people from voting.

State election officials about 4 months ago ordered Cuyahoga County (Cleveland), which has had a lot of these issues in the last few elections to step its game up. What enforcement ability the state has to mandate changes isn't known. They toured the Cuy County Bd. of Elections last week and said everything was "all good," but, you can take that for whatever you feel it's worth.

[ladygreek]

Originally Posted by TonyB06

Ohio has several issues:

- there is no consistent system statewide. Some counties use touch pad, others use paper ballots;

- Voting apparatus is not always sufficiently maintained, leading to machine breakdowns, misplaced or "lost" paper ballots....I can't say it's exclusive to urban areas, but I've never heard/read of voting machines in affluent communities having problems.

- Insufficient quantity of working machines (again, this appears more often in urban communities. I've seen simular reports from Columbus and Cincinnati). Given that counties know the number of registered voters in their counties, this one is really mystifying... or not.

- There is no legal requirement, so far as I can tell, for counties to maintain proper working order of whatever system they use. This results in election day machine breakdowns, longer lines and delays which disuade people from voting.

State election officials about 4 months ago ordered Cuyahoga County (Cleveland), which has had a lot of these issues in the last few elections to step its game up. What enforcement ability the state has to mandate changes isn't known. They toured the Cuy County Bd. of Elections last week and said everything was "all good," but, you can take that for whatever you feel it's worth.

wow, that is crazy.

[KAPital PHINUst]

Originally Posted by ladygreek

I really don't understand why every state has not come into the 21st century with technology.

Because with technology data can be more easily manipulated than with paper ballots and be less likely to leave an audit trail. I actually saw video of a congressional testimony for an electronic ballot contracting company where the contractor was being asked questions on whether the data could be manipulated and he was saying yes it could.

I wouldn't be so quick to give credence to electronic ballots if I were you.

I'll leave you all with this quote:

"Those who cast the ballots decide nothing. Those who count the ballots decide everything." - Joseph Stalin.

[AKA2D '91]

Originally Posted by KAPital PHINUst

Because with technology data can be more easily manipulated than with paper ballots and be less likely to leave an audit trail. I actually saw video of a congressional testimony for an electronic ballot contracting company where the contractor was being asked questions on whether the data could be manipulated and he was saying yes it could.

I wouldn't be so quick to give credence to electronic ballots if I were you.

I'll leave you all with this quote:

"Those who cast the ballots decide nothing. Those who count the ballots decide everything." - Joseph Stalin.

I understand that, too. BUT, as long as I cast my vote, that's all I'm concerned with. What happens after that, is out of my hands. At least I've made an effort to go to the polls and take care of the business as expeditiously as possible.

[mccoyred]

Originally Posted by KAPital PHINUst

Because with technology data can be more easily manipulated than with paper ballots and be less likely to leave an audit trail. I actually saw video of a congressional testimony for an electronic ballot contracting company where the contractor was being asked questions on whether the data could be manipulated and he was saying yes it could.

I wouldn't be so quick to give credence to electronic ballots if I were you.

I'll leave you all with this quote:

"Those who cast the ballots decide nothing. Those who count the ballots decide everything." - Joseph Stalin.

Why can't there be both? An electronic vote with electronic back up (onsite and offsite) AND paper documentation (for the voter and for the election board). I don't understand why that is so difficult? My pocket calculator is smarter than the average voting machine! Frankly, I think it is a ploy by the politicians and voting machine manufacturers to keep the public and local governments spending money that they should be spending elsewhere....

[ladygreek]

Originally Posted by KAPital PHINUst

Because with technology data can be more easily manipulated than with paper ballots and be less likely to leave an audit trail. I actually saw video of a congressional testimony for an electronic ballot contracting company where the contractor was being asked questions on whether the data could be manipulated and he was saying yes it could.

I wouldn't be so quick to give credence to electronic ballots if I were you.

I'll leave you all with this quote:

"Those who cast the ballots decide nothing. Those who count the ballots decide everything." - Joseph Stalin.

Are you kiddding? Paper ballots can be shredded, burned, tossed into the trash, etc. With electronic ballots there IS an audit trail somewhere on the computer. And there is an audit trail if the data is manipulated.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by ladygreek

Are you kiddding? Paper ballots can be shredded, burned, tossed into the trash, etc. With electronic ballots there IS an audit trail somewhere on the computer. And there is an audit trail if the data is manipulated.

When they were testing new ballots for our county my favorite of the machines was one that you entered electronically and then it printed your results twice. One receipt was for you, one was a backup copy sent to a locked box in case of recounts. It was perfect. They went with a touch screen that still has paper back up, but we don't get a copy, we drop the printout in the locked box ourselves.

[mccoyred]

Originally Posted by ladygreek

Are you kiddding? Paper ballots can be shredded, burned, tossed into the trash, etc. With electronic ballots there IS an audit trail somewhere on the computer. And there is an audit trail if the data is manipulated.

Soror, you know and I know but we cannot assume that just because someone is on the Internet regularly that they have CLUE about technology...*sigh*

[ladygreek]

Originally Posted by mccoyred

Soror, you know and I know but we cannot assume that just because someone is on the Internet regularly that they have CLUE about technology...*sigh*

Good point.