Voter Fraud is a REALITY! :(

[lyrica9]

i refuse to do the electronic ballots, way more stories of voter fraud.

speaking of voter fraud, i got my own taste of it this year.
i was worried because it was october 30th, and i hadn't received my registration card. i called the county registrar and was told my registration was canceled because my license number was invalid. i was confused, because i used their website "am i registered" and with my driver's license discovered i was still registered in my previous county of residence.

so i was told i had to go to the county registrar's office on friday before 7pm for early voting to fill out paperwork and a provisional ballot, which would be counted only after all of my information was validated.

i got there, filled out my paperwork and was called up. they then told me my registration wasn't processed because it was incomplete. i mentioned that the person i spoke with before told me it was because my license wasn't coming up as valid. the fact that i was getting a different story already made me wary. the clerk pulled up the form i sent in and was confused, as my form was complete, everything was correct, including my license number, cross referenced with the card.

so after all this i was told it was fixed in the system and my registration card would be mailed to me in a few days, and to proceed down the hall with a post-it with my registration number and vote.

crisis averted, but still, i felt very disenfranchised at first. if i hadn't inquired before early voting ended, i would have been screwed out of my vote. why did the registrar randomly decide my registration wasn't good enough?

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by lyrica9

crisis averted, but still, i felt very disenfranchised at first. if i hadn't inquired before early voting ended, i would have been screwed out of my vote. why did the registrar randomly decide my registration wasn't good enough?

You're in Travis County, right? I've already heard a few horror stories coming out of there.

I filled out a paper ballot since I went absentee. There's no question who I voted for. In my home precinct, they used to do the electronic ballots, but now I believe they do Scantrons.

[UGAalum94]

I understand the problems that are possible with the Diebold machine, but doesn't it seem that there ought to be a way to do secure electronic voting?

It's not the case that there was no voter fraud with paper ballots, so while they do at least offer a paper trail, it seems to me that with everything that we are willing to accept the security of electronically, that it ought to be possible to have secure and accurate electronic voting.

I mean, think about the whole scan form procedure. Why would that be a whole lot more secure? Is the idea that if the totals were manipulated when the computer counted them, you'd at least have the paper forms to compare them too? Wouldn't the same be true with touch screen votes that printed two receipts: one for the voter and one for the polling station?

[AGDee]

The problem is with the Diebold machines that do not print a paper receipt.

Some states/precincts have set it up so that they do, so that's a better system.

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by AGDee

The problem is with the Diebold machines that do not print a paper receipt.

Some states/precincts have set it up so that they do, so that's a better system.

Yeah, the paper receipt would be an improvement, but I'm really just surprised by folks who feel like paper ballots are as far as we should ever take voting in terms of technology, and it just doesn't make sense to me, seeing that paper ballots aren't foolproof in terms of fraud and improvements could likely be make to electronic voting.

We vote statewide on Diebold, and it doesn't bother me that much. I feel like trying to perfect electronic voting makes more sense than using a zillion different paper methods.

[DGTess]

Without paper, though, Gore couldn't have screamed about Florida.

[Leslie Anne]

Originally Posted by DGTess

Without paper, though, Gore couldn't have screamed about Florida.

Give it a rest, woman. It's been 8 years.

[honeychile]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

Yeah, the paper receipt would be an improvement, but I'm really just surprised by folks who feel like paper ballots are as far as we should ever take voting in terms of technology, and it just doesn't make sense to me, seeing that paper ballots aren't foolproof in terms of fraud and improvements could likely be make to electronic voting.

We vote statewide on Diebold, and it doesn't bother me that much. I feel like trying to perfect electronic voting makes more sense than using a zillion different paper methods.

I've seen local elections turn around by the paper print out. It made me a believer.

[agzg]

Originally Posted by honeychile

I've seen local elections turn around by the paper print out. It made me a believer.

"Then I saw her face..."

Oh wait, this isn't the song name game thread?

[lyrica9]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

You're in Travis County, right? I've already heard a few horror stories coming out of there.

nah, i'm from travis county, but i'm living in denton county.
i can see how there would be a move for voter fraud in travis, since it's the little blue oasis.

[kafromTN]

Voter intimidation can occur both ways. Foxnews is the only one I've seen reporting this, but here's some raw footage of voter intimidation in Philly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neGbKHyGuHU

Say what you will, I think Foxnews is more fair and balanced than other news organizations.

just my $.02 worth

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by kafromTN

Say what you will, I think Foxnews is more fair and balanced than other news organizations.

just my $.02 worth

Which is about what it's worth.

Not saying that, for example, MSNBC is any better, but Fox might as well have been on the McCain-Palin campaign payroll the last few weeks.

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Which is about what it's worth.

Not saying that, for example, MSNBC is any better, but Fox might as well have been on the McCain-Palin campaign payroll the last few weeks.

Do you think they make more than Matt Lauer makes on the Clinton payroll?

[kafromTN]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Which is about what it's worth.

Not saying that, for example, MSNBC is any better, but Fox might as well have been on the McCain-Palin campaign payroll the last few weeks.

Check out the CMPA.

To explain it's like a -10 to +10 number line, with 0 being absolutely neutral, Foxnews is a +3 while CNN, MSNBC, CBS etc are -7s or -8s. I never said they were not slanted, but they are slanted less than the others.

CNN, MSNBC, CBS etc probably are on the Obama payroll. I like to look at both sides, I have a viewpoint b/c I do look at both sides of an issue.

Don't worry I'm not a McCain supporter, but in politics today I'm forced to vote for the lesser of evils.

[preciousjeni]

I've never voted in NY before (only GA). They had these machine deals where you flip down tab next to your selection and then, when you've finished, you flip a big red level over to lock in your vote. I'm assuming papers were being punched but I never saw any paper.