Mailed-out ballots? Here's how to protect agains fraud

This already occurs in our state.

Voter requests ballot by a signed form certifying that it is their request.

Voter ID sticker with name, number, precinct information, etc. is applied to that request form and also to the envelope to return the voted ballot either by mail, drop box or in person.

Return privacy envelope has voter sign on the back certifying their vote.

Returned vote envelopes are processed comparing all information and ensuring certifications are filled out by teams of two people from different parties. When everything is good to go, ONLY THEN is the privacy envelope opened, ballot is placed into batch and counted anonymously with the rest. The privacy envelope must be retained for something like 2 years following an election along with other election materials.

Where the fraud opportunity could take place is when split handling procedures aren’t followed and you could have two processing ballots pull ballots from the batch marked for candidate X and fraudulently replace with ballots marked for candidate Y. In many cases, the other offices and votes would be a hodgepodge or all the same, if it was a reproduction. Controlling the printing and issuance of the official paper ballot materials is critical, too.

In our county, all counting is done at one central location by split teams who haven’t touched it at the precinct. All ballot containers are meticulously sealed with unique seals and certifications by the precinct election workers. Pretty much fraud proofed.

I've posted this before.

Here are a few of my suggestions to secure ballots in future elections:

* Ballot paper should be produced with security features such as a watermark, embossed, or embedded strips as found in our currency. Ballot paper can be produced with ultra-violet dyes during manufacture.

* Every paper ballot must be *PRE-PRINTED* (not printed at polling locations on desktop printers) and tracked and accounted for from manufacturing to being counted.

* Every paper ballot should be printed on a paper size that cannot be purchased at Office Max or other off-the-shelf suppliers. NO paper ballot should be able to be printed on a home or officer desktop printer.

* Every paper ballot should be printed with a bar code or QR code so it can be identified as unique and scanned only once. If paper ballots are scanned by optical readers it is simple and cheap to add unique optical-scan security features.

* Every paper ballot should be printed with consecutive numbers or a random algorithm code which corresponds to the bar code or QR code and is verified when scanned.

* The number of ballots printed must match the number of registered voters. 10% can be printed to accommodate a surge in provisional voting or damaged paper ballots. All damaged ballots must be retained.

* Every paper ballot should be easily visually identified as a mail-in or in-person by different colored paper and security number. Mail-in ballots should be printed MAIL-IN BALLOT in a color other than black for easy identification as a mail-in ballot.

Please feel free to debate the merits of each.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.