D.E.I = Department of Election Integrity

Original Content | 11/22/2024 | By Laz A. Mataz

[Lazamataz]

This election was remarkably free of fraud, it appears, although those that commit voter fraud certainly tried to set up situations where they could act. However, because of the efforts of Michael Whatley and Lara Trump, those attempts were largely quashed.

For a very long time, over 35 years, Republicans found it hard to challenge increasingly-obvious Democrat voter fraud due to a Consent Decree entered in Federal Court which was created in 1982 due to allegations of 'voter caging'.

However, in 2018, the Consent Decree expired, and Republicans slowly began ramping up efforts to detect and fight voter fraud. This culminated in the very successful legal efforts to stop voter fraud in 2024.

Lara Trump was instrumental in rapidly responding to a variety of attempts to steal the presidential election. As examples, she, with her team of lawyers and with the blessing of RNC Chairman Michael Whatley, stopped an attempt in real time to deny Republican observers to observe the collection of mail-in and absentee ballots in the notoriously felonious Fulton County, Georgia. She and her team also prevented Pennsylvanian counties from counting illegal ballots for a closely-contested Senatorial race.

Her performance was stellar, and may have tipped the balance in many elections. I feel she was so good that she should be made the Czar of an informal government entity that I'd call the Department of Election Integrity -- D.E.I., for short.

I like the name because it gives a gentle mockery to the other definition of D.E.I. (Diversity-Equity-Inclusion), this premise being used to grant employment to people who don't qualify for the role based strictly on their minority racial, gender, or sexual orientation.

If such a quasi-official department is created, there should be several focuses:

1. There should be a push for true voter identification requirements in every state. It should be noted that those states that did not require voter identification, universally cast their electoral votes for Kamala Harris, even if six states that required voter identification also cast their votes for her.
2. Software for voting machines and tabulators should be Open Source, so that skilled developers can inspect it before an election. Open Source is a development paradigm in which the source code to an application is freely available for all.
3. The Open Source software for voting machines and tabulators should have a software 'signature', and that signature should be readily available at each voting machine and each vote tabulator, to ensure that the software version aligns with what Open Source software has been vetted.
4. There should be a hard end-date, universal among the states, for collection of ballots. That date, to my mind, should be midnight on Election Day. We should no longer have to endure two- or three-week delays in the reporting of results.
5. Ballot-Harvesting, the practice of collecting large numbers of ballots by organizations (or by individuals not personally related to a voter) should be strictly illegal.
6. Mail-in ballots should be restricted in use, applicable only in very limited circumstances. When a ballot leaves a voter's hands and enters the mail, it no longer is in a forensically-secure stream and can easily be eliminated or altered.
7. Those organizations who collect and deliver voter registrations should be prosecuted if it is shown that they are 'dumping' a large number of fraudulent registrations, or registrations for non-citizens.

Embracing and realizing these goals will go a long way to truing our election system. We are one of the most technically advanced countries in the world. There is no excuse for the poor way in which we conduct elections.

[Lazamataz]

Plus as you know, States create their own election rules (fair or cheating) and is not a Federal matter, unless they break their own State rules as in Bush vs Gore back when. Then the USSC can intervene as it did.

I respectfully disagree. There was a time when Poll Taxes and Poll Tests were used to disenfranchise blacks. The Civil Rights act and the intervention of SCOTUS changed that.

This fraud disenfranchises many, and on that basis, can be leveraged to apply some Federal controls.

[Enterprise]

Before I forget, that was a very well thought out article! You are illustrative of the talent drawn to this forum.

[PeterPrinciple]

I like the name because it gives a gentle mockery to the other definition of D.E.I. (Diversity-Equity-Inclusion),

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Name is good and proper. and your points are good.

my preferences is not another federal entity but a coalition of standards by the states, like the Uniform Commercial Code.

[A Navy Vet]

"I respectfully disagree. There was a time when Poll Taxes and Poll Tests were used to disenfranchise blacks."

I don't understand where you disagree with my statement about State control of their elections. The States create/legislate their own electoral/election rules. See Article I, Section 4. of the Constitution. I can't remember the US Code number, but it is also Congressionally approved.

As for your "time" of Poll Taxes and Poll Tests, that it is history and non longer applicable, no matter how much the Dim/socialist/commies claim. No one is being disenfranchised, except for many citizens' votes by the election cheating and fraud.

[Lazamataz]

I don't understand where you disagree with my statement about State control of their elections. The States create/legislate their own electoral/election rules. See Article I, Section 4. of the Constitution. I can't remember the US Code number, but it is also Congressionally approved.

I agree with this, but....

As for your "time" of Poll Taxes and Poll Tests, that it is history and non longer applicable, no matter how much the Dim/socialist/commies claim. No one is being disenfranchised, except for many citizens' votes by the election cheating and fraud.

This actually proves my point. Federal oversight can occur to prevent disenfranchisement, and precedent was set for that because of Poll Taxes and Poll Tests, no matter how long ago.

[A Navy Vet]

"This actually proves my point. Federal oversight can occur to prevent disenfranchisement, and precedent was set for that because of Poll Taxes and Poll Tests, no matter how long ago."

If you're now talking about my point of citizen votes being disenfranchised because of the cheating, then we're on the same page. Again, thanks for all your efforts. I used to be an activist (even street), but just too old now. Carry on. Sir.

[FrozenAssets]

Thanks, Laz

I have a few thoughts.

I like the idea in general but I am loathe to form any new government body. They never get cheaper, they never get smaller, and they never go away. There should be some standards. Elections for national office should be overseen at a national level. Elections for state office should be overseen at the state level. Local elections should be overseen at the local level.

The actual process of voting

All elections shall be conducted on paper ballots that are marked with a serial number. There shall be strict accountability of ballot custody from printing to counting whether in person or absentee. A scanner can be used to assist in counting, but the paper ballots must be retained for some set number of years.

Any one wishing to vote shall provide verifiable identification, and sign a precinct list or voter roll next to their name before they are given a ballot. That is how it is done where we live.

Non in person voting should only be allowed in the case of absentee voting. Allowable reasons for executing an absentee vote should be specific and narrowly defined.

Absentee ballots should be made available sufficiently in advance of an election for them to be executed and returned before the election. In person voting in remote areas with limited accessability should take place at a time that will allow ballots to be counted the day after the election. This last time it took the Alaska division of elections 16 days to deliver the final results.

All voting should be closed by midnight of election day.

Campaign financing

Campaigns should be financed locally. No one who is not resident in the area which a candidate proposes to represent or a proposal is put forth to change or enact a law or regulation should be able to contribute to any campaign for an individual or a proposal in that area. Someone in state A should not be able to dump money into a campaign in state B in order to sway an election.

Donations may be made only by individuals. A PAC is not a person.

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

Department of Election Integrity — D.E.I. for short

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An alphabet agency we could learn to love!