Counting votes [in MD]

Baltimore Sun ^ | 2/19/06

[mathprof]

Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. says he now supports requiring Maryland's voting machines to produce paper receipts. And while that's a good idea, it's a shame the governor's endorsement is a day late and probably millions of dollars short.

Elections officials believe the state would have to scrap its current touch-screen system and spend as much as $65 million to bring in replacement machines to do this. And that's not even the worst of it. [snip]

Nevertheless, the politicians in Annapolis need to take some deep breaths and calm down before voters start taking their rhetoric seriously. Yes, paper receipts would have been helpful as a means to audit election results, but it doesn't mean Maryland's current system is inaccurate - in fact, it's likely never been more exact or secure. And certainly there's no reason to lose confidence in "the State Board of Elections' ability to conduct fair and accurate elections," as the governor now claims to have.

What probably bothers Mr. Ehrlich most are the recent efforts by Democrats to expand voter turnout. Conventional wisdom is that these kinds of reforms almost always favor Democratic candidates. [snip]

It's worth noting that in 2004, for instance, of the 3 million votes cast in Maryland's primary and general elections, the number of voter fraud prosecutions was - exactly one. Compare that with the hundreds of thousands of people who are eligible to vote but don't, often because the process is unnecessarily difficult. Still, nothing stirs Maryland Republicans like claims of hanky-panky in the vote count. The dull reality is that such impropriety is rare and getting rarer all the time.

[mathprof]

See also: The criminal constituency

[mvpel]

It's worth noting that in 2004, for instance, of the 3 million votes cast in Maryland's primary and general elections, the number of voter fraud prosecutions was - exactly one.

That's assuming they bother to prosecute. Bud Fitch, here in New Hampshire, has steadfastly ignored piles and piles of evidence of illegal votes, including one by a Kerry-payrolled resident of South Dakota, Geoff Wetrosky, voting in the Manchester Mayoral election while staying with the chair of the state Democrat party, after having been caught stealing campaign signs.

[GeorgefromGeorgia]

I lived in MD for 8 years until two years ago. It always amazed me that not only did I not have to produce identification to vote, but it was ILLEGAL for any of the poll workers to ASK me for my identification.

Ellen Saubrey lost the Governor's race because of the phantom votes out of Baltimore.

Georgia has passes a voter ID law that requires a photoID. All the civil rights leaders and liberals have been complaining that it was a poll tax, since a driver's license or photo ID would cost up to $40. A judge recently found the new law violated the Voting Rights Act. In response the Georgia legislature has passed a revised law that the indigent get the photo ID FREE. The left is still complaining about the law, that the elderly can't get in to get their photo made. If they can't get in to have their photo made, how do the make it to the polls to vote???

[Question_Assumptions]

What I really want are machines that report their tallies to a central server as they come in, with a timestamp, so they can spot things like a run of votes coming in before the polls open or after they close.

[Question_Assumptions]

Oh, and I think willful and deliberate voting fraud, if proven, should be punishable by life in prison with no chance for parole.

[Abby4116]

When I vote here in Maryland, I don't know if we HAVE to show photo ID, but everyone does. During the past presidential election, workers were checking photo ID while still in line, to try to speed things up.