Posted on 01/17/2005 3:03:55 AM PST by AngieWhite
With the 2004 election just behind us, many people around the country are worried about the integrity of our election systems. Are they fair? Did the process work? Depends on who you ask. Whether you're talking about ten-hour waits to vote in Ohio, or dead people voting in Washington state, we can all agree on one thing: IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.
Me and a few others are going to try and start a grassroots movement to get voting laws changed in this country. We need your help. We want to know what YOU think would make voting better.
And we plan to march straight to Congress with this. But we can't do it without you and your input.
These problems will not get better on their own. The epic Left VS Right battle continues on in Congress today, and it is unlikely that without sufficient prodding by the public that they will ever stop bickering and settle down to try to fix things.
If for just a few minutes, both Democrats and Republicans can agree, and raise their voices to Congress together, there would be no stopping us.
So we are working on a few important issues to both parties to try to come to a solution.
This is where we need YOUR help. Here are some basic guidelines we've come up with so far speaking to various Democrats and Republicans (and so far, we've kept them in the same room for a while and no one's been trying to kill each other over the Washington Governors race...yet *shiver*)
I'm posting here because I want YOUR opinions. I want your suggestions/critisims on these guidelines so that we can better satisfy what all people want.
I own the domain votefraud.us, and it is going to go live in about a week. This is going to be our mission, to prevent fiasos like the Washington Gubernatorial circus.
(Please keep the Dem bashing soft, at least on this particular thread. I just want to know what YOU think would be necessary for a voting amendment.)
In full disclosure, this will be discussed on DU as well.
Here are the guidelines we've (somewhat) agreed on so far:
1- Just showing up and signing our name to a piece of paper is NOT sufficent enough identification to get a Driver's License in most states. Therefore, it should NOT be sufficent enough to cast a vote in a national election. A picture ID should be REQUIRED, as well as a voter's registration card (and correct address). This is NOT an outrageous request. This can go a long way to ensure that fraudulent votes are not cast, as well as ensuring that people vote only one time.
2- We would not wait in line to get a Driver's License for sixteen hours. Therefore, we should not have to wait sixteen hours to vote. Early voting needs to be implemented in every single state, and we also need to make sure that there is sufficent equiment for everyone to vote in a timely manner.
3- Just as we would not accept most banking transactions without a paper receipt, we should not accept electronic voting without a receipt. We need to be able to ensure that a vote was counted the way it was cast. The obvious danger here is that a party could 'buy out' the election, paying a hacker (or insider) to sway an election one way or the other. (Both Dem's and Republican's have sizeable pocketbooks, need I remind you)
4- When votes are tabulated at the end of the election day, we need equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans doing the counting. Campaign officials STAY OUT, volunteers only. This way, the opportunity of one party 'stealing/stacking the votes' decreases dramatically because there will be the opposition breathing down their necks as they count.
5- If you are involved as a high ranking official of a campaign, stay OUT of the official voting process. If you are in such a position (such as Secretary of State), then STEP ASIDE. Whether you are biased or not, it can be considered a problem to the integrity of the process and will be cause for question later on. (slander, ect.)
6- Two days after the election is over, an equal number of representatives from each party's campaign should be allowed to go back and audit votes down the the county level if requested. If county XYZ has high Democratic registration but high Republican voting (or persay, we find a month later two hundred ballots stuffed in a drawer somewhere), then the campaigns have the right to go back and audit. If nothing else, this will help ease people's fears and will go a long way to making sure that individual counties keep good records that are open to scrutiny.
7- If you are denied the ability to vote for whatever reason, there will be a log for you to sign at the poll. You will recieve a receipt that designates a place, date, and time to show up at the local Government Center (much like court). Ballots will be on hand, and as a voter you will be entitled to a review of your right to vote. Having an appointment such as this can solve many problems. Those who have recently moved or whatnot can get simple misunderstandings cleared up, and will then be provided with a ballot and can vote. The log and receipt that you will recieve will ensure that only people who show up to a polling place on November 2nd (or earlier, if voting early) will be entitled to these 'hearings'. This will help relieve a lot of 'voter disenfranchisement'. This date must be set before the certification of election results in the state.
"When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser." - Socrates
Many of these points not only protect the right to vote, but prevent the 'slander' that could occur afterwards. Peole would have more confidence that the voting process was upheld with integrity.
All right guys, this is where YOU GUYS can come in! We CAN do this, we can make sure that all future elections can be free and fair, and we won't have to worry about them as much.
Critisims, suggestions (or if you would be interested in helping out with the website when it goes live), post away! If you have suggestion that's not listed here, post it!
Democracy at its finest, guys. We can do it!
"Integrity is one of several paths. It distinguishes itself from the others because it is the right path... And the only one upon which you will never get lost." -M.H. McKee
(Forgive the spelling errors, I have been awake for 31 hours straight.)
I am in favor of requiring a picture ID. That would be one of the best impediments to voter fraud we could have, and the cost would be minimal.
Just to add one thing - no constitutional amendment would be needed. Do it on the State level. Federal election law could incorporate the same.
ping
You may be asking a bit much from the Dems. They are having some rather tough sledding right now. If you take away fraudulent voting, they may just completely evaporate.
Requiring valid IDs, which has to be the cornerstone of any voting reform package, will meet with nothing but the stiffest resistance.
That said, I wish you luck in your endeavor.
In Arkansas as I'm as sure is in many states Vote fraud is a FELONY!! I have never heard of vote fraud laws anywhere ever been enforced. If it never has been prosecuted, WHY??
Yes, vote fraud should be a felony under FEDERAL law. Great idea preacher! :)
I'd like to see all those who receive money from the government restricted from voting. As long as they're collecting money, there's a conflict of interest and they shouldn't be able to vote. That would take 70% of the democrats off the rolls.
And I suppose you're one of them who advocates for RFID chips to be stuck under our skin to tracked too, no?
I oppose IDs for voting just as I oppose Drivers licenses, Social Security, gun laws, etc. because that kind of a draconian law will only invite further draconian laws. It could lead to RFID chips as well.
See U.S. Constitution,
Article I, Section 4, Clause i
II.1.ii, II.1.iv, Amendments XIV, XV, XIX, XXIV, XXVI.
The topic is so complicated as to require a statute rather than a Constitutional amendment. Yes, I know, statutes may be amended more easily than an amendment.
I.4.i. clearly establishes Congressional authority over the manner of election for U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator. Amendment XIV extends that authority to "election for the choice of electors for President and Vice-President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers of a State, or the members of the Legislature thereof."
It would seem then, that no state may deny the right to vote for any reason, except:
(1) lack of citizenship,
(2) participation in rebellion or other crime EXCEPT failure to pay any tax
(3) not attaining the age of 21.
Amendment XXVI lowered voting age to 18, and, apparently, the scope of election that Congress could govern to ANY state or federal election (even a referendum, for example); a punishment to the state or to the United States for abridgement is not specifically provided as it is in Amendment XIII, so apparently, the Congress could make the actual penalty larger or smaller, so long as it was "appropriate." (determined by the courts, I suppose...)
It would seem that what is required is:
(1) proof of citizenship
(2) proof of age
(3) proof of a clean criminal record
However (4) proof of identity has to be addressed somehow.
I started elaborating on these points but the post was getting too long.
I think that, much like applying for a driver's license or a permit, you should be able to produce 2 positive forms of identification (voters selected at random) to vote. It would be a major deterrent to Mary Poppins, Darth Maul and Puff the magic dragon.
… you should be able to produce 2 positive forms of identification (voters selected at random) to vote.
But will discriminate against the dead, illegal aliens, convicted felons, those who want to vote several time in the same election … < /extreme sarcasm>
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