I’ve in favor of every state sending a voting package automatically to everyone who is a US citizen which includes voter registration forms and a ballot and a return envelope that self seals, no licking. Send out six weeks before election. Cutoff return date three weeks before election date. Announce results on election date. I’d have no prepaid returns, voters add their own return stamps. Eliminate voting in person. Work on an online OPTION elections.
I think everyone should automatically get a complete mail voting and registration package in one shot and not just those who specifically request it. The onus on filling out the paperwork and sending it back is on the citizen. Doesn’t seem like a huge burden for citizens.
This page is a permanent link to the reply below and its nested replies. See all post replies »
Have Post Offices stay open late with drive-thru drop-offs like once existed on tax day before e-filing took over.
Pre-paid mail. No stamp needed. The state election divisions will be saving money by not needing as many poling places open. Have some open for people who need to vote with a provisional ballot.
Online voting? No way. We are nowhere near where we need to be to do that securely.
If the deadline is an Election Day postmark the results are final who knows when. I think people want results on Election Day hence the timings on my suggestion. Those time limits could be adjusted obviously I just made a suggestion. @beckyromero
The individual machines at individual polling precinct would print a paper ballot for each voter (keeping anonymity) to confirm which then gets put into a sealed voter ballot box.
If the results from the electronic vote are lost or if they are suspected to have been tampered with (hacked), there would be the paper results to fall back on.
@beckyromero You are not old enough to remember the 2000 presidential election in Florida. There were paper ballots. Counting them by hand takes far too long.
The difference is that the paper ballot results [b]are confirmed by the individual voter[/b] before being inserted into a secure ballot box that can't be tampered with [b]and can serve as a BACKUP[/b] to electronic voting at the precinct.
We are a long ways from being ready for secure online voting. Voting by mail with as much security as possible is better than no voting. @beckyromero @quitwhendone
@jackjjackson The technology exists now. I don't know what Iowa's issue was exactly but it was in the aggregation of the votes from the precincts, not the voting at the precincts.
It was because Al Gore requested a statewide recount that wasn't necessary as only a few counties had problems - and only requested the statewide recount [i]after [/i]the few counties that had problems didn't give him enough votes to win.
@beckyromero Yes, and those few counties ran out of time. The state had to certify the results and send electors to the electoral college before the recount was completed. It was a painstakingly slow process.
